UK Inquiry Tracker

Northern Powerhouse Rail

Public Accounts Committee Open Inquiry

Opened: 20 Mar 2026 Parliament page

Since 2014, successive governments have acknowledged the limitations of rail infrastructure in the North of England. Several large cities - including Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle and Sheffield - are poorly served by transport connections. The Northern Powerhouse Rail programme is intended to improve connectivity between major cities in the North … Read more Since 2014, successive governments have acknowledged the limitations of rail infrastructure in the North of England. Several large cities - including Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle and Sheffield - are poorly served by transport connections. The Northern Powerhouse Rail programme is intended to improve connectivity between major cities in the North of England and promote economic growth through increased productivity. The programme will be delivered in three phases, the first of which will see the construction on new rail lines and upgrades to existing lines in the Northeast of England and is expected to be completed in the 2030’s. The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has previously reported on the impacts of the cancellation of the Northern leg of HS2 and the Department for Transport’s (DfT) management of the Crossrail programme . In both instances, the PAC raised concerns about the spiralling costs of the projects meaning they were unlikely to provide value for money, and has raised concerns over how DfT has failed to learn lessons from the past. According to a report from the National Audit Office (NAO) found that the DfT will have spent £410mn on the programme by March 2026, with a funding cap of £45 billion for spend from 2026-27. The NAO warned that further work is needed to ensure that the programme aligns with growth plans, which will require effective cross-government working at national and local levels. Proceeding from the NAO’s report, the Committee will take evidence from witnesses including senior DfT officials on subjects including key challenges within the programme, and what progress has been made on it since 2014. If you have evidence on these issues, please submit here by 23.59 on Monday 13 April 2026. Please note that the Committee’s inquiry cannot assist with individual cases. If you need help with an individual problem you are having, you may wish to read the information on Parliament’s website about who you can contact with different issues . Show less

1 Oral session

1 Event

Activity timeline 2 events

27 Apr
2026

Oral evidence

Oral evidence session

27 Apr
2026

Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · The Grimond Room, Portcullis House

Committee event

Oral evidence sessions 1 session

27 Apr 2026

View on parliament.uk

Jo Shanmugalingam · Department for Transport Nick Bisson · Department for Transport Tom Riordan CBE · HM Treasury Will Davis · Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government