Yes but the South is getting its improvements, yet in the article I linked there was a suggestion that the hopes for electrification of the Calder Valley line (for example) in CP6 might be pushed back or scrapped but fares would go up regardless. That's the fear that I hold. As for the cascaded stock, well it is what is & we will be getting some of it and until the two franchises are sorted out theres not a whole lot we can do about it. But I don't think it justifies levelling the fares with the South for them. If that is to happen, then why not spread the new stock out as well as the cascades, giving all areas some new, some not so new? After all if we are going to be paying them same, surely we should get the same...?
And on the subject of subsidises, aside from the report recently linked above suggesting that regional services were being effectively over-charged (which would account for at least some of those subsidies), let's not forget that most of the cheaper fares lie within the PTEs, which are part funded by local councils, who are in turn part funded by us Northern (and other regions) council tax payers. So before you go off cutting the services we help to pay for, how about all the regions have their say on how our money is spent? You might find that given the choice many commuters may prefer lower regulated fares, partly subsidised by their council taxes rather than market driven prices.
There is one other factor to consider, especially in the case of the North. Aside from a few headline projects such as the A1/M1 link, the M62 <cough> widening and the M60 development, there hasnt been a huge spend on the roads in this region. Most projects have been about better managing traffic flow, rather than offering additional capacity. Any huge hikes in fares here will invariably lead to more people moving back from rail to road, which will lead to even worse congestion here. I have no idea if youve ever had to commute by road to many Northern towns and cities, but it can be horrific. Manchester & Leeds in particular are, despite the improvements to the motorways around them hugely overloaded at times. And when there are roadworks, or an accident, the lack of alternative routes from many places means that an hour commute can rapidly turn in two or three hours. So we need our rail network to carry at least some of the strain, and ideally we need much greater capacity & faster running between our major hubs to try to reduce the chaos on the roads. Unfortunately this will cost, and you almost certainly wont raise the funds from private sources alone, nor from massive ticket price hikes. So public investment is needed, whether folk in the South like it or not.
If this means that fares have to go up somewhat to help cover the costs then so be it, but until we have a network up here with the kind of capacity that is offered in the South you can forget charging the same up here Im afraid.