The franchise has been structured by the SRA to focus on urban and rural services serving the whole of the North of England including the major population centres of Liverpool, Manchester, Sheffield, York, Leeds and Newcastle.

The SRA will now start formal consultation with the seven PTEs concerned on the detail and scope of the franchise. Once this process is completed, the pre-qualified counterparties will be asked to prepare proposals, taking account of the core franchise proposition and potential enhancement options identified during the consultation.

Welcoming the start of the process, Richard Bowker, SRA Chairman, said:
"We are pleased to be moving ahead with the Northern Rail concept, which the SRA has developed in tandem with its new TransPennine Express franchise. Northern Rail will deliver significant benefits to travellers in the North of England, with its focus firmly on the provision of urban and rural services. We are now moving forward to further refine the franchise proposition with the Passenger Transport Executives before inviting counterparties to compete to run this important new franchise".