Rail plan must be speeded up

Fears of the dire economic impact of missing out on the link prompted the Yorkshire Post, along with a coalition of businesses, campaign groups and politicians, to ensure that Ministers recognised this issue's importance – and how new transport infrastructure is pivotal to the county fulfilling its business potential.

The prospect of a journey of about 75 minutes from Leeds or Sheffield to London seems almost incredible, perhaps in a way that the first coming of the railways was in Victorian times.

Its arrival means that Yorkshire's economy will have the benefits long enjoyed by competitors on the Continent.

It will also put the region on a level footing with the North West, which has been handed far more in travel infrastructure investment in recent years, and at last deliver a landmark project which does not have exclusive benefits simply for the South East.

The Government's announcement yesterday remains, however, just that.

The sorry history of major construction projects in the UK must raise doubts about whether the existing 30bn estimate is accurate and affordable.

Crucially, too, the link must be accessible to ordinary passengers and undercut road travel rather than simply be a rich-man's route with airline-style prices.

No building work will begin on the network even to the first stop in Birmingham until 2017. The first services will not run until at least 2026 and not in Yorkshire for at least two decades. This timetable must be speeded up.

It is also imperative that any spurs, north of the West Midlands, are built simultaneously, or that the line to Yorkshire and the North East takes precedence; it is these regions which will derive the greatest economic dividend from the onset of high-speed rail.

With an election drawing near, disagreements between the main parties are inevitable. The onus is on them all to give cast-iron guarantees of their commitment to Yorkshire.

Too often, transport in Britain has been developed on a piecemeal basis. These plans deliver a once-in-a-generation opportunity for major business centres outside London to glean lasting benefits for local people, local economies and our environment.

In short, this is an opportunity that cannot be squandered. The case for high-speed rail has been proven. The challenge now is to deliver a railway for the future.