Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Warrington's new train line

As part of the Integral Rail Plan to create a new high-speed train line between Warrington, Manchester and Marsden, he jumped on at Manchester Oxford Road this afternoon and got off at Warrington’s Bank Quay.

The plan consists of £96bn package of rail construction and upgrades for the Midlands and the north.

Speaking to the Warrington Guardian, he said he wanted to push for the new lines because of how it benefits families.

He said: “The reason I care about this so much and the reason I’ve been wanting to do this is because I’ve seen the benefits to families of having a job that’s in reach of an easy, affordable commute by mass transit.

“The great news for Warrington is that it’s the beginning of a new 40-mile section of high-speed line that will zoom via Manchester Airport and then onto Marsden.

“And partly why London and the South East are so productive is that people have that commuter confidence. You have to build up the commuter confidence so you have a turn-up and go service and so on Northern Powerhouse Rail, the frequency will, I think, be as good as the circle line in London.

“So it’s not just a case of the journey times being shorter it’s knowing that when you get there, there will be a train pretty soon that takes you where you want to go and you’re not standing there fiddling with the chocolate machines.”

Mr Johnson spoke with Cllr Kath Buckley and Andy Carter MP at Bank Quay station

The upgrade work is starting now and the high-speed line could be coming in 2030.

“That’s what levelling up is about. It’s about giving the same opportunities to people around the country,” he added.

“I wanted to deliver it all, but I also wanted to deliver what people really, really wanted and not just what London had.

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“People actually wanted better East West connections and they wanted better connections for locals towns because that’s how you grow regional growth and opportunity.

“What we are trying to do is make it happen 10 years earlier.”

When challenged about how Northern Rail is set to cut some trains from Warrington to Manchester and what the Prime Minister would say to residents who may struggle even further to get into Manchester, he did not know of the draft timetables.

“I’m not aware of that," he continued.

“But what we are building a line that will have more trains and more capacity and much faster trains between Warrington and Manchester."

Mr Johnson believes that despite trains and mass transport being quieter, the desire to travel in those ways again will return.

“One thing that may be happening at the moment is that services are not back to pre-pandemic levels because people still aren’t travelling in the way that they were, but I think that demands are going to come back.

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“At the moment a lot of the trains are driven by weekend and by the leisure demand, but I think the big, big commuter demand is going to come back and we have got to get ready for it.”