A £530 million investment package to transform rail travel in the north of England through better stations and quicker, more frequent services has been unveiled by Network Rail.

The Northern Hub study identifies what needs to be done to respond to the significant growth seen in the region and to help drive economic prosperity.

The plans include:

• A 40% increase in trains per day across the region - 700 extra services
• Capacity for a further 3.5m passengers per year
• Quicker more frequent services for Newcastle, Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds and Sheffield

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"Through better connections, faster services and improved stations we want to trigger wider growth in the north which in turn will support local jobs and businesses. Our ambitious vision includes miles of track, new platforms and electrification to keep driving up passenger demand while keeping freight on the rails – and lorries off of our already congested roads."

(CD/BMcC)