Northern trains Chester to Leeds service, CAF 195101 DMU Diesel Multiple Unit, at Manchester Victoria railway station

Northern Powerhouse Rail scaled back AGAIN as Tory says 'not much point' in plan Proposals to build in full Northern Powerhouse Rail, also called High Speed 3, have been scrapped just weeks after they were restored by ex-Prime Minister Liz Truss Plans for a high speed railway linking major northern cities have been ripped up again amid vicious spending cuts. Proposals to build in full Northern Powerhouse Rail, also called High Speed 3, have been scrapped just weeks after they were restored. The project was ditched as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Chancellor Jeremy Hunt bid to plug an estimated £50billion black hole in public coffers. No10 confirmed the Government was “committed” to the Integrated Rail Plan announced last November - which watered down the NPR scheme and axed HS2’s eastern leg to save cash in favour of a new £96bn upgrade plan. The Government was accused of a "Great Train Robbery" when it unveiled the controversial blueprint 12 months ago. Former Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said there 'wasn't really much point in going and blasting new tunnels through the Pennines'. During her doomed seven-week premiership, PM Liz Truss reinstated pledges to build HS3 in full, linking the North’s six big cities - Newcastle, Leeds, Hull, Sheffield, Manchester and Liverpool and Manchester Airport. But Mr Sunak has now reversed that pledge in yet another trashing of his predecessor’s promises. His spokesman said: “We are committed to the Integrated Rail Plan, which delivers a high speed line and transport improvements across the North" He said: "The line itself can deliver a 33-minute journey from Manchester to Leeds, quadruple nearly the capacity of that line, and do so without having to wait an extra 20 years beyond the delivery of what the upgrade can do.