NORTHERN leaders have urged the government to deliver massive rail investment and unlock a £100 billion boost to the region’s economy.

Andy Burnham and other key figures yesterday said that introducing Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) at the same time as HS2 as a major step to narrowing the North-South divide.

They said creating a high-speed East to West rail network by the early 2030s would put 10 million people within two hours of Manchester Airport,compared to three million today, and dramatically cut journey times between towns and cities.

The Greater Manchester mayor said: “Westminster has failed the North and given us a transport system which is simply not fit for the future.

“People here are no longer prepared to put up with the packed out roads and clapped out trains that we’ve endured for decades.

“We need the Government to deliver East to West Northern Powerhouse Rail alongside HS2, with a revamped Manchester Piccadilly station at its heart.

“This is a clear call from the Northern Powerhouse Partnership and our job now as political leaders is to gather the whole of the North behind this call, speaking with one voice to Government to demand the rail system the North deserves.”

Currently, travelling from Manchester to Bradford by train takes 61 minutes — bringing in NPR would slash this to just 20 minutes, and also cut the Manchester to Leeds journey to half an hour.

Jeff Davies, chairman of the Bolton Rail Users Group, said: “It is great that our Greater Manchester mayor is taking an interest in local railways and we look forward to working with him on the needs of Bolton and the lack of capacity through the Castlefield corridor.”

Crucial to this transformation is building a tunnel to accommodate NPR in an underground station at Manchester Piccadilly, ensuring that HS2 trains can link with NPR trains and with Manchester Airport.

Bolton North East MP Sir David Crausby said: “I am completely in favour of this.

“I really disagree with people who say we shouldn’t do HS2 and should spend that money on NPR instead — we need both.

“We need a comprehensive cross-country connection and a first class connection to the Midlands and London. The job isn’t done if you connect Manchester, Leeds and Sheffield with London, but then not with each other.”