Region's rail back on track

Progress has come as slowly as that of an old British Rail train edging down a leaf-strewn line, but finally Yorkshire looks like getting the extra trains it needs and deserves.

The conclusions of the Manchester Hub rail study, which outlines how to tackle northern England's largest bottleneck, set out how to vastly improve the service between Leeds, Sheffield and London, as well as provision in the North West. It will see 700 more trains cover 27,000 more miles of the North's rail network every day. If put into practice, the 530m scheme will make a real difference to how people live, work and holiday in Yorkshire.

Amid the fanfare, it should not be forgotten that more trains from Hull, Scarborough, Bradford and Halifax are also envisaged. The health of Yorkshire's economy is dependent on its geographical spread and, as the region struggles to come out of recession, the significance of the Hub study should not be under-stated. Yorkshire needs to have fast – and cheap – connections to London to persuade the City that its financial services sector is back in business.

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When Britain is this close to a General Election, both Labour and the Conservatives have to accept the findings of Network Rail's report and pledge to put money behind it. This is one infrastructure project

that cannot afford to be put off, despite the grim decade of spending restraints expected.

Of course, there is a long way to go yet. There is still an

overwhelming case for a high-speed rail line running through the spine of the country. The weaknesses in Britain's rail network demands change, as this newspaper's Fast Track to Yorkshire campaign has consistently argued.

This country cannot tell the world it has truly embraced green

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transport until it has a modern high speed rail network. Our major roads, particularly in Yorkshire, are horribly congested and in the long run, trains should offer a cheap and enjoyable alternative to cars.

Yesterday's announcement represents the start of the journey, not the end. If its vision is achieved, then it could be a vital part of getting Yorkshire's economy back on track.