£14bn overhaul for Yorkshire’s ‘creaking’ train network
Lord Blunkett has published a report outlining a phased plan to fix the region’s Victorian-era infrastructure, telling the government it must deliver on repeated broken promises to back transport in the North.
The report notes that the train services in Yorkshire regularly fail passengers and businesses due to a lack of reliability, and is holding the economy back.
The proposed 10-year plan will be announced in full this summer, with £2.4bn sought in funding for phase one, which would deliver improvements between now and 2030, and £14bn required in total over the next 15 years.
This is in addition to the £2,5bn needed for the trams in West Yorkshire and tram improvements in South Yorkshire.
The main aim is to increase connectivity between the North’s major centres and will be rolled out alongside investment for housing and jobs.
Capacity will be increased at Leeds, Sheffield, and York, and the new through-station will be built at Bradford, as well as a mainline station at Rotherham.
Upgrades and electrification will take place between Leeds and Sheffield, and more frequent services to Scarborouh, the Esk Valley, Penistone Line, and Wakefield’s five district towns.
Additionally, new stations will be built at Haxby, Elland, White Rose, Thorpe Park, Rotherham Gateway, Waverley, Leeds-Bradford Airport Parkway, and Dearne Valley Parkway.
Lord Blunkett said: “Yorkshire has been punching under its weight for far too long, and with the White Rose Agreement and this infrastructure plan, the three Mayors are determined to reverse this historic trend.
“It’s been a pleasure to be asked to pull together this credible and affordable plan, which presents a once in a lifetime opportunity to improve rail connectivity, and unlock economic growth and opportunities for all.
“By taking action now, the benefits of releasing capacity, speeding up journeys, improving reliability and running more frequent services will be felt not just here, but across the North, Midlands and beyond.
“It’s time to back Yorkshire.”
Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, said: “A lack of investment stretching back decades has left Yorkshire with a rail network no longer fit for purpose. This is holding back ambitious growth plans for our regions which will put more money in people’s pockets.”
The Mayor of York and North Yorkshire, David Skaith, said: “We need to push forward with the transformation of York Station to maximise the benefits of York Central, one of the most significant regeneration sites in the country. And we need to fix the bottleneck on the East Coast Mainline at Northallerton, which has held back progress for too long.”
South Yorkshire’s Mayor Oliver Coppard said: “David Blunkett has, for the first time, made clear the problems created by decades of underinvestment across the whole of Yorkshire and given us a plan for fixing them, working together across the whole of God’s Own Country.
“Ultimately, we simply want reliable, effective rail services, so we can get to work, see friends and family or just go for a night out.”
