Leeds received less than half of its £100m consolation after HS2 was scaled back

The then-Prime Minister scaled back plans for the high-speed rail line in November 2021, announcing the eastern leg would stop at East Midlands Parkway and not run to Yorkshire as originally planned.

But he then promised £100m for a study that would look at whether HS2 trains could run to Leeds via another route and find an “optimal solution” for capacity issues at the city’s station. He also said some of the money would be used to begin work on a mass transit system for West Yorkshire.

Known as the Leeds Area Study, it was launched in July and then scrapped three months later when Rishi Sunak abandoned the northern leg of HS2 and announced a new plan – known as Network North – to invest £36bn in hundreds of other transport projects.

The government handed over £40.1m before the Leeds Area Study was scrapped, according to figures uncovered by a Freedom of Information request.

It said £160,000 “was spent on work to inform” the study and £40m was given to West Yorkshire Combined Authority for work on the mass transit system.

West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin said: “The government must come good on the missing millions so that we can move forward with plans for a bigger Leeds station, better connections between Leeds and Sheffield, and a new strategy for rail in our region.

“Ministers repeatedly delayed work on bringing HS2 to Leeds via Sheffield. Now the plan is in the bin, and we have nothing to show for it."

Councillor James Lewis, leader of Leeds City Council, the study “is still very much needed” as issues with congestion need to be addressed at the station, where almost half (46 per cent) the trains are cancelled or delayed.

He said the rest of the money that was promised – around £60m – should be spent on developing plans to upgrade and electrify lines linking Leeds, Sheffield and Hull.

Henri Murison, Chief Executive of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership lobby group, said: “As much as we value the investment in developing mass transit for West Yorkshire, the Leeds study also included the commitment to plan how to better connect Leeds and West Yorkshire more widely with Sheffield, the Midlands and the South.

“The Government has taken away funding and it should be returned to the combined authority, where it could be spent on priorities such as electrification towards Sheffield.”

However, a government spokeswoman said the study has been “superseded” by Network North, which takes “a holistic view” of improving rail connections across the North and the Midlands.

“This includes upgrading and electrifying the line between Sheffield and Leeds, expanding Northern Powerhouse Rail from Leeds to Hull and from Hull to Sheffield, and a new station in Bradford – meaning better connectivity for Yorkshire,” she added.

Network North stated £2bn will be spent on new line and station in Bradford and £3bn will be spent on upgrading and electrifying lines between Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield and Hull.

It also promised £2.5bn for West Yorkshire’s mass transit system, which is expected to link towns and cities across the region, including Leeds, Bradford, Wakefield and Huddersfield. Construction is due to begin in 2028 and be completed by 2040.

West Yorkshire Combined Authority is currently considering a number of possible routes and mode of transports, including trams, tram-train vehicles and modified buses.