Great British Railways HQ delayed until next year at earliest, Transport Secretary reveals

Mark Harper, who was appointed to the role in October, said that no set date has been agreed for the plans following bids from both York and Doncaster, despite suggestions that it could still be announced before the end of the year.

In an interview with The Yorkshire Post following yesterday’s meeting with Northern mayors in Manchester, Mr Harper said: “there isn’t a specific timetable” but that the Government will set out its decision publicly when it is decided.

In the meeting, which the Transport Secretary said focused mainly on trains, Mr Harper also confirmed that there are no current plans to look into a line to Hull, despite it being promised by the then-prime minister Liz Truss.

It comes after Bradford was given assurances that it was a top priority as ministers looked at plans for a new station and better connectivity for the city.

“We are looking at options for delivering improved services for Bradford,” but “that was as far as we got” during his meeting with Northern mayors.

He said that he understood confusion over the Government’s plan for Northern Powerhouse Rail following the chopping and changing of prime ministers and transport secretaries in recent months, but said that the position was clear.

“We are committed to the core Northern Powerhouse Rail network as set out in the integrated rail plan,” as well as the options for Bradford.

In a thinly-veiled criticism of Liz Truss, he said that the former prime minister “said some things which were not official government policy [...] which made things a bit more confusing”.

Mr Harper did not commit to looking at a rail line between Liverpool and Hull, and did not deny that it was viewed as a “decision for another day which he is currently not looking into”.

The clarification over the future of the potential line comes after ministers were urged by local MPs to stop "playing hokey cokey" with the high-speed rail link.

Recent months of economic forecasts have led to speculation that the Government will seek to balance its books before investing in infrastructure such as rail.

However, Mr Harper told The Yorkshire Post that investment will not wait around, as transport infrastructure is part of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track.

“It is true that I have to manage the inflation pressures, but my capital budget was not reduced [by the Chancellor],” he said.

“The Government is committed to investing in infrastructure to help drive that economic growth in the future, rather than the other way around.

“Economic investment is part of how we deliver economic growth.”

It comes as the five metro mayors said talks with Mr Harper on Wednesday had been “positive”, but stressed they needed more than “warm words” to fix the disruption “causing misery for millions”.

Thousands of trains have been cancelled across the north of England at short notice in recent weeks, with TransPennine Express, Avanti and Northern all affected.