A YORK MP has welcomed a £400 million commitment from the Chancellor for transport in the North - but others have called for more detail.

Philip Hammond yesterday told the Conservative party conference £300 million would be allocated for rail links from cities like York, Sheffield, Leeds and Manchester to the HS2 high-speed route, and a further £100 million for local road schemes to cut congestion and unlock new sites for homes and businesses in the North.

York Outer Conservative MP Julian Sturdy said it delivered on an election pledge to invest in the region’s railways.

He said: “This can help our city share in the benefits of HS2, both in terms of economic opportunities, and better transport connections for local residents."

The £100 million roads funding will go between 33 projects across the North, including 10 in Yorkshire and the Humber.

Mr Sturdy said: “Having long campaigned for improvements to York’s roads, I am also pleased to see new money announced to fund local road projects in Yorkshire and Humber. I will be looking closely at the details of these funding announcements, and pressing the Chancellor to make sure our city’s transport infrastructure gets the new investment it needs.”

Transport for the North said the announcement was a “significant step forward” in plans for the development of Northern Powerhouse Rail, and former chancellor George Osborne called it a “downpayment” on a high speed east-west rail link.

The Campaign for Better Transport also welcomed the announcement, but said passengers will want to know what it means in detail.

A spokesman said: "We hope that the £100 million announced for roads will go on fixing the existing ones where there is a big backlog on maintenance, rather than on one or two big new roads that will just move the traffic jams around."

The rest of the speech was given a lukewarm reception from business figures, with the CBI saying the government needs clarity, unity and action while the Institute of Directors said Mr Hammond had delivered “little red meat for business leaders".