London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 04, 2025

Transport for the North boss calls for debate on raising cost of driving

Transport for the North boss calls for debate on raising cost of driving

Martin Tugwell says UK government must look at whether to make car use pricier and public transport cheaper
There needs to be an “honest conversation” about making driving more expensive in order to subsidise public transport, according to the new head of the north of England’s strategic transport body.

Martin Tugwell, who took over as chief executive of Transport for the North (TfN) earlier this month, is trying to persuade the government to pay at least £30bn to build a transpennine rail line called Northern Powerhouse Rail, as well as HS2 spurs to Manchester and Leeds.

In an interview with the Guardian, Tugwell said a gap had opened up as public transport fares have risen while driving has become cheaper, thanks to the freeze on fuel duty.

Asked if the government should make driving more expensive to make public transport better and cheaper, he said: “I think that’s something we need to have a debate on because when we start talking about decarbonising our transport system there are some issues we need to talk through as a society, and make a choice about what we are going to have to accept.

“I think we need to have an honest conversation about how we raise the funds to invest in transport.

“It is not an easy conversation,” he conceded, saying “there are large parts of our community, particularly in rural areas, particularly in more less dense areas, where people will not have any choice other than to use a car. And I don’t think we should disenfranchise them.”

Tugwell has strategic oversight of the north’s major roads as well as rail. In 2019, TfN submitted a bid for a £700m road investment as part of the national roads fund, which it said would “unlock economic growth, deliver new homes, increase active travel, and improve public transport”.

TfN, born out of the former chancellor George Osborne’s vision for a “northern powerhouse”, was set up in 2015 to allow northern leaders to “speak with one voice” and tell the government how to improve the region’s transport.

But critics say the body has failed to secure government funding for its flagship projects, noting that TfN’s operational budget was cut this year from £10m to £6m.

There is not yet a legally binding commitment to build Northern Powerhouse Rail, which was supposed to slash journey times between Liverpool and Hull, adding a new through-station in Bradford.

And so far HS2, the high-speed line between London and the north of England via Birmingham, is only currently certain to reach Crewe. The government says it hopes to bring forward a bill to parliament in 2022 to secure the Crewe to Manchester extension but has been silent on whether an eastern spur to Leeds will ever be built.

Asked how confident he was about the eastern HS2 leg, Tugwell said: “We will have wait to see what government finally decides in terms of the eastern leg … we’re clear, that the benefits to the north are of delivering both HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail together. They are an integral part of the rail network for us.”

The government has repeatedly postponed the publication of the integrated rail plan, which the transport minister, Andrew Stephenson, said in June would “outline exactly how these major rail projects … will work together to deliver the reliable train services that passengers need and deserve.”
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Queen Camilla’s Teenage Courage: Fended Off Attempted Assault on London Train, New Biography Reveals
Scottish Brothers Set Record in Historic Pacific Row
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Court of Appeal Allows Asylum Seekers to Remain at Essex Hotel Amid Local Tax Boycott Threats
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
Nvidia Reveals: Two Mystery Customers Account for About 40% of Revenue
Woody Allen: "I Would Be Happy to Direct Trump Again in a Film"
Pickles are the latest craze among Generation Z in the United States.
Deadline Day Delivers Record £125m Isak Move and Donnarumma to City
Nestlé Removes CEO Laurent Freixe Following Undisclosed Relationship with Subordinate
Giuliani Seriously Injured in Accident – Trump to Award Him the Presidential Medal of Freedom
EU is getting aggressive: Four AfD Candidates Die Unexpectedly Ahead of North Rhine-Westphalia Local Elections
Lula and Putin Hold Strategic BRICS Discussions Ahead of Trump–Putin Summit
WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that looks a lot like Telegram.
Investigations Reveal Rise in ‘Sex-for-Rent’ Listings Across Canada Exploiting Vulnerable Tenants
Chinese and Indian Leaders Pursue Amity Amid Global Shifts
European Union Plans for Ukraine Deployment
ECB Warns Against Inflation Complacency
Concerns Over North Cyprus Casino Development
Shipping Companies Look Beyond Chinese Finance
Rural Exodus Fueling European Wildfires
China Hosts Major Security Meeting
Chinese Police Successfully Recover Family's Savings from Livestream Purchases
Germany Marks a Decade Since Migrant Wave with Divisions, Success Stories, and Political Shifts
Liverpool Defeat Arsenal 1–0 with Szoboszlai Free-Kick to Stay Top of Premier League
Prince Harry and King Charles to Meet in First Reunion After 20 Months
Chinese Stock Market Rally Fueled by Domestic Investors
×