Transport for the North is developing the Northern Powerhouse Rail programme and is considering how the network forms part of the existing and future rail network of the north.
£60 million of funding was provided to generate plans for a route by 2017.

In October 2017, the Chancellor, Philip Hammond, allocated £300 million to future-proof junctions between Northern Powerhouse Rail and HS2 to allow east-west services to use HS2 infrastructure.
Later in the same month, it was proposed that an underground station for Manchester Piccadilly should be built to accommodate the new services of up to eight trains per hour; an underground station would require less building work and still provide good links to HS2.

In December 2017, TfN announced a proposal for a new service, to be called Northern Powerhouse Rail, then on the 16 January 2018, they released their draft 30-year Strategic Transport Plan of staged developments for northern England.
It included Northern Powerhouse Rail with proposals for
A new line between Liverpool and the HS2 Manchester Spur via Warrington
Capacity at Manchester Piccadilly station for around eight through services per hour
A new Trans Pennine rail line that connects Manchester and Leeds via Bradford (which currently has no through station)
Significant upgrades along the corridor of the existing Hope Valley line between Sheffield and Manchester via Stockport
Leeds to Sheffield delivered through HS2 Phase 2B and upgrading the route from Sheffield
Leeds to Newcastle via HS2 junction and upgrades to the East Coast Main Line
Significant upgrades to existing line from Leeds to Hull (via Selby) and Sheffield to Hull (via Doncaster)
The outcome of the consultation on the draft Strategic Transport Plan should be an Outline Business Case to be submitted by the end of 2018.

At Manchester Piccadilly, it is likely a new NPR station will be needed and options include a new underground station or a new surface turnback station.
Between Manchester and Sheffield, TfN is currently looking at whether it can upgrade the existing line or whether a new line will be needed.
A Strategic Outline Business Case for Northern Powerhouse Rail is due to be completed by the end of 2018.
As well as a through station for Bradford, there have been calls for an additional station at Rochdale on the new line between Manchester and Leeds.

Northern Powerhouse Rail is being developed in addition to planned improvements including the Great North Rail Project (formally the Northern Hub).
HS2 Ltd and Network Rail have been commissioned by TfN to prepare engineering and costing studies on a range of rail infrastructure options.
This could involve new and upgraded rail infrastructure.
In addition to serving the six previously identified centres, work is also underway to develop options to serve Other Significant Economic Centres (OSECs).
Options for Northern Powerhouse Rail stations will also promote and integrate with masterplans and wider spatial plans, including Leeds Station and Manchester Piccadilly.

In March 2019, it was announced a new commission had been established to plan a new £6 billion city centre station in Liverpool to accommodate HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail Services.

In July 2019, Prime Minister Boris Johnson pledged to fund the Leeds to Manchester section of the NPR route as a first stage of NPR.
It was also revealed that the plans would be published in the Autumn 2019, after the review of HS2 had concluded.
However, in September 2019, the Northern Powerhouse Minister, Jake Berry MP, stated that a possible underground interchange at Manchester Piccadilly would inflate the cost of the project and lead to an offset of spend somewhere else on the project; "....spending an extra £6bn on that [Manchester Piccadilly underground] means we have to find £6bn that we won’t spend somewhere else - and that might be putting in the parkway station in Bradford.
The people of Bradford, if they want to get to Leeds or Manchester, [would] have to get in their car and what we have to absolutely be doing is stopping people getting in their car
Transport for the North is developing the Northern Powerhouse Rail programme and is considering how the network forms part of the existing and future rail network of the north. £60 million of funding was provided to generate plans for a route by 2017.
In October 2017, the Chancellor, Philip Hammond, allocated £300 million to future-proof junctions between Northern Powerhouse Rail and HS2 to allow east-west services to use HS2 infrastructure. Later in the same month, it was proposed that an underground station for Manchester Piccadilly should be built to accommodate the new services of up to eight trains per hour; an underground station would require less building work and still provide good links to HS2.
In December 2017, TfN announced a proposal for a new service, to be called Northern Powerhouse Rail, then on the 16 January 2018, they released their draft 30-year Strategic Transport Plan of staged developments for northern England. It included Northern Powerhouse Rail with proposals for
A new line between Liverpool and the HS2 Manchester Spur via Warrington
Capacity at Manchester Piccadilly station for around eight through services per hour
A new Trans Pennine rail line that connects Manchester and Leeds via Bradford (which currently has no through station)
Significant upgrades along the corridor of the existing Hope Valley line between Sheffield and Manchester via Stockport
Leeds to Sheffield delivered through HS2 Phase 2B and upgrading the route from Sheffield
Leeds to Newcastle via HS2 junction and upgrades to the East Coast Main Line
Significant upgrades to existing line from Leeds to Hull (via Selby) and Sheffield to Hull (via Doncaster)
The outcome of the consultation on the draft Strategic Transport Plan should be an Outline Business Case to be submitted by the end of 2018.
At Manchester Piccadilly, it is likely a new NPR station will be needed and options include a new underground station or a new surface turnback station. Between Manchester and Sheffield, TfN is currently looking at whether it can upgrade the existing line or whether a new line will be needed. A Strategic Outline Business Case for Northern Powerhouse Rail is due to be completed by the end of 2018. As well as a through station for Bradford, there have been calls for an additional station at Rochdale on the new line between Manchester and Leeds.
Northern Powerhouse Rail is being developed in addition to planned improvements including the Great North Rail Project (formally the Northern Hub). HS2 Ltd and Network Rail have been commissioned by TfN to prepare engineering and costing studies on a range of rail infrastructure options. This could involve new and upgraded rail infrastructure. In addition to serving the six previously identified centres, work is also underway to develop options to serve Other Significant Economic Centres (OSECs). Options for Northern Powerhouse Rail stations will also promote and integrate with masterplans and wider spatial plans, including Leeds Station and Manchester Piccadilly.
In March 2019, it was announced a new commission had been established to plan a new £6 billion city centre station in Liverpool to accommodate HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail Services.
In July 2019, Prime Minister Boris Johnson pledged to fund the Leeds to Manchester section of the NPR route as a first stage of NPR. It was also revealed that the plans would be published in the Autumn 2019, after the review of HS2 had concluded. However, in September 2019, the Northern Powerhouse Minister, Jake Berry MP, stated that a possible underground interchange at Manchester Piccadilly would inflate the cost of the project and lead to an offset of spend somewhere else on the project; "....spending an extra £6bn on that [Manchester Piccadilly underground] means we have to find £6bn that we won’t spend somewhere else - and that might be putting in the parkway station in Bradford. The people of Bradford, if they want to get to Leeds or Manchester, [would] have to get in their car and what we have to absolutely be doing is stopping people getting in their car
High Speed North