Burnham blasts 'pausing' of schemes to help North

CRITICISM AMID LITTLE PROSPECT OF IMPROVED RAIL LINKS BETWEEN MANCHESTER AND NEWCASTLE

- By DANIEL HOLLAND

ANDY Burnham has slammed the decision to 'massively prioritise' North-South travel over other intercity routes as it emerged there was little prospect of more regular trains between Manchester and the north east.

Only one direct train per hour currently runs in each direction between Manchester and Newcastle, following a cut in 2023.

While a new rail timetable due to come into force in December will see LNER increase its Newcastle to London services from two to three per hour, hopes of boosting connections across the North remain very much on hold.