What the IRP promises

The Integrated Rail Plan sets out a “core pipeline” of work comprising three high-speed lines:

■ Completion of HS2 from Crewe to Manchester (the western leg).

■ HS2 from the West Midlands to East Midlands Parkway.

■ A new high-speed line between Warrington, Manchester and Yorkshire, adopting the first of three options that had been put forward for Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) by Transport for the North.

It also plans electrification and/ or upgrading of three existing main lines:

■ The TransPennine Main Line (Manchester, Leeds and York).

■ The Midland Main Line (London St Pancras, the East Midlands and Sheffield).

■ Upgrading the East Coast Main Line.

It further plans associated improvements in local services, including on a new West Yorkshire Mass Transit System, introduction of ‘Londonstyle’ contactless ticketing on commuter networks, and work to “protect and improve” services on existing main lines.