Special Report: West Yorkshire 'on the cusp' of huge change thanks to tram project
West Yorkshire stands on the cusp of a major breakthrough in its economic fortunes, regional leaders have said, as the public consultation on the first phase of the mass transit network comes to an end this Monday.
For decades, Leeds has struggled with the unwanted - and much repeated - tag of being the largest city in Western Europe without a mass transit system.
But now, optimism in the region is high that that may soon be coming to end, with support from all layers of Government for the project.
Initially, it would consist of two lines - one connecting Leeds and Bradford, and the other going from St James’ Hospital in the North to White Rose in the South.
But the system has been designed to be expandable, to link up other major urban centres in the region, including Halifax, Huddersfield and Wakefield, as well as much of the rest of West Yorkshire.
For the project to have even got as far as it has is for some proof of concept for what so many have campaigned for for years - that devolving power out of Westminster would create better regional-level planning to help connectivity.
But perhaps the most compelling reason this plan is accelerating where others faltered is an economic one.
Leeds Councillor Jonathan Pryror is the head of transport, and told the Yorkshire Post: “I think if you look at what's happening in Leeds at the moment, the same growth you saw in Birmingham and Manchester in the 90s and the noughties is happening in Leeds now.
“We're seeing a huge number of businesses moving to Leeds, a huge number of new jobs, we see a lot of the civil service moving up to Leeds and West Yorkshire and actually a lot of this is happening despite not having these transport loops.
“We built this ourselves to a large extent and adding mass transit to that is a low-hanging fruit, it means we could really turbo charge that growth and it will give us the opportunity to build new houses with incredible access to Bradford and Leeds City centres.
The Mayor of West Yorkshire, Tracey Brabin said: “This is going to be an absolute game changer for our region.
“There has been a bit of cynicism back in the day when we were talking about it because we've tried a couple of times before, but part of the problem with those plans was that they weren't ambitious enough and it was just Leeds, and the key to the growth of West Yorkshire is connecting all of our region.
“But it feels very positive now, we’ve had more than four thousand give us their views on the consultation.
“Unlocking the region, and enabling all those young people to come to Leeds and Bradford for work is just going to be incredible.
“I’ve promised spades in the ground by 2028 and we are determined to get there, because the opportunity is phenomenal.
“It’s also a 10-year project for engineering, so there are incredible jobs and opportunities and apprenticeships for our young people as well.
“We’ve got five or six thousand engineers working on the Trans Pennine upgrade and with mass transit underway we're going to be a region of engineering, bringing investment, confidence and connectivity that is the key to growth in the economy.”