Better value pledge if North has say on own rail services

Kieran Preston, the long-standing director-general of West Yorkshire’s transport authority Metro, makes the claim as local authorities look to take over the running of the TransPennine Express between Leeds and Manchester.

If this move is given the green light as part of the Government’s planned electrification of this key route, it could see a single rail body formed to run rail services across the North – and ensure that operators meet promises on new rolling stock and so forth.

Writing in today’s Yorkshire Post, Mr Preston claims that the Government’s subsidy of rail services could, in fact, be reduced as “efficiency savings are realised” – and that decisions are, at present, taken in London with “very little local knowledge”.

He adds: “There are 400 trains across the North that are more than 30 years old. We need to make train travel become a more attractive proposition to those put off by having to stand for their journeys on those 30-year-old vehicles.

“The longer, 15-year franchise would give us the opportunity to address these issues shaping services to meet local needs and targeting funds where they would have most impact.”

Mr Preston believes this could be the best way of tackling longstanding issues in this region, such as overcrowding on rush-hour services.

“Attracting new investment would enable us to work with partners such as rolling stock companies and Network Rail,” he added.

“Risk could be shared with the franchisee, and money borrowed to invest for local use to introduce new carriages and carry out infrastructure improvements, such as the further electrification of routes such as the Calderdale line between Bradford, Halifax and Manchester and the Leeds, Harrogate and York line.”