Theresa May will outline the timetable today as part of cabinet meeting held in the North East for the first time.

Work will take place over the next few years and will see significant improvements to platforms, tracks, signals and junctions across the route.

The government said: “Together with new Intercity Express Trains on the East Coast Main Line, this will mean passengers travelling on long distance journeys between northern towns and cities will benefit from more seats and faster, more frequent journeys between Doncaster, Leeds and Newcastle.”

Upgrade work will start next year and be completed “in the early 2020s.”

May said: “Making Britain a country that works for everyone, in urban and rural regions, is a priority for my government – and a thriving economy across the Northern Powerhouse is central to that.”