£40bn boost for our railways

OVER the summer I had conversations with local residents about rail investment in our local area and the wider region.

Reliable transport networks are essential to growth and productivity.

Therefore, I am pleased that the Government is in the process of delivering the biggest investment in railways since Victorian times, with around £40 billion being invested between 2014 and 2019, which will benefit millions of passengers across the country.

It will mean more trains, more seats and better stations.

There will be significant investment in local rail services by 2020, including on the Manchester to Buxton and the Manchester to New Mills lines.

In total £580 million will be invested in 98 new trains and 243 refurbished trains.

This will increase peak time capacity on local railways.

There will also be further investment at local stations including Hazel Grove, Romiley, Rose Hill, Strines, and Woodley.

This will be delivered over the next two years through Northern Rail’s Station Improvement Fund, which will cover various improvements including refurbishment of waiting room and shelters, new CCTV and customer information displays and improved seating on platforms.

Passengers expect and deserve high quality rail services.

I will make sure that Government is committed to local rail investment and I shall continue to push for Greater Manchester to see a fairer share of these benefits.