Business leaders demand railway expansion

A rail industry planning document predicted commuting to cities such as Leeds, Birmingham, Manchester and Glasgow will increase by more than 100 per cent, with growth on some routes of 115 per cent.

The Planning Ahead document was prepared by an industry steering group, led by Network Rail (NR), the Association of Train Operating Companies (Atoc) and the Rail Freight Operators' Association.

London's commuter numbers are set to grow by 35 per cent by 2035, and it was also forecast the amount of freight moved by rail could double by 2030.

Ian Williams, director of policy at Leeds, York and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce, called for urgent action and said the research underlines the need for "immediate and continued investment in the local, regional and national rail network".

"Many suburban rail services are already beyond capacity, so if even if these predictions turn out to be partly true there will still be significant issues," he said.

"Urgent action must be taken and the Chamber has been lobbying long and hard for the Government to invest in the nation's infrastructure.

"Delivering a high speed rail line will help address the issue in the long term, however, we also need substantial investment in the UK's rolling stock, increasing the level of services and in the associated facilities, such as lengthening station platforms."

The call is backed by Metro, the West Yorkshire Integrated Transport Authority, with Chairman Chris Greaves warning capacity was already stretched to breaking point.

"Some of our peak time trains are bursting at the seams and we have already heard this week that passengers in our region are concerned about overcrowding," he said.

"I have written to the Transport Secretary Philip Hammond inviting him to come to West Yorkshire and travel on some rush-hour trains to see for himself the effects of rolling stock shortages.

"The predictions in this report make Metro's calls for investment in the local rail network infrastructure and additional rolling stock all the more urgent as the kind of improvements that would be needed take time to develop."

The research increases the pressure on the Government to invest in the region's beleaguered rail network.

Two years ago Gordon Brown's Labour government pledged an extra 1,300 train carriages across the country – of which only 526 have so far been provided.

The rest of the order has been "paused", after the Department for Transport was ordered to slash 683m from its budget.

Earlier this month, Ministers put off a decision over buying a new fleet of express trains for the East Coast main line.

Mr Hammond will decide in October whether to proceed with the 7.5bn contract after saying it would be "irresponsible" to make a judgment before the spending review.

Network Rail's planning and development director Paul Plummer said: "Despite the tough economic times, we must continue to plan for the future and look to how we affordably expand the railway to meet big increases in passengers and freight.

"The railway is presently too expensive and must reduce its costs to ensure that the money it does invest delivers best value for Britain."

Alec McTavish, policy and operations director at Atoc, said: "Value for money for the taxpayer and the passenger needs to be at the heart of everything we do."