A newly revealed map of Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) offers the clearest picture yet of how the Government plans to reshape rail travel across the North, and what Yorkshire passengers can realistically expect, and when.

A new rail line between Liverpool and Manchester is seen a central piece of the overall Northern Powerhouse rail project, which is aimed at cutting travel times between northern cities and towns as well as boosting the UK economy outside of London.

Thousands of rail workers are to be made redundant as part of Labour’s plan to nationalise the railways. Network Rail is cutting 15 per cent of its workforce as it faces a budget shortfall potentially as high as £1.8bn, insiders said.