Regional transport projects get £100m injection

The package, announced as part of a £30bn investment programme in Britain’s infrastructure, will see a number of Yorkshire’s long-awaited projects finally given the go-ahead, including the £22m Access York Park and Ride scheme, improvements worth £10m to the A164 Humber Bridge to Beverley road and two new Leeds railway stations at Kirkstall Forge and Apperley Bridge, costing £17m.

A further £17m will be spent on the A6182 White Rose Way improvement scheme in Doncaster, and nearly £20m on four new tram vehicles in Sheffield. The total cost of the schemes is more than £90m, of which the Treasury is funding more than £60m.

The projects, part of the National Infrastructure Plan, will be taken forward alongside the £290m electrification of the Transpennine route, and a £150m scheme to halve tolls on the Humber Bridge.

Neil McLean, chairman of the Leeds city region’s local enterprise partnership, said the investment would have a huge impact on the economy.

“We have known for a number of years that better connectivity between Leeds and Manchester would give a much needed transformational shot in the arm to the economic fortunes of the North – a 20-minute reduction in train journey times between our two cities would be worth £7bn at 2009 prices,” he said.

“It is important however that we don’t look at infrastructure in isolation; increased investment in the skills of our workforce is vital to ensure the economic benefit is spread far and wide.”

There will also be improvements to the M1 from junctions 39 to 42, as well as £4.9m of funding towards the £6m A18 to A180 link in North East Lincolnshire.

Announcements on a number of other critical schemes – including the £200m Leeds Trolleybus – are expected next month when the Government provides an extra £170m of funding for local authority major transport projects.

Pudsey Conservative MP Stuart Andrew said the investment in Leeds rail stations came after years of underfunding.

“For years Leeds transport system has been starved of investment and I am pleased that, at last, we have a real commitment to change this,” he said. “The plans will release hundreds of millions of pounds of private investment in the Kirkstall Forge development, creating jobs and helping to reduce congestion on the roads. The Apperley Bridge announcement in particular will be welcomed by residents as this is one of the most congested roads.”

The decade-long National Infrastructure Plan intends to lever in £20bn of private investment from pension funds to finance the development of roads, railways and high-speed broadband.

The Government has now signed a deal with pension funds on the creation of the new “investment platform” to channel the money into infrastructure projects.

Chancellor George Osborne said the money will come from savings to other areas of the budget.

Mark Goldstone, head of business representation at the Leeds, York and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce, said: “The publication of the National Infrastructure Plan and announcement of 35 specific infrastructure projects are welcome including the electrification of the Transpennine rail route and other schemes which we understand are in the pipeline for the region.”

Ed Cox, north director for the Institute for Public Policy Research, also welcomed the investment, but warned there remained stark differences in levels of regional funding.

“The National Infrastructure Plan is unlikely to deliver short term benefits and is a vital lifeline for longer-term growth prospects,” he said. “Projects such as Transpennine rail electrification are key to improving job accessibility across the North.

“But we need to look carefully at the figures – for example, Tyne and Wear Metro gets a headline-grabbing £5m of rail spending in 2011-12, but £125m will be invested in Southern rail carriages and flexible smart ticketing in London and the South East.”