New 'glider' and bus fleet part of £1. 6bn boost for region

CHANCELLOR RACHEL REEVES SET TO ANNOUNCE MAJOR LOCAL TRANSPORT INVESTMENTS TODAY 00:01, 04 Jun 2025 The government is committing £100m for three new rapid transit routes - to Liverpool

Airport and to Liverpool and Everton's stadiums - as part of a huge £1.6 billion transport boost for the city region. The spending blitz, set to be announced by chancellor Rachel Reeves

today ahead of her much-anticipated spending review next week, will also include money to buy a new fleet of buses for the Liverpool City Region's soon-to-be franchised bus network.

Speaking in Greater Manchester today, Ms Reeves will pledge to more than double investment in local transport in England's city regions, promising to deliver the biggest ever investment

in these areas over the next five years. The news comes as reports suggest the chancellor will also back huge plans for a new railway line between Liverpool and Manchester, which has been

campaigned for by the two mayors - and two main newspapers - of both city regions. In her speech today, Ms Reeves is expected to say that “a Britain that is better off cannot rely on a

handful of places forging ahead of the rest of the country,” adding that the “result of such thinking has been growth created in too few places, felt by too few people, and wide gaps between

regions and between our cities and towns.” Ms Reeves will say the spending review next week will take different choices, with investment in a “new economic model – driven by investment in

all parts of the country, not just a few.” Article continues below She will then confirm the first investment announcements from next Wednesday's Spending Review, with £15.6 billion of

funding for local transport projects in England’s city regions. The Treasury says this will represent a more than double real-term increase in capital spending on local transport in city

regions by 2029/30 compared with 2024/25. Liverpool City Region's five-year-settlement allocation, from 2027/28 to 2031/32, will represent a total of £1.6 billion. This will include

£100m for three new bus rapid transit routes. Announced as a major pledge in Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram's election manifesto last May, the rapid transit system - similar to the Glider

system in Belfast - would provide dedicated routes to Liverpool John Lennon Airport, to Anfield Stadium, and to Everton's new ground, Hill Dickinson Stadium. Last summer, a first glance

at what the new rapid transit vehicles could look like was offered when a Belfast Glider was loaned to the Liverpool City Region and wrapped in the yellow and black Metro branding

associated with the Liverpool City Region transport authority. The vehicles look like trams but have wheels and are designed to operate on roads, running in dedicated lanes at times. As well

as the rapid transit investment, the Liverpool City Region cash will also be spent on a brand-new fleet of buses that will form part of the region's soon-to-be franchised bus network.

As part of this process, the newly purchased fleet will begin running in St Helens and the Wirral in 2026, followed by Sefton, Knowsley, and North and South Liverpool in 2027. On Tuesday,

the Financial Times reported Ms Reeves will announce in her spending review next week that the government will spend billions on a new railway between Liverpool and Manchester. This has been

a key ask of Mayors Rotheram and Burnham, who both travelled to London last month to make the case for this investment, with the Liverpool ECHO and the Manchester Evening News joining

forces to back those calls. Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram said: "This is a massive vote of confidence in our region and shows what’s possible when national and local

governments pull in the same direction. "With £1.6bn coming our way, we can get on with building the kind of transport network people here deserve: new train stations, a rapid transit

system, and a bus service run for people, not profit. "It’s not just about better connections; good transport is a real engine of growth. It helps people get to work, supports new homes

and businesses, and builds the foundations of a fairer, more productive economy. With a chancellor who’s willing to back our ambition, we’ve now got the funding to make it happen.” Speaking

about the wider planned investments in transport around the country, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said: “Today marks a watershed moment on our journey to improving transport across

the North and Midlands – opening up access to jobs, growing the economy, and driving up quality of life as we deliver our Plan for Change. "For too long, people in the North and

Midlands have been locked out of the investment they deserve. With £15.6bn of government investment, we're giving local leaders the means to drive cities, towns, and communities

forward, investing in Britain’s renewal so you and your family are better off." Article continues below The chancellor is also expected to confirm today “a step change in how government

approaches and evaluates the case for investing in our regions.” Following a review of the Treasury’s Green Book and how it is used, she will say this move - previously called for by Mayors

Burnham and Rotheram - is needed “to make sure that this government gives every region a fair hearing when it comes to investments." The full conclusions of the Green Book review will

be published on June 11, alongside the wider spending review.