“Good to see Manchester Piccadilly back west of the Pennines again”

22:43, 14 Jan 2026Updated 23:06, 14 Jan 2026

Northern Powerhouse Rail map and incorrect map shared by Tracy Brabin(Image: Bluesky)

There are few transport maps as iconic as that of the London Underground. The brightly coloured lines and well marked stations make it easy to navigate even for people who are not used to the capital.

That map has lasted, with new additions, for decades – and there no signs of it being retired anytime soon.

Unfortunately a new map appearing to show the plans for Northern Powerhouse Rail shared on social media by Mayor of West Yorkshire Tracy Brabin did not prove so long-lasting as it was swiftly deleted due to being, to put it mildly, a little inaccurate.

Plans were announced on Tuesday (January 13) for the major project, as part of a commitment to funding transport infrastructure across the north. This will include a new Liverpool-Manchester line, a major step forward towards an underground Piccadilly station and the the revival of a new Manchester-Birmingham route.

However, the inaccurate graphic did not quite reflect this.

Amongst other things, Manchester Piccadilly appeared in the wrong place. While there are ambitious proposals for the station, including making it the King’s Cross of the North, none of them involve moving it around 40 miles east so it is directly south of Sheffield.

Northern Powerhouse Rail map (Image: )

Elsewhere, the people of Bradford may have been shocked to learn that the Government’s plan seemed to involve a scheme to replace their city with a second Huddersfield, according to the map – while people in Hull may be surprised to find that they apparently live above York and nowhere near the sea (which might make the Humber Bridge a bit redundant).

The British railway network offers no end of interesting journeys, but the now deleted map offered a particularly unique experience – the ability to travel from Warrington to Warrington, via Warrington – with the Cheshire town appearing no less than three times.

Meanwhile, people who believe the north needs more air infrastructure would no doubt be delighted to see there were now two Manchester Airports on the route (well, a Manchester Airport and a Manchester Airpont). Neither of which appears to be anywhere near the actual airport.

The (actual) project is set to better connect Manchester, Leeds, Bradford, Sheffield, York, and bring improved services to Newcastle and Hull. It is set to be delivered in three phases. The first phase will prioritise upgrades and electrification between Leeds-Sheffield, Leeds-York and Leeds-Bradford to transform commutes, set to be delivered in the 2030s.

The second phase of NPR will build a new route between Liverpool and Manchester, running via Manchester Airport and Warrington, following in the 2030s. The third phase will focus on improved connections between Manchester and Sheffield, Manchester and Leeds, and explore options for Manchester to Bradford.

Northern Powerhouse Rail map and incorrect map shared by Tracy Brabin(Image: Bluesky)

In the post, Brabin penned: “The government has today committed to upgrade and electrify key rail links across Yorkshire, fix capacity at Leeds, and build a new Bradford station. As Mayors, we worked with Lord Blunkett, to make the case for Yorkshire’s Plan for Rail and the government has listened to us.”

But users were quick to point out the error with the original map posted by the mayor. “Good to see Manchester Piccadilly back west of the Pennines again”, one person wrote, as another user penned: “You’ve lost some of your Warringtons?” The image was deleted and later replaced with the correct map.