THE Government should appoint a North of England transport commissioner and introduce an Oyster-style travel card for the region, says an influential think-tank.

Transport for the North - a report by the IPPR North - calls on George Osborne to devolve £15 billion of funding to the region to rebalance the economy and revitalise the North’s "creaking" transport network.

The document published today (March, Thursday 5) sets out ambitious plans for the North to take far more control over transport by forming a body called Transport for the North (TfN), emulating Transport for London (TfL).

The report says TfN would be accountable to Northerners through local authorities.

The body would be responsible for rail, road, sea and air transport, and decide priorities for infrastructure investment, franchising and ticketing.

To kick-start the process, the report urges the Chancellor to use the last Budget of the Parliament to invest in the £15 billion One North infrastructure priorities outlined by Northern cities last year.

The report says TfN would:

- Appoint a transport commissioner for the North who would be accountable to the public and be a figurehead for developing northern transport.

- Introduce a contactless, cross-boundary ticketing system, using mobile phones and contactless payments for journeys across different modes of transport.

- Manage rail franchises, rolling stock and stations, do away with outdated Pacer trains, and make overcrowded services and platforms a thing of the past.

Ed Cox, director of IPPR North, said: “Northern transport infrastructure is dated, poorly integrated and lacking the large-scale investment it needs, but Transport for the North could be at the vanguard of a coherent economic plan that will fire up the Northern powerhouse.

"Devolving transport powers and budget to the North will help transform the region’s growth prospects and rebalance the economy.

"What we now need to see is the warm words on Northern growth translated into firm commitments to make this vision for a modern transport network a reality."

The report has been welcomed by the Campaign for Better Transport.

Chief executive Stephen Joseph said: "IPPR North's report shows how devolving transport investment away from Westminster can kick-start not just the creation of a modern, integrated transport network, but also one which is genuinely sustainable - reducing the reliance on cars and the need for controversial and environmentally damaging road projects."

The Northern Echo launched the Right Lines campaign to call for major improvements to the region's rail network.