Why a Government U-Turn on Northern Powerhouse Rail would be disastrous - Tracy Brabin & Susan Hinchliffe

But it would be foolish to only focus on the short-term. The Prime Minister and Chancellor must also look to the future. That is why we want to see Rishi Sunak commit to delivering Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) in full, with a stop in Bradford, and reconsider Boris Johnson’s decision not to bring HS2 to Yorkshire.

Mr Sunak represents a Yorkshire constituency. When, as Chancellor, he signed our historic devolution deal in 2020, he said it was an opportunity to unleash the potential of West Yorkshire. It is our hope, therefore, that he understands the importance of this decision on rail investment for all current and future generations of Northerners.

To take the wrong decision now would consign the North of England to travel chaos and misery for generations to come. Our inadequate transport infrastructure is preventing us from delivering the full potential the North has to offer. Almost a year ago the government published its Integrated Rail Plan, and in doing so the original vision to build a high-speed railway line (HS2) to Leeds was scrapped, with it now coming no further North than the East Midlands. Around £50bn of taxpayers’ money – including Northern taxpayers’ money – will be spent on building HS2 between London, Birmingham and Crewe.

Here, we had to make do with the promise of a £100 million study into how to run fast trains between Sheffield, Leeds and Bradford. One year on, we’re yet to see any terms of reference for the study, let alone a plan. Not only are we living with uncertainty and the loss of investment this causes, but we have to make do and suffer because of inadequate infrastructure.

Northern Powerhouse Rail would provide better access to jobs and education through a new, electrified line between Leeds and Sheffield. This would reduce journey times and ease pressure on the congested M1 motorway, which over 100,000 vehicles use every day. The current one-hour average train journey between these two cities won’t attract people out of their cars and is unacceptable for two cities only 30 miles apart.

Northern Powerhouse Rail via Bradford could boost our regional economy by £30bn. A new Bradford station would also unlock regeneration opportunities in the adjacent Southern Gateway, with the potential to deliver 18,000 new homes and deliver 130,000 jobs. It would also bring benefits to the rest of the Calder Valley line, especially if the whole route from Leeds to Halifax and beyond was electrified.

A long overdue and badly needed set of improvements to the existing trans-Pennine route from Manchester to Leeds is underway. But it is not Northern Powerhouse Rail. It will not mean better connectivity for Bradford and it cannot, on its own, meet the long-term needs of the North, or the UK. The Transport Select Committee, led at the time by new Transport Minister Huw Merriman, said that delivering Northern Powerhouse Rail in full was crucial for the future of the North of England. They were absolutely right about this.

We are deeply concerned that when the Prime Minister says that “no options are off the table” because of the dire economic circumstances ahead of the Autumn Statement, that he means Northern Powerhouse Rail will be scrapped. There have been no discussions about the future of Northern Powerhouse Rail with the people most affected by it here in the North.

While the Chancellor says that savings must be found, that shouldn’t mean ending investment in infrastructure. A commitment now to large projects will bring growth, private investment and jobs in these difficult times – a line that one of Jeremy Hunt’s predecessors used when justifying the construction of Crossrail.

Our hope is that the Prime Minister will understand and appreciate that if levelling up is to mean anything, it will involve building Northern Powerhouse Rail in full and reconsidering the economic case for HS2 in Yorkshire. Bringing HS2 services to Leeds would create 50,000 jobs, support 8,000 new homes and deliver a £54 billion boost to our economy, benefiting everyone in Yorkshire.

The Prime Minister spoke recently at COP27 about the climate emergency, and the need to cut carbon emissions. If he is still not convinced by the economic arguments, why not support greener travel? We have an opportunity to get people and freight out of polluting vehicles and onto electric, high-speed trains, reducing harmful emissions.

Opportunities like this come around once in a generation. In one act, our new Prime Minister can demonstrate to all the voters of the North that he understands their needs.

Tracy Brabin is the Mayor of West Yorkshire and Susan Hinchcliffe is the leader of Bradford City Council.