The Chancellor has today announced further investment in our rail network and shown the governments' continuing commitment to the Northern Powerhouse by announcing £400 million to back rail and for dozens of local road schemes across the whole of the North.

This breaks down to:

• £100 million for 33 local road schemes right across the North of England, with 10 being in the North East, 13 in the North West and 10 in Yorkshire and Humber.
• £300 million to help futureproof HS2 infrastructure so it can accommodate future Northern Powerhouse rail services, enabling faster services between Liverpool and Manchester, Sheffield, Leeds and York, as well as onto parts of the Midlands and London.

The Association for Consultancy and Engineering (ACE) welcomes this announcement as it has been making the case for further investment in northern transport connections for some time.

Dr Nelson Ogunshakin OBE, chief executive of ACE said: "This is a very welcome announcement by the Chancellor that shows the government recognizes the importance of infrastructure investment and is listening to the industry. ACE has been lobbying the Treasury for a commitment to northern rail in the budget and we have been successful in our endeavour. The rebalancing of the UK economy is vital for the long-term prosperity of the UK and ACE will continue to make the case that we can only continue to be a world-leading economy if we invest and maintain a world-class infrastructure network."

By 2020, the UK will have spent more than £13 billion on improving and modernising transport links across the Northern Powerhouse, representing record investment in Northern transport.

ENDS