What is Northern Powerhouse Rail and why does it matter?

The government is yet to put its money where its mouth is on levelling up, writes Jon Stone

Boris Johnson says he wants to invest in the regions but has yet to do so on a large scale (Getty)

The Independent has learnt that the government’s plans for Northern Powerhouse Rail may not meet the ambitions of regional leaders. But what exactly is the project?

Northern Powerhouse Rail (also known as NPR) has gone by several names in the last few years. First, it was called HS3; Labour’s manifesto also referred to it as “Crossrail for the North”.

Essentially, the idea is an east-west line linking from Liverpool in the west through Manchester, West Yorkshire and on to places on the east coast like Hull and Newcastle.