Commuter lines matter; now Transport for the North must act – The Yorkshire Post says

THE role of Transport for the North is set out precisely on its website. “We were formed to transform the transport system across the North of England, providing the infrastructure needed to drive economic growth,” it advises.
By YP Comment
Published 11th Sep 2020, 05:53 BST
Transport for the North is pressing for improvements to the Hope Valley Line between Sheffield and Manchester.Transport for the North is pressing for improvements to the Hope Valley Line between Sheffield and Manchester.
Transport for the North is pressing for improvements to the Hope Valley Line between Sheffield and Manchester.

Yet, while it says its remit is to “add strategic value by ensuring that funding and strategy decisions... are informed by local knowledge and requirements”, its record since its inception two years ago is still open to question.

Though it will say that it does not have the policy and financial powers enjoyed by its counterparts in London, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has felt the need to create a Northern Transport Acceleration Council to make progress on improvements to the main trans-Pennine line.

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And while TfN is committed to making sure that HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail deliver maximum benefits for this region’s economy, this does little to assuage all those longstanding commuters and travellers who want to see improvements on local lines – the lynchpins of the rail network

A lack of capacity at stations like Leeds remains a recurring issue.A lack of capacity at stations like Leeds remains a recurring issue.
A lack of capacity at stations like Leeds remains a recurring issue.

As such, it is welcome that it has identified 12 key projects – including improvements to the Hope Valley Line – which could make a difference to rail services prior to the onset of a new network of high-speed routes that will take up to two decades to finish.

Yet, if TfN does not deliver them and provide the “strategic value” that it is supposed to do, some will question the effectiveness of its leadership and governance, and whether the North does, in fact, need the country’s first directly-elected transport commissioner who can be held to account by commuters and voters.

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Thank you

James Mitchinson

Related topics:Yorkshire PostNorthEnglandGrant ShappsHS2

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