Villiers pledges better times for Leeds rail commuters

Visiting Leeds to view plans for a new southern entrance to the station, Ms Villiers confirmed 42 additional carriages had been allocated to rail services into Leeds, providing 2,000 additional seats from December. She also supported proposals for the northern hub, the £580m scheme that would provide 700 additional services across the North including six fast trains an hour between Leeds and Manchester, and longer-term plans to extend the controversial High Speed 2 (HS2) line to Sheffield and Leeds.

“We recognise there’s an overcrowding problem and we are dealing with it right now by programmes that will be coming on stream literally in the next few months,” Ms Villiers said.

“But we’re also looking to longer term solutions like High Speed Rail and the Inter-city express programme, providing carriages on the East Coast line which will deliver more seats there as well. There’s a lot going on to try and improve rail transport into and out of Leeds.

“We are also about to embark on the process of deciding which projects are funded in the railway control period which starts in 2014 and lasts to 2019.The northern hub is something we will be considering very closely as part of that process.” Ms Villiers, who also addressed the Northern Rail conference yesterday, was impressed by artists’ impressions of a new £14.4m southern entrance for Leeds Station, which is due to be completed by the summer of 2014.

“Despite the urgent need to tackle the deficit, targeted investment to support growth remains a Government priority,” she said.

“A southern entrance at Leeds Station will greatly improve access to an existing area of regeneration that has already transformed the immediate station surroundings.

“It promises to add an iconic new structure to this key gateway to the city.”

Councillor Eric Firth, who as well as being Mayor of Kirklees is also deputy chair of the West Yorkshire Integrated Transport Authority, added: “This new entrance is going to be a great feat of engineering and a great challenge, but it will be well worth it for the people of Leeds and the whole area.”