Faster - but older - trans-Pennine trains are Osborne's best shot for the north

The biggest plum for the north in today's autumn statement by the Chancellor of the Exchquer, George Osborne, is going to be the electrification of the trans-Pennine train line , with work probably starting next year. This isn't just a bonus for Leeds and Manchester, the places normally cited in anything involving the route, but also the North East and Liverpool which lie at each end of the long, cross-country route. How far the electrification will run remains to be seen , but at the minimum, the Leeds-Manchester section will be half-an-hour shorter on a round trip. That's enough to persuade people all along the line that it's worth fixing a business meeting or taking a tourist trip. But like everything in Osborne's home made pudding, there will be disadvantages as well. Those spanking new diesels we've just got, for instance, are set to be replaced with second-hand electric commuter trains from the London area, grubby from use by weary prisoners of the metropolis. We needn't expect the niceties of rail transport to be top priority either, because this is part of an economy-stimulation exercise, primarily, rather than improving public transport for its own sake. Still, we mustn't grumble and it should get more of us out of cars – though I personally plead, beg and long for a couple of platforms at Apperley Bridge so that I can more easily join in. Meanwhile, the Huddersfield-Stalybridge section of the line is to die for, and Huddersfield station is one of the grandest in the world. Joy is meanwhile expressed by the likes of West Yorkshire Metro 's chair, Coun James Lewis, who says: Electrifying the route would make it an attractive alternative to the M62, reducing congestion on the often overcrowded motorway and Neil McLean of the Leeds City Region enterprise partnership who views the electric prospect as: a transformational shot in the arm for the economic fortunes of the North. The reduction in train journey times between our two cities would be worth £6.7bn at 2009 prices. It is important however that we don't look at infrastructure in isolation; increased investment in the skills of our workforce is vital to ensure the economic benefit is spread far and wide. Network Rail has also decided to spend £6.6m on rebuilding Wakefield Westgate to go with those gleaming multi-coloured Lego car parks which now adorn the trackside. Roll on plans – thus far only ideas put forward by the likes of Terry Hodgkinson – for a walkway slung from Wakefield Kirkgate station to the ever-prospering Hepworth gallery . Crewe station is also getting £6.2m for improvements, Stockport £5m for a 1,420-space car park and Horwich funding for a park and ride scheme.