I’M glad the Northern Powerhouse raised its ugly head at the end of the latest piece by Fly in the Ointment (Warrington Guardian, May 3).

Another vanity project, its effects are about to be felt, from May 20 to be precise.

On that day the sharp suited executive will be able to down his first espresso and board a Transpennine to Leeds arriving 1 hour 24 minutes later.

But wait, he can do that already travelling via Manchester Victoria.

Transpennine however think the only northerly powerful young executives choose to live in Liverpool.

What of the ones who have bought a cheaper place in, say, Chapelford?

He, or she, will have two options.

Pop to Bank Quay and change at Newton le Willows or travel via Warrington Central and change at Piccadilly – making the overall journey nearer two hours.

But what about any Warrington person wishing to travel over the Pennines further north? (Thank goodness East Midlands have no plans to change routes yet).

The worker with the daily commute to stations east of Manchester; the retired couple going to York or Scarborough for a few days?

In fact anyone who is sick to death of the hell that is the M62.

Well, sod them, says Transpennine. They can all lug their suitcases from platforms 13/14 and change trains!

After all Liverpool and Manchester are, as everyone knows, the centre of the northern universe.

We need electrification (well I assume we do because everybody says we do) but in doing so, Transpennine has changed the route with virtually no prior warning.

So here we are, Warrington-thataspires- to-be-a-city, a town centre that resembles a ghost town unless all you want are plastic nails, threaded eyebrows and cheap cocktails; no town centre Marks and Sparks and no theatre.

And now no direct train link to Leeds, York and Scarborough. It’s enough to make a Yorkshire girl want to go back home.

MARY ROSS Penketh