£15bn Improvements around UK

[brad465]

Reform have previously indicated they will cancel all such projects if elected, current projections suggest this is likely.

Cancelling investment in the north, which includes a number of seats they last came 2nd in. Yeah brilliant move by them.

 

[PGAT]

Reform have previously indicated they will cancel all such projects if elected, current projections suggest this is likely.

Good thing we have 4 or so years to get a move on

 

[Eurostarosaur]

Because this funding is given straight to the combined authorities rather than directed from DfT, it seems less likely to be subject to funding cuts if future economics go downhill. I don't think this will be like HS2.

 

[360xup]

Reform will say whatever they think people will want to hear. A lot of their target voters are outside london so making a play about killing investment in these areas would be politically a bit dumb

 

[The exile]

Cancelling investment in the north, which includes a number of seats they last came 2nd in. Yeah brilliant move by them.

Doubt it would make much difference - that’s not why people will or will not vote for them.

 

[geoffk]

"£1.8bn for the North East to extend the Newcastle to Sunderland tram via Washington" - this would use the Leamside line then. What's the state of the Victoria Bridge?

 

[stuu]

Reform have previously indicated they will cancel all such projects if elected, current projections suggest this is likely.

LOL

 

[360xup]

Curious to see if anyone has a source or link to where Reform say they will kill public transport investment dead in the north? Even just typing it out there and thinking impartially it sounds like a really stupid move.

 

[Magdalia]

The BBC News local pages have more details for some of these, usually with pictures and quotes from the mayor.

I can't find anything for Liverpool, Nottingham or Bristol yet.

Washington Metro line to be built as part of £1.85bn funding deal

Nexus says it is a historic moment, with the money also going towards other transport projects.

www.bbc.co.uk

A new Tyne and Wear Metro line will be built as part of a £1.85bn government investment and, when it opens, will be the first extension to the system for 30 years.

The money would help meet the cost of the route to Washington, Sunderland, with funds also expected to come from the private sector, the North East Combined Authority (NECA) said.

Chancellor announces £1bn for Teesside transport improvements

Mayor Ben Houchen says it will include projects such as Middlesbrough bus station's redevelopment.

www.bbc.co.uk

Teesside is to receive £1bn towards improving its transport network, Chancellor Rachel Reeves has announced.

Among the projects earmarked for the funds is a new platform three at Middlesbrough train station to increase the number of services.

Funding secured for West Yorkshire's £2.1bn tram project

West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin says the announcement is a "huge moment" for the region.

www.bbc.co.uk

A project to bring trams back to West Yorkshire has received a major funding boost from the government.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has announced that £2.1bn of local transport funding would be allocated to the county.

According to West Yorkshire Combined Authority, the grant would mean "spades in the ground" by 2028, with the first trams operating before the mid-2030s

Meanwhile, the government has also allocated £1.5bn of local transport funding to South Yorkshire.

About £530m of the money is expected to go towards renewing the county's tram network, providing a fleet of new vehicles and modernising tram stops.

Stockport 'can't wait' for Metrolink extension to town

Stockport locals have welcomed the funding for a long-awaited extension of the Metrolink line.

www.bbc.co.uk

People in Stockport have welcomed the announcement of funding for a long-awaited extension of Greater Manchester's tram line into the town centre.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced £2.5bn in funding for Greater Manchester, some of which will be used to extend the Metrolink network to the town.

It is also set to be used to create new stops in Bury, north Manchester and Oldham, Reeves said.

Birmingham Metro Sports Quarter extension backed by £2.4bn funding

The money from the government is being matched with £3bn from private investor Tom Wagner.

www.bbc.co.uk

Mayor Richard Parker said plans are already in place to deliver metro links in Birmingham, as £2.4bn investment for the West Midlands was announced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves.

The funding, announced before the government's spending review next week, will go towards extending services from the city centre to the new sports quarter.

 

[Snow1964]

Trouble is the Bakerloo line trains are now the oldest in Britain. They're 52 years old, used daily on the busiest metro system in the UK. They can't go on for ever. Their replacement is more keeping the lights on than investment.

The papers for next weeks TfL Board meeting make it clear that keeping trying to patch up the 1972 stock is becoming a big problem. Comments are fairly blunt about this (not in fluffy diplomatic speak). They refer to ongoing discussions with Government about need for follow on (from Piccadilly trains) order. Suggests the cost benefit is 4.1. There are also separate references to possible Lewisham extension.

https://board.tfl.gov.uk/documents/g880/Public%20reports%20pack%20Wednesday%2011-Jun-2025%2010.00%20Board.pdf?T=10

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 4 Jun 2025 ==

MERGE


Government has now given more detailed breakdown of funding for each region, year by year allocations

Transport for City Regions funding allocations

www.gov.uk

 

[Yew]

Has there been any discussion of what the 'improved connections between Nottingham and Derby' are likely to mean in practice?

To try and get us closer to on-track for the thread, I'm going to suggest that the combination of incoming MML electrification and the existing Tram network in Nottingham would be ideal for tram-trains.

 

[mangad]

Other areas of the country need levelling up. And actually its only fair given the massive investments London has seen.

You know that investment London gets, well you know central gov doesn't pay for it all? In fact with things like Crossrail, the majority of the money comes locally. A huge amount comes from the Mayoral Community Infrastructure Levy. Crossrail would never have happened if only Central Gov paid for it.

How many other parts of the UK can say that?

 

[lachlan]

I'm confused about the comment on tram stops for Oldham and Bury - what is the plan here as both of these places already have a tram connection

 

[Technologist]

Reform have previously indicated they will cancel all such projects if elected, current projections suggest this is likely.

At this stage in the last electoral cycle "current projections" said that the Conservatives would win a majority!

This far out from the election a poll essentially asks "how do you think the government are doing?" which given circumstances is unlikely to be answered "very well" even if they might be making some sensible long term changes.

At this moment picking Reform, Greens, Lib Dem in a poll is low stakes, there isn't going to be an election for 4 years. As that election approaches if Reform are polling well the election become "high stakes" as a bunch of untried radicals might have a chance of getting in.

When the election becomes high stakes voters start to coalesce around the two main parties who are likely to get the most seats (see 2017 and 2019), voting Green or Lib Dem and it resulting in Reform winning a seat off Labour is hardly a desirable option for people who are currently ticking the Green or Lib Dem box in a hypothetical election. Reform literally oppose everything those voters believe in. The last few elections are also showing that parties and voters are getting better at tactical voting.

The better polls at this stage of the electoral cycle are the head to heads of who would make a better Prime Minister, in these polls Farage loses out to every other party leader. Thus I think it far more likely that Reform end up as the right wing Lib Dems than they end up in government.

 

[aron2smith]

Good to see some investment north of London. People complain about London-centricity from Parliment, now they are investing in the north, people on here are still trying to put a negative spin on it. Damned if they do, damned if they don't.

I think what frustrates me is I live in an area close enough to London that it could be easily lumped in with the London City Region (clearly part of its built up area and economy) but instead falls on the side of Hertfordshire but very close to Essex too. A county that suffered huge bus cuts to the point it barely has late evening or weekend services anymore. Many bus routes in my town run hourly! Key links to neighbouring areas by bus completely severed. The trains are good for London and to the north of here and that's it, nothing across! Not great for people who don't live near the railway. Naturally traffic is amongst the worst of all areas here.

It feels like we are the awkward middle bit between London and Cambridge/ Milton Keynes, that despite the wealth here, we are a bit ignored. Part of why I would rather see London become a South East Regional Authority or something, so it can cover a bigger area which Crossrail 2, if it happens alludes to anyway. What is often not acknowledged is strategic planning between London and the surrounding counties is poor at best.

Many areas here are too built up to be considered shires, that's for sure!

I'm very happy to see extensions, especially to Manchester Metrolink and Tyne and Wear Metro though. Commitments to trams in Leeds and Bradford too. Very good stuff. West of England needs more ambition. All in all today's announcements are a good example of devolution in action.

 

[MatthewHutton]

You know that investment London gets, well you know central gov doesn't pay for it all? In fact with things like Crossrail, the majority of the money comes locally. A huge amount comes from the Mayoral Community Infrastructure Levy. Crossrail would never have happened if only Central Gov paid for it.

How many other parts of the UK can say that?

The south east paid for its own improvements. But it has still got comparatively little compared to London.

 

[InTheEastMids]

Reform have previously indicated they will cancel all such projects if elected

Good thing we have 4 or so years to get a move on

And this is another reason why we have dysfunctional infrastructure project delivery. Thanks, Nige (and politicians in general).

There is a credible threat of cancellation, so clients rush to get contracts awarded and the project past the point of no return.

Seeing this, objectors step up their opposition because if they can hold on just long enough, the new guy has promised to cancel the project and leave their back yards unspoiled.
Their objections delay the project and costs start to increase.

Supply chains get uncertain about if/when the project will be delivered, so they hold back on investing in people, plant and processes, setting themselves up for inefficient delivery.
It is too risky for them to take on the job with a fixed price element because they could get wiped out by delay, so it gets done using another model with cost-plus elements, meaning they may in fact benefit if the project takes longer and costs more than planned.

So we have an immature project, starting late, with contractors who may not have all the breadth and depth of capabilities they need to deliver the scheme, who may not be that motivated to deliver to time/cost.

Shovels go in the ground, unexpected is discovered, costs pile up, delays accrue, commercial managers rub their hands as contract variations are priced.
The project is curtailed, half-baked because it has become politically embarrassing to some future leader.

UK demonstrates it has learnt nothing from HS2 and other major projects. The year is 2045.

TLDR: It's not just about throwing lots of capital around at worthy schemes, it's how Government sets itself and the country up to deliver what has been promised. Has the Chancellor said anything about that?

 

[MatthewHutton]

I think what frustrates me is I live in an area close enough to London that it could be easily lumped in with the London City Region (clearly part of its built up area and economy) but instead falls on the side of Hertfordshire but very close to Essex too. A county that suffered huge bus cuts to the point it barely has late evening or weekend services anymore. Many bus routes in my town run hourly! Key links to neighbouring areas by bus completely severed. The trains are good for London and to the north of here and that's it, nothing across! Not great for people who don't live near the railway. Naturally traffic is amongst the worst of all areas here.

It feels like we are the awkward middle bit between London and Cambridge/ Milton Keynes, that despite the wealth here, we are a bit ignored. Part of why I would rather see London become a South East Regional Authority or something, so it can cover a bigger area which Crossrail 2, if it happens alludes to anyway. What is often not acknowledged is strategic planning between London and the surrounding counties is poor at best.

Many areas here are too built up to be considered shires, that's for sure!

I'm very happy to see extensions, especially to Manchester Metrolink and Tyne and Wear Metro though. Commitments to trams in Leeds and Bradford too. Very good stuff. West of England needs more ambition. All in all today's announcements are a good example of devolution in action.

Agree that often the south east outside London hasn’t done that well actually and has also paid the highest ticket prices.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 4 Jun 2025 ==

And this is another reason why we have dysfunctional infrastructure project delivery. Thanks, Nige (and politicians in general).

We should be able to do some of these smaller projects in a parliamentary term.

 

[aron2smith]

Agree that often the south east outside London hasn’t done that well actually and has also paid the highest ticket prices.

That's the bizarre thing, Cheshunt is quite lucky compared to most of the South East in that it has an Oyster zone and the Weaver Line terminates here, so the trains are reasonable in cost compared to further up the line, for example Harlow. But for some daft reason, the buses are completely separate, refuse to connect with the trains and left to falter and decline under the likes of Arriva. Because of the rubbish buses, I have no real social life and access to opportunities is limited, I hate it! I hear similar complaints from people in Potters Bar and Watford but at least TFL buses actually serve them! There really needs to be a level of government that makes London and the South East work together, it would make life so much better! We as a wider region are integrated in so many ways, about time government caught up.

 

[jfollows]

I'm confused about the comment on tram stops for Oldham and Bury - what is the plan here as both of these places already have a tram connection

Extra stop prior to the Bury terminus, and somewhere in the Oldham area.

 

[Howardh]

I'm confused about the comment on tram stops for Oldham and Bury - what is the plan here as both of these places already have a tram connection

New tram stops, not new lines! One earmarked for Elton (Bury) between Radcliffe and Bury. More stops = longer journey so I wonder if it's possible to include "fast" limited stop services so Bury to Manchester could be done in something like 20 mins? Obviously make sure they can't catch up with the slow one in front!

 

[lachlan]

New tram stops, not new lines! One earmarked for Elton (Bury) between Radcliffe and Bury. More stops = longer journey so I wonder if it's possible to include "fast" limited stop services so Bury to Manchester could be done in something like 20 mins? Obviously make sure they can't catch up with the slow one in front!

Ah makes sense- I had expected £2.5bn to buy a bit more, if I'm honest

 

[A S Leib]

I'm not sure if it's been mentioned yet, but the North East funding might cover refurbishment of Newsham, Seaton Delaval and Bebside stations, the last of which isn't yet open; is there any reason, cost aside, why those improvements couldn't have been done before opening the line?

 

[The exile]

I'm not sure if it's been mentioned yet, but the North East funding might cover refurbishment of Newsham, Seaton Delaval and Bebside stations, the last of which isn't yet open; is there any reason, cost aside, why those improvements couldn't have been done before opening the line?

Why would you need to refurbish brand new stations that either aren’t even open or have been for less than 6 months?

 

[Cheshire Scot]

So money is being committed to the construction of schemes without any business case process? I find that extremely surprising.

I suspect a lot of background work will have been done on these. I used to have contact with a Senior Network Rail Manager who would from time to time drop into the conversation schemes whch they had looked at in some detail which, if not exactly a business case gave an outline level of feasibility and cost effectiveness to report back to DfT.

Meanwhile the BBC reports 'Leader of Stockport Council Mark Roberts said the recently-completed Stockport Interchange was "Metrolink-ready".' so it would appear some reasonably advanced planning has already taken place.

 

[Zomboid]

Ah makes sense- I had expected £2.5bn to buy a bit more, if I'm honest

It's not just a couple of tram stops for that. Completely electrifying the bee network was one other part of the plan, which will mean loads of electric buses and supporting infrastructure, for example.

 

[Thirteen]

Wonder how much a 50p/night visitor tax would raise over the whole of the Greater London area….

The Metro Mayors and The Mayor of London don't have the power to introduce a visitor levy but it could be a revenue generator especially for London.

 

[mangad]

I suspect a lot of background work will have been done on these. I used to have contact with a Senior Network Rail Manager who would from time to time drop into the conversation schemes whch they had looked at in some detail which, if not exactly a business case gave an outline level of feasibility and cost effectiveness to report back to DfT.

Meanwhile the BBC reports 'Leader of Stockport Council Mark Roberts said the recently-completed Stockport Interchange was "Metrolink-ready".' so it would appear some reasonably advanced planning has already taken place.

The extension to Stockport is definitely not a project that someone's recently come up with in a brainstorming session. It was being spoken of back in 2004 when the East Didsbury line was in planning. The fact that Stockport Interchange was built with it in mind means there's been a lot of thought and planning already.

 

[faltskog36abba]

Tram /Trains for Oldham, Rochdale Heywood and Bury?. Does this mean trams going to Heywood Via Castleton and the ELR?.

 

[stuartl]

The Metro Mayors and The Mayor of London don't have the power to introduce a visitor levy but it could be a revenue generator especially for London.

Manchester already have a City Visitor Tax of £1 per room per night.