THE Government is being urged to make "rapid progress" on Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) and the Integrated Rail Plan (IRP).

NP11, the voice for the 11 Northern Local Enterprise Partnerships, has rallied the Government to rapidly progress the IRP to match the aspirations on levelling up the country. 

The plan will set out further details about the Government's vision for major rail projects like NPR, for which there are calls to include a Bradford city centre station. A vision has been set out for the station to be located on the site of the current St James's Wholesale Market, off Wakefield Road.

In the NP11’s submission to the Government’s 2021 Spending Review, it has made the case that the release of the IRP will have a drastic effect on the level of investment and regeneration in the North, with strategic rail investment bringing huge benefits. 

The partnership said NPR, the Transpennine Route Upgrade, and other national schemes must be planned and delivered together, to ensure the North is prepared for the future, bringing all corners together as a single economic powerhouse, and connecting with the rest of the UK.

It highlighted that NPR will generate £14.4bn GVA uplift by 2060, and jobs during design and construction could reach 20,000 directly employed at its peak, with 77,000 positions created in the North and a further 54,000 across the UK once complete. 

The partnership said the electrification of the NPR network and beyond could be "vital" for decarbonisation.

Sir Roger Marsh OBE DL, Chair of the NP11 and Leeds City Region LEP, said: “From a business perspective, improved connectivity gives us longer, faster and more frequent train services which has a vast array of benefits.

"It will give employers access to a deeper pool of talent across the North; and open up access to new customers for existing businesses, encouraging them expand, innovate and take more risks. 

"Just as importantly, it will also help to attract and boost investment, both from at home and abroad.

“Northern Powerhouse Rail and related investment will deliver an economic boost to our towns and cities, and move the North towards a more integrated economy that will ‘level-up’ the region and boost UK productivity.

"Investing in our region’s rail infrastructure will be a necessity if we are to fully deliver the Government’s levelling-up agenda. The programme will connect the major economic centres of the North as well as under-served communities, generating opportunity, attracting investment, creating jobs, and unleashing our potential.”