Region's transport chiefs put on pressure for high-speed rail link

Transport Secretary Philip Hammond has fuelled fears that the plans for a Y-shape network – which would see the line travel from London to Birmingham before splitting along the east and west of the country – could be scrapped by ordering detailed preparation work for the East Coast route to Leeds to be put on hold.

The Y-shape was recommended by High Speed Two – the company commissioned by the previous Government to study the best network – but the Tories proposed an S-shape in their manifesto, which would see Yorkshire lose its direct line, with the only access being via Manchester.

Councillor Chris Greaves, the new chairman of the West Yorkshire Integrated Transport Authority, Metro, said such a move would put the region years behind the North West and be the "death of the economy in this region".

Metro, alongside the South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive, has commissioned consultants Arup and economic specialist Volterra to develop further evidence on the employment and other benefits of a direct high-speed rail route to Yorkshire.

Coun Greaves said: "It is vital that Metro stands up for this region – we cannot let the Y-shape that was recommended and that so many politicians and businesses have supported, be scrapped. The business case is extremely strong.

"If the Governments decide not to go ahead with a Y-shape, they would be best not to build it at all, because an S-shape would be the death of the economy in this region."

The latest work will be in addition to the research published last year which showed that more than 30bn of benefits could be generated from a high-speed rail network serving Sheffield and Leeds.

The report, also produced by Arup and Volterra, stated that a high-speed Yorkshire link could also provide between 1.5bn and 3bn of productivity benefits to the economy in addition to transport benefits of around 29bn.

High-speed rail links with London, Heathrow and mainland Europe through the Channel Tunnel network would, the report said, be able to "stimulate a transformational change in the economic performance and standing of the northern cities".

It stated: "They would provide a gateway to national and international business travel with meetings in the capital no longer taking up a whole day."

The Yorkshire Post Fast Track to Yorkshire campaign calls on the Government to build a high-speed rail line linking London direct to the region.

Many of the region's business leaders and politicians have backed the campaign, and last week Liberal Democrat MP for Leeds North West Greg Mulholland said he would oppose a route via Manchester.

The increase in pressure from regional transport bosses has been echoed by trade unions who last month issued a call for a fixed timetable to be set out for the line's construction and made a direct appeal for the Government to offer "concrete assurances" that the project would not be part of the programme of cuts being rolled out to combat the deficit.

A recent survey by the Yorkshire and Humber Chambers of Commerce showed that 83 per cent of businesses in the region are suffering from a lack of transport capacity, above the national average of 80 per cent and higher than any neighbouring region including the North-East and North-West.