Transport spending urged to bridge north-south divide

Substantial investment in new transport infrastructure in the north of England was recommended by The Observer, a suggestion backed in the paper by Sir Peter Hendy, London’s transport commissioner

Rik Thomas

28 November 2014

The much-maligned Pacer train has become a symbol of ongoing inadequate investment in transport in the north of England, The Observer suggested on 23 November.

“Rail, road and bus spending is the way to bridge the north-south divide,” The Observer suggested on 23 November. “While London provides a model of integrated investment, elsewhere growth is slowed by fragmentation and bottlenecks.

“The gap between the north and London in quality of transport has found a totemic symbol in the ‘Pacer’ [trains],” the paper added. “But the problem goes beyond the rolling stock. Money has not flowed into...