Yorkshire anger over calls for second cross-London rail link

Ministers have been urged not to be “distracted” from the need for vital improvements to Yorkshire’s roads and railways by the move to create a “Crossrail Two” – before the first cross-London line, which is costing £15bn, is even open.

A leading transport figure said yesterday the Government must deliver the North its own Crossrail – an electrified trans-Pennine route linking West Yorkshire with Newcastle, Manchester and Liverpool – before listening to fresh pleas for more spending in the capital.

The chairman of West Yorkshire transport authority Metro, James Lewis, said: “We have welcomed industry plans to electrify the north trans-Pennine route, which would create a Crossrail One for the North linking Leeds and Huddersfield with Newcastle, Manchester and Liverpool but we also need to see electrification of the Calderdale line providing Bradford and Halifax with those same fast, efficient links.

“It is important that these plans, which would support economic growth across the North and maximise the benefits of the proposed high-speed rail line when it arrives, don’t get distracted by call for yet another route across London, which last year received £802 of Government transport investment per head compared with £272 in our region.

“We don’t dispute that, as the capital, London is a special case and needs an organisation like London First championing its cause but governments need to take the wider view and ensure it’s not London first at the cost of the rest of the country and the UK economy.”

Coun Lewis spoke out after business organisation London First announced it was setting up a working group to examine the case for Crossrail Two.

Officials say it is necessary partly because the planned high-speed rail network – linking London to Leeds, Manchester and Birmingham by 2033 – will add to congestion at Euston.

The Crossrail line currently being built stretches from Maidenhead in the west to Abbey Wood in the east, but the new proposal could see a second line between Chelsea in west London and Hackney in the north east of the capital.

Former Transport Secretary Lord Adonis is chairing the working group which will analyse the business case and need for the project and assess the impact on Tube of projects like the high-speed line.

The chief executive of London First, Jo Valentine, said yesterday: “London’s continued ability to attract talent and investment from around the world depends on sustained investment in our infrastructure.

“London First campaigned for Crossrail from our inception in 1992. It took 15 years to persuade government to commit to a scheme and services will only begin running in 2018. We need to start planning for the next generation of improvements now.”

The prospect of the Government committing billions to such a scheme will also disturb Yorkshire MPs who have backed the Yorkshire Post Give us a Fair Deal campaign demanding that Ministers rectify the skewed funding system which has seen money spent disproportionately on London.

Bosses at Metro have already written to new Transport Secretary Justine Greening, who will be quizzed by MPs on the Transport Select Committee today, stressing the importance of schemes which are waiting to hear whether they will be given funding and warning there must be no delays.

Director general Kieran Preston said: “By supporting our bids, Ms Greening would be giving the go-ahead to projects that will support the creation of private sector jobs that will be filled by people from across West Yorkshire and beyond.

“This would be helping to deliver her Government’s objective of rebalancing the economy while at the same time ending years of underspending in the Yorkshire and Humber region by successive governments.”

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