Government’s Northern Powerhouse Rail plans are to be welcomed but it must convince the region that this time it will be different
The Government’s announcement that a raft of transport projects in Yorkshire are to be prioritised in the first phase of Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) is to be welcomed.
On the surface, electrification for four fast services per hour between Leeds and Sheffield, and improved connections from Leeds to Bradford and York, can only be a good thing for the region.
Plans for a new through station at Bradford are also to be welcomed, given the city has been overlooked too often.
However, the Government has a long way to go if it is going to convince the public that this time it will be different. It’s not this Labour administration’s fault that trust has eroded when it comes to transport infrastructure investment. The Tories before them promised much and delivered little.
That is why Labour cannot afford any missteps along the way to delivering NPR and associated rail improvements across the North.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves deserves credit for pushing for these improvements. As MP for Leeds West and Pudsey she is all too aware of the consequences of inertia when it comes to rail investment.
It is good to see that much of the first phase of this project is based on Lord David Blunkett’s White Rose Rail plan, which the former Home Secretary wrote on behalf of Labour’s three Yorkshire mayors. The Government working with the region rather than imposing its will on it is a refreshing change.
The plans are far from perfect, though, with Hull and East Yorkshire feeling aggrieved at the fact that NPR trains will only run on regular tracks.
Now it is important that the project is delivered in a timely manner and as promised. Delay and dither will only fuel suspicion that these are yet more false promises that will never help the region realise its potential.