Great North Rail Project

Our plan to stimulate economic growth in the north of England through better connections between towns and cities.

By 2022 the Great North Rail Project (GNRP), part of Britain’s Railway Upgrade Plan, will have delivered a multi-billion pound package of improvements for customers across the north of England.

GNRP is a vast programme of improvements to transform train travel for customers in the North.

It will enable 2,000 extra services each week and allow 40,000 more passengers to travel each day. More trains with more seats, running more quickly and more reliably. Train customers are the immediate beneficiaries of improved transport links (or connectivity) between towns and cities in the North.

As new opportunities, including jobs, are created and businesses get access to a greater pool of talent, local communities and the wider regional economy will feel the knock-on benefits of GNRP. This will boost growth regionally and nationally.

GNRP projects

The benefits

Connecting the north and beyond

Train customers, local communities, businesses, the economy as a whole – all stand to benefit from improved connections and shortened journey times between key towns and cities.

Journey time improvements

Faster, more frequent, more reliable passenger services, on larger trains with more seats, will give customers quicker, more comfortable journeys.

Capacity

Larger, more spacious trains, running more frequently, will make the great centres of the North more easily accessible for customers. And you’ll be far more likely to get a seat.

Reliability

Customers will have peace of mind, thanks to more frequent trains running on a more reliable railway. They’ll know, rather than hope, that they’ll arrive on time.

Environmental / customer experience

Electrifying the railway will allow quieter, cleaner and greener trains. A smoother ride for customers – and for the natural environment.