Government told to 'end the cycle of broken promises' on transport for Yorkshire and deliver HS2 and upgrades

West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) has called on the Government to "break the cycle of broken promises" to the region and give certainty over future rail investment.

In a letter to Transport Secretary Grant Shapps, WYCA asks the Government to use its forthcoming Integrated Rail Plan for the North and Midlands to make good its commitment to delivering the eastern leg of HS2 in full and on the same timescale as the western leg.

The Plan should also commit to delivering improved capacity around Leeds Station, the Transpennine line upgrade, Northern Powerhouse Rail in full including a new line between Leeds, Bradford City Centre and Manchester along with a programme of electrification of existing lines.

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The letter rejects the findings of the National Infrastructure Commission’s recent Rail Needs Assessment which claimed HS2's link to Yorkshire should be downgraded in favour of better connectivity across the North.

WYCA wants HS2 to be delivered for Yorkshire.WYCA wants HS2 to be delivered for Yorkshire.
WYCA wants HS2 to be delivered for Yorkshire.

The NIC made its recommendation two weeks ago but WYCA has today claimed the findings are based on an “inconsistent and fundamentally flawed” approach and warns that following its recommendations could have serious economic consequences.

It says the National Infrastructure Commission’s approach creates an artificial choice between HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail, ignores the role HS2 will play in improving connections between Yorkshire’s cities, fails to deliver Northern Powerhouse Rail in full and does not address the capacity bottlenecks around Leeds Station which cause delays across the national rail network.

The letter further warns that continued uncertainty on HS2 will damage business confidence and blight development while doing nothing to accelerate delivery of other schemes which will take up to a decade to reach the same point. A clear decision would allow enabling works for the eastern leg of HS2 to begin in 2024.

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The letter says: “The Government has a choice to make, it can make a choice to tackle climate change, to unlock economic growth, to bridge the productivity gaps and to level up. Or the Government can once again leave our region and other authorities in the North behind.”

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