North newspapers urge PM not to scale back rail investment

Newspapers in the North of England have launched a campaign urging the government not to scale back promised rail investment.

Inspired by the poster for the 1996 film Trainspotting, Reach's dailies' front pages urged prime minister Boris Johnson to "Choose the North."

It comes amid reports Mr Johnson is planning to downgrade the eastern leg of the HS2 railway line.

The government said its Integrated Rail Plan would be published this week.

The Department for Transport (DfT) spokesman also added that it would not comment on speculation.

HS2 is a planned high-speed railway between London Euston, the Midlands, north-west England, Yorkshire and potentially north-east England and the central belt of Scotland.

On their front pages, titles such as the Chronicle, the Journal, the Manchester Evening News and the Huddersfield Examiner, urged the government to "keep its rail promises by delivering Northern Powerhouse Rail and HS2 in full to deliver hundreds of thousands of jobs, shorter journey times and take cars off the road".

The DfT said: "We will be publishing the Integrated Rail Plan later this week.

"Work is continuing, and we will not comment on speculation."

Rob Parsons, Reach Northern Agenda editor, said: "Enough's enough.

"The prime minister has been prepared to use chronic central government neglect of northern England to his political advantage.

"It is time to keep his side of the bargain."

He said rail investment should not mean "a smattering of piecemeal upgrades dressed up as a transport revolution, ready for deployment on leaflets at the next election".

"It means new inter-city lines to and across the North, a move supported both by northern leaders and the Conservative manifesto," added Mr Parsons.

"His plan must now include those Northern Powerhouse Rail lines. We are calling on ministers to deliver the project, in full."