Transport for the North

What Transport for the North does

Transport for the North is a statutory public body established in 2016 under the Cities and Local Government Devolution Act, headquartered in Manchester and serving as the formal convening organisation for the 11 combined authorities of Northern England. Its statutory role is to advise the Secretary of State on pan-Northern transport priorities and to set the long-term Strategic Transport Plan; it is governed by a Board composed of those authorities' elected leaders alongside delivery partners. Core products are the TfN Offer (a tiered service — Bronze self-serve dashboards, Silver tailored analysis, Gold bespoke support — launched September 2023), the Northern Insights and Intelligence Hub (a centralised data and dashboard platform), the Strategic Transport Plan 2024 (a 2050 regional framework), the Rail North Partnership (managing Northern and TransPennine Express franchises carrying over 120 million annual passenger journeys), and an evolving toolset including the Northern Appraisal Playbook, TRSE Dashboard, EV Charging Infrastructure dashboard and Carbon Tools. Underlying technology centres on calibrated pan-Northern datasets, transport modelling systems, business-case development tools and analytical dashboards, with planned 2026/27 launches of a Rail Portal and an expanded Intelligence Hub.

Name

Transport for the North

Legal name

Transport for the North

Website

https://transportforthenorth.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Transport for the North is a UK statutory public body providing strategic transport planning, data analytics, and rail partnership management for the 11 combined authorities of Northern England, funded almost wholly by the Department for Transport.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Strategic Transport Planning and Infrastructure Governance Services

NAICS

Other Support Activities for Transportation (4889), Support Activities for Rail Transportation (4882)

SIC

Transportation Services (4700)

akta.pro primary industry

Traffic Management & Intelligent Transportation Systems (Signals, TMCs, Congestion) (BPAIALAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Transportation & Infrastructure Planning (BPAHAKAF)

Keywords

• Strategic transport planning
• Transport data analytics
• Public transport authority
• Rail partnership services
• Regional infrastructure governance

Headquarters

HQ city

Manchester

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. UK Government Funding: Transport for the North is funded almost wholly by UK Government, primarily through the Department for Transport. Funding comprises three streams: core activities funding, technical work commissioned by DfT for Northern Powerhouse Rail programme, and funding for Rail North Partnership executive.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Transport for the North provides strategic transport planning services to the 11 combined authorities and constituent local authorities of Northern England. Its core deliverable is the TfN Offer, a tiered service giving authorities access to pan-Northern datasets, analytical frameworks, business case development tools (including the Northern Appraisal Playbook), and expert analyst support via Bronze (self-serve), Silver (tailored) and Gold (bespoke) levels. It also produces the long-term Strategic Transport Plan to 2050, runs the Northern Insights and Intelligence Hub data platform, and operates the Rail North Partnership which oversees Northern and TransPennine Express rail services.

Product overview

Transport for the North operates as a platform organization providing strategic transport planning services, data intelligence, and rail partnership management across Northern England. The core offerings consist of the TfN Offer (a tiered service providing data, analytical tools, and expert support), the Northern Insights and Intelligence Hub (a data platform with dashboards and datasets), the Strategic Transport Plan (long-term regional planning framework to 2050), and the Rail North Partnership (managing rail services). Key tools include the TRSE Dashboard, EV Charging Infrastructure Dashboard, Carbon Tools, and the upcoming Rail Portal. The TfN Offer provides three tiers: Bronze (self-serve dashboards), Silver (tailored analysis), and Gold (bespoke support). The organization serves the North's 11 combined authorities and their local authority partners, funded primarily by the UK Government Department for Transport.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• TfN Offer: A service providing data, tools and expert support to help combined and local authorities develop transport plans, strengthen business cases and secure funding. Includes Bronze (self-serve), Silver (tailored help), and Gold (bespoke support) tiers.
• Northern Insights and Intelligence Hub
• Strategic Transport Plan

Products and services

• TfN Offer Tiered service providing data, tools and expert support to combined and local authorities across the North of England for transport planning and business case development. Three levels: Bronze (self-serve data/dashboards), Silver (tailored analysis), and Gold (bespoke expert support). Since launch in September 2023 it has enabled constituent authorities to realise savings of approximately £1.8m.
• Northern Insights and Intelligence Hub Centralised platform providing dashboards, datasets and analytical tools calibrated to the North of England. Gives combined and local authority partners direct access to explore data and build their own evidence base for transport planning.
• Strategic Transport Plan Long-term regional strategic transport plan setting out the vision and priorities for transport in the North of England to 2050. Provides a shared framework for economic growth, decarbonisation and improved access to opportunities, with progress tracked through the Strategic Transport Plan Monitoring and Evaluation Dashboard.
• Rail North Partnership Partnership management of Northern and TransPennine Express rail services across the North of England. Sets service requirements, costs, and performance standards; services carry over 120 million passenger journeys annually.
• Northern Appraisal Playbook Analytical framework for business case development that reflects circumstances and opportunities across the North. Shared with HM Treasury and the Department for Transport to inform review of the Green Book.

Quantifiable outcome

• Since September 2023, TfN Offer enabled constituent authorities to realise savings of approximately £1.8m to the public purse

Named customers11 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Department for TransportcoreOthersPrimary funder and key government partner. TfN receives core funding from DfT and provides statutory advice to the Secretary of State on pan-northern transport priorities. DfT also commissions technical work from TfN on Northern Powerhouse Rail programme.
• Great British RailwayscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDelivery partner providing track and train coordination. TfN is working with DfT and industry to shape future options for the North as rail reform progresses with the establishment of GBR.
• HS2coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDelivery partner for high-speed rail infrastructure affecting the North.
• National HighwayscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDelivery partner for strategic road proposals that form part of nationally managed investment programmes including RIS (Road Investment Strategy).
• Network RailcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDelivery partner for rail infrastructure planning and coordination across the North.
• Northern TrainscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRail operator serving the North. TfN works with Northern through Rail North Partnership to set service standards, manage costs and monitor performance. Together with TransPennine Express, these services carry over 120 million passenger journeys annually.
• TransPennine ExpresscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRail operator serving the North. TfN works with TransPennine Express through Rail North Partnership to set service standards, manage costs and monitor performance.
• Rail North PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership through which leaders across the North work with the Secretary of State to manage Northern and TransPennine Express services. Sets what services should look like, how much they cost and how they perform.
• Northern Powerhouse Independent Economic Review (NPIER)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTfN remains custodian of NPIER and supports authorities to access relevant economic data to support growth plan priorities.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Transport for London: Statutory transport authority for London with similar functions — strategic transport planning, data/analytical services, and partnership with national delivery bodies. Operates at much greater scale than TfN but shares the same sub-national transport body model.
• National Highways: Government-owned company operating, maintaining, and improving England's motorways and major A-roads. A core delivery partner for TfN; comparable as a publicly-funded transport delivery body but operates nationally rather than regionally.
• Network Rail: Public body owning and operating Great Britain's rail infrastructure. Strategic delivery partner to TfN on rail planning and station/infrastructure coordination; comparable as a publicly-owned transport body but national in scope.

Direct peers

• Transport Scotland: Scottish national transport agency performing strategic transport planning, investment case development, and rail franchising oversight. Closest peer in structure and remit — a sub-national statutory body serving a defined geographic constituency with multi-modal coordination duties. Gary Bogan (Rail North Partnership Director) previously worked there.
• Transport for the South East: Sub-national transport body covering the South East of England with a similar strategic-transport-plan remit, partnership-led governance model, and evidence-based planning focus. Rachel Ford (interim Strategy Director at TfN) previously worked there.
• Transport for West Midlands: Statutory transport body for the West Midlands combined authority region delivering strategic transport planning, data services, and rail partnership functions. Closely comparable in scope, governance model (combined-authority led), and customer base.
• Midlands Connect: Sub-regional transport partnership covering the Midlands, producing strategic transport plans, business cases, and investment priorities across multiple local authorities — comparable evidence-led, multi-authority remit to TfN.
• England's Economic Heartland: Sub-national transport body covering the Oxford-Cambridge arc with a strategic spatial/transport planning remit and partnership-based governance involving multiple local authorities. Mirrors TfN's evidence-base and pan-regional coordination function.
• Transport for Greater Manchester: Statutory transport body for Greater Manchester Combined Authority delivering local transport strategy, data services, and inter-modal coordination. Comparable customer (combined authority) and product mix (dashboards, business cases), though at a single-city scale.

Others

• West Yorkshire Combined Authority: One of TfN's 11 constituent combined authorities and Board members. Functions partly as a customer of TfN Offer services and partly as a peer organisation undertaking its own transport planning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks2 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/TransportfortheNorth
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/transport-for-the-north-tfn-
• Xx.com/transport4north

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Transport for the North