Region stuck in the sidings

IF the commitment of London-based polticians ever matched their rhetoric, then Yorkshire would look a very different place. After years in which Labour, ostensibly led by northern and Scottish MPs, failed to give this region the transport infrastructure it deserves, the coalition Government looks like it could repeat the same mistake.

The decision to delay green-lighting a major railway expansion programme, which would have created thousands of jobs in Yorkshire, at the same time as money is lavished on southern England, is an immense disappointment. It also undermines the claims of senior Conservative and Liberal Democrat politicians to listen to the concerns of the North.

The support for light rail in Sheffield marks a small step forward but the silence over the electrification of the Midland Main Line creates a damaging uncertainty that will be felt by any individual with a connection to South Yorkshire.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

After yesterday's announcements, it is entirely reasonable that people doubt whether the 7.5bn project for a fleet of East Coast main line trains will ever go ahead. The contract, which would have brought new depots to Leeds and Doncaster and possibly a factory to Sheffield, would have tapped into more than a century of train-building expertise in Yorkshire. Now, with each day that passes without a decision, the risk of those skills draining away only increases.

If it goes ahead, such a scheme would provide a massive boost to the region's manufacturers and create work along a huge supply chain.

The image of Yorkshire is also at stake. Its reputation as a place to live, holiday and do business will be undermined if it is left with a second-class transport system. The North West has had significant sums of money spent on it over the last decade and, with a further 300m being found to spend on rail electrification there, the perception will only grow that Yorkshire could be left behind.

Answers must be found quickly in the Department for Transport. Voters understand the financial constraints under which Ministers have to operate but, as they showed Gordon Brown,they will not tolerate indecision.