How the northern powerhouse rail line would be paid for is unclear. TfN, which will soon become a statutory transport commissioning body on a par with Transport for London (TfL), has an operational budget of just £10m a year, with the ability to bid for money from a £300m infrastructure pot – a tiny fund when you consider that Crossrail in London has cost £14.8bn. Unlike its London counterpart, TfN will not have control over bus services, which were deregulated outside London in 1986.