I will not be silenced as West Yorkshire mayor by Ministers over Bradford and the North’s rail betrayal – Tracy Brabin

His Government made promise after promise about how they would deliver a new rail line between Leeds and Manchester, making commitment after commitment about full delivery of HS2. Objecting to their watered-down plans that don’t serve the best interests of our communities is far from irrational.

Exclusive: Grant Shapps brands mayors ‘irrational’ over criticism of £96bn Integrated Rail Plan and Northern Powerhouse Rail downgrade

As mayors, we share the challenges and frustrations of fellow passengers. As a result, we know precisely what our communities need, for now and the long term. The tone of the Secretary of State’s article was incredibly disrespectful to legitimate critique of Government 
policy.

It is true that a new high-speed line between Leeds and Manchester, with a stop in Bradford, would have created some disruption for those cities.

But I know that people who live and work in Bradford wouldn’t have minded this as it would have delivered a mainline station in the city for the first time, bringing jobs, businesses, and opportunities to the city in the long term.

And the claim that plan will “double or even treble capacity on many key routes” is a bold one. Many transport experts are sceptical about whether this is possible under the Government’s plans.

Putting fast inter-city connections alongside stopping services on upgraded Victorian infrastructure is unlikely to achieve what has been claimed.

To achieve some of the stated journey times between Leeds and Manchester or Leeds and Bradford, some think that this could lead to a reduction in services in towns like Dewsbury, Batley and Pudsey.

What’s disappointing is that we’re not able to scrutinise the evidence base to back up the Secretary of State’s claims. I’ve written to him to ask that the evidence is made public, to allow us all proper scrutiny, and allow the people in the North to see how they stack up.

None of us want to see a re-run of the 2018 fiasco, where extra services and improved times were promised, but the infrastructure simply could not cope.

The Integrated Rail Plan left several issues unresolved. How to get high speed trains into Leeds from the Midlands is subject to yet another round of expensive investigation. We know that in order to do this, a new station will be needed, and will continue to make the case for this and the additional capacity a new line would bring. We’re keen to make sure this review happens quickly, and have proposed a way forward which would involve local government, the railway sector and Whitehall officials.

The TransPennine Route Upgrade – which has been promised for more than a decade – will bring benefits to towns and communities along the line. But we need to work with government, with Network Rail, with the operators, to limit the disruption that this will cause – we cannot afford to get this wrong.

I will not stop making the case for a new line between Leeds and Manchester, with a stop in Bradford. It is too important to our region, too important to our future, to simply let this go. It is wrong to say that a new line would not provide value for money for the taxpayer.

Yes, it would require more resources, but what about the impact that would have more broadly on our local, regional and national economy? On health and wellbeing locally? On access to opportunity? On air quality? On the environment? It seems to me that these issues weren’t properly considered.

Infrastructure investment decisions leave a legacy that will last a century or more, far beyond the political cycles Ministers too often work in. I’m fully aware that the decisions I and my fellow leaders in West Yorkshire will make about Mass Transit over the coming years will have a lasting impact on the region far beyond my electoral term.

This is the ultimate tragedy of the Integrated Rail Plan. The decisions made by the Secretary of State and his colleagues in the Treasury will long outlast him. With the febrile atmosphere in Westminster these last few days, there’s every chance that his government will not see out the next few months, and we’ll have another Secretary of State, another Chancellor, and another Prime Minister.

But what won’t change is the needs of our region, the needs of our people. I represent the people of West Yorkshire and will always stand up for them and will never apologise for doing so, whoever is in government.

Tracy Brabin is the Labour mayor of Leeds City Region.

Support The Yorkshire Post and become a subscriber today. Your subscription will help us to continue to bring quality news to the people of Yorkshire. In return, you’ll see fewer ads on site, get free access to our app, receive exclusive members-only offers and access to all premium content and columns. Click here to subscribe.