NORTHERN POWERHOUSE RAIL

Rating: Compared to the financial year 24/25 Q4, the NISTA Delivery Confidence Assessment rating at 25/26 Q4 has improved from Red to Amber. This improvement is primary a result of NPR receiving an agreed funding commitment in January 2026 of up to £45bn in 2025 prices, along with decisions on the single biggest scope choice in terms of the approach between Manchester and Liverpool and use of the Crewe-Manchester hybrid Bill.

Schedule: Compared to the financial year 24/25 Q4 the NPR project end date has increased from December 2045 to December 2051. This reflects updates to the scope of the programme which had not been updated since the previous government's Network North Command Paper, and takes into account the planning which is forming the Programme Business Case.

Cost: Compared to Financial Year 24/25-Q4 the programme's agreed whole life costs at Q4 25-26 (measured in £bn) has increased from 30.60 in 2019 prices to 45.00 in 2025 prices. This update reflects the agreed government upper limit funding profile which was announced as part of the Northern Powerhouse Rail announcement within the wider Northern Growth Strategy in January 2026. A refined cost profile for the programme will be developed following the completion of the Programme Business Case.

Source: NISTA Major Projects Annual Report 2025-26 (data)

Rating: Compared to financial year 23/24-Q4, the Infrastructure Project Authority's Delivery Confidence Assessment rating at 24/25-Q4 changed from AMBER to RED. This reflects the position in March 2025, as at IPA’s last internal review point, before funding decisions were taken as part of the Spending Review and in advance of formal announcements about the forward programme. At Spending Review in June 2025, the government confirmed it will provide funding to progress this government’s long-term strategic rail ambitions, in the North of England. Work is ongoing to confirm funding decisions and government plans for NPR further to Spending Review.

Schedule: Compared to financial year 23/24-Q4, the project's end-date at 24/25-Q4 remained at 29/12/2045. This is primarily due to the following factors‚ The current NPR programme baseline reflects the scope as originally established under the previous government. As the SR25 is expected to confirm a similar scope, the existing baseline remains broadly aligned. Following the conclusion of SR25, formal change control processes will be undertaken to update the baseline, primarily to reflect revised scheduling and delivery profiles.

Cost: Compared to financial year 23/24-Q4, the project's departmentally agreed Whole Life Cost at 24/25-Q4 (measured in £m) remained at 30600. Once Ministerial decisions on the programme will be taken, the Whole Life Cost of the programme will be rebaselined.

Source: NISTA Annual Report 2024-25 (data)

Rating: Compared to financial year 22/23-Q4, the Infrastructure Project Authority's Delivery Confidence Assessment rating at 23/24-Q4 remained at Amber. This is primarily due to the following factors. Following the Network North announcement in October 2023, the programme will need to fully revise the Strategic Outline Business Case (SOBC) to reflect the expanded scope of Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR). Delivery of the SOBC is dependent on a new funding profile for NPR being agreed across government and will encompass a re-assessment of NPR's value for money proposition. In March 2024, ministers set out the proposed next steps for the NPR route between Liverpool and Manchester, with the primary option to include new stations at Warrington and Manchester Airport, and the ambition to adapt the HS2 Phase 2b hybrid Bill for NPR.

Schedule: Compared to financial year 22/23-Q4, the project's end-date at 23/24-Q4 increased from 2045-01-01 to 2045-12-29. This is primarily due to the following factors. End date aligns with Integrated Rail Plan (IRP) target year of 2045. The project end date will be reassessed as part of the revision of the SOBC to reflect the additional Network North scope.

Cost: Compared to financial year 22/23-Q4, the project's departmental-agree Whole Life Cost at 23/24-Q4 increased from 17265m. to 30600m. This is primarily due to the following factors. This is due to the scope of NPR being expanded by the Network North announcement, including NPR becoming responsbile for a section of route between Liverpool and Manchester that would previously have been delivered by HS2 Phase 2b.

Source: IPA Annual Report 2023-24 (data)