Chancellor Rachel Reeves has announced a significant “long-overdue investment” in local transport in England’s city regions.
City regions in the North, Midlands and the South West will receive a £15.6bn funding boost for buses, trams and local train infrastructure.
Reeves travelled to Greater Manchester to announce the investment, the first to be revealed from next week’s spending review.
This investment in local transport projects will help ensure regions outside London and the South East also benefit from transport infrastructure.
In her speech, Reeves said that Britain “cannot rely on a handful of places forging ahead of the rest of the country” and today’s funding is part of a “new economic model – driven by investment in all parts of the country”.
Transport secretary Heidi Alexander said: “For too long, people in the North and Midlands have been locked out of the investment they deserve. With £15.6bn of government investment, we’re giving local leaders the means to drive cities, towns...