More ambition and commitment needed on rail investment in Yorkshire - Yorkshire Post Letters
From: Nina Smith, Chair, Railfuture Yorkshire branch, Hebden Bridge.
We have had two major public transport announcements in the past few days. The first was the disappointing and frankly disgraceful decision to yet again delay a tram network for West Yorkshire, as per Gareth Forest’s article (The YP, January 17).
Now we learn that us mere mortals will not be allowed to see the report from NISTA on the grounds of confidentiality. We are talking about public policy, public services and public money. There should be no withholding such a report.
If Rachel Reeves is Chancellor and she supports the scheme, how can the Treasury, which she at least nominally controls, delay it? Something is badly wrong with the state of British politics.
Then we had the Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) announcement. Except that it was only partially NPR. There are some early and welcome wins for Yorkshire – electrification to Sheffield from Swinton (for Leeds), and Bradford from Leeds, new stations for Rotherham and Bradford, improvements at York, Leeds and Sheffield. But, and there is a big ‘but’, nothing except for some initial planning will happen before the General Election.
What happens if the next government takes a more negative view? Will the £45bn promised be scrapped? Will the £45bn rise with inflation? Why not more ambition on electrification – Micklefield to Hull, Swinton to Doncaster, Bradford to Manchester Victoria via Halifax (the Calder Valley Route).
If the whole Calder Valley route were to be electrified, given state-of-the-art digital signalling and a passing loop, we would not need an expensive and environmentally damaging new line from Bradford to Huddersfield “sometime in the 2040s”.
Bradford to Manchester with a stop at Halifax could probably be done in 40 minutes, Liverpool in 70. There would be capacity for two express services an hour, meaning no reductions in the very well-used semi fast and stopping services that serve the Calder valley and Rochdale.
We desperately need more ambition and more solid commitments.