FUNDING has been announced by the UK Government to upgrade the nation’s rail services but calls have been made to fully deliver on promises for the network.

Chancellor of the Exchequer made a number of funding announcements last week, previewing his Autumn Budget which will be unveiled on Wednesday, revealing all on the Government’s investment and financial strategy.

This past weekend, the chancellor announced £1.5 billion for train and tram improvements in England's cities but the £39 billion pledged as part of the Northern Powerhouse Rail scheme looks to have been pushed back.

Meanwhile, plans for sections of the HS2 high speed rail network look to have been scaled back. This has prompted calls to deliver on promises to "level-up" the North's rail network.

Railway sector voices like Transport for the North are also urging the Government to publish the Integrated Rail Plan, which will explain how projects like HS2 and the Northern Powerhouse will be delivered.

Labour mayors, Andy Burnham of Manchester and Tracy Brabin of West Yorkshire have called on the Government to publish their plans for the upgrading of the North's rail networks.

Labour mayor of Carlisle City Council Pamela Birks said: "We always get marginalised when funding is applied to big Metropolitan boroughs but our needs are very different to those boroughs as we've got a vast rural community in Carlisle with no links to them."

Councillor Birks said that funding could be used to decarbonise transport in the area. Reducing the city's emissions in the charge towards net zero is important to the city council.

The mayor added that efforts to decarbonise could be supported with better public transport as it would enable people to "give up cars."

"There's lots of things we could do but I would hope our MPs will fight for as much as they can."

A one of a kind hydrogen fuel-cell powered car will be shown-off at the DNV’s Research and Development facility in Brampton this morning. It is hailed as a major step in the quest to decarbonise transport with the COP26 climate conference just around the corner.

A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “The Integrated Rail Plan will soon outline exactly how major rail projects, including HS2 phase 2b and other transformational projects such as Northern Powerhouse Rail, will work together to deliver the reliable train services that passengers across the North and Midlands need and deserve.”