YORK rail passengers are set to enjoy faster services to Manchester after the new Prime Minister Boris Johnson threw his support behind The Press and other newspapers' Power Up The North campaign.

Mr Johnson is set to pledge tomorrow that a new Trans-Pennine rail route is to be created between Manchester and Leeds as the first phase of new intercity rail routes in the north.

The new route is expected to cut journey times significantly and provide additional capacity for people.

The Prime Minister is expected to say in a speech in Manchester that he wants to be the PM who does with 'Northern Powerhouse Rail' what was done with Crossrail in London.

“And today I am going to deliver on my commitment to that vision with a pledge to fund the Leeds to Manchester route," he will say.

“It will be up to local people and us to come to an agreement on the exact proposal they want – but I have tasked officials to accelerate their work on these plans so that we are ready to do a deal in the autumn.”

Power Up The North was launched by The Press and more than 20 other newspapers and websites last month to challenge Britain’s main political parties to commit to a package of policy measures to turbo-charge the North’s economy.

The Prime Minister said:“The Power Up the North campaign demonstrates the dynamism, the ambition and the resolve of newspapers across the north to improve the lives of their readers, and of local businesses and political leaders to drive real change.

“Today I’m whole-heartedly backing the campaign and setting out how my government will narrow the North-South divide, and unleash the power of our great regions.

“I’ve already announced this week that the fantastic Jake Berry, Northern Powerhouse Minister, will attend Cabinet so he can represent the region’s interests at the heart of government.

“There will be more detail in my speech in Manchester on our plans for education, housing, industry and transport – all designed to turbo-charge the North’s economy as we leave the European Union and attract investment from across the UK and around the world. We must be bold enough to make these decisions and deliver upon them."