{"id":19950,"date":"2024-03-14T17:38:27","date_gmt":"2024-03-14T07:38:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=19950"},"modified":"2024-03-14T17:38:27","modified_gmt":"2024-03-14T07:38:27","slug":"west-yorkshires-long-term-rail-strategy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=19950","title":{"rendered":"West Yorkshire\u2019s long-term rail strategy"},"content":{"rendered":"

The West Yorkshire Combined Authority<\/a> has approved a rail strategy \u2013 which sets out the priorities and next steps for the rail network in West Yorkshire until 2050.<\/p>\n

This builds on the commitment made for a new station in Bradford and comes after the Mayor of West Yorkshire, Tracy Brabin, and Leeds City Council leader, Cllr James Lewis, wrote to the Prime Minister urging him to continue to safeguard land around Leeds Station.<\/p>\n

Land to the south could provide space for expansion of the station \u2013 which would help unlock improvements called for in the Combined Authority\u2019s rail strategy.<\/p>\n

Crucially the strategy sets out a future network for West Yorkshire as a sequenced plan for additional capacity, better reliability, and improved\u00a0frequencies.<\/p>\n

It sets out the case for the infrastructure and long-term investment needed for the future. This includes a\u00a0<\/strong>new through station in Bradford and the extension to the south of Leeds station to deliver Northern Powerhouse Rail in full. In addition to electrifying the Calder Valley line, delivering a half-hourly service between Huddersfield and Barnsley, and improving connectivity between West and South Yorkshire and the East and West Midlands.<\/p>\n

Mayor of West Yorkshire, Tracy Brabin, said: \u201cPeople in the North deserve a fully integrated transport system that is fit for the 21st\u00a0century \u2013 to help boost our economy, become net-zero carbon by 2038 and build a better-connected region.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut to truly deliver on our ambitions, we need proper investment from government in our railways to create a reliable, cheaper and easier to use network.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am looking forward to working with the Government and partners to deliver on the priorities set out in our rail strategy.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Combined Authority has identified four key areas to work on:<\/p>\n

Delivering capacity for growth and improved reliability<\/p>\n

Improving station facilities and train services<\/p>\n

Electrification of the lines for decarbonisation and improved efficiency<\/p>\n

Increasing capacity for freight<\/p>\n

Chair of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority Transport Committee, Cllr Susan Hinchcliffe, said: \u201cImproving capacity and connectivity on our rail network is vital to support regeneration and growth. Easier, cheaper travel improves access to education, jobs, and cultural experiences.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cLow carbon transport is an absolute must for improving air quality and supporting cleaner, greener growth. Focusing on electrification will help deliver in both of these areas.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWith an additional platform at Forster Square already agreed, I\u2019m looking forward to working with government to develop more detail on the proposed new station for Bradford\u2019s southern gateway through the rail strategy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Responding to the news, RIA North Chair, David Maddison, said \u201cWe very much welcome the publication of this report, which reflects RIA\u2019s own calls for the full delivery of the TRU and NPR, delivering capacity for growth for passengers and freight, and for a rolling programme of electrification. The prediction of a growth in demand is an important reminder that investment is needed now to prepare for the future.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe report is a reminder of the strong link between investing in rail and increasing prosperity. With Oxford Economics data showing that for every \u00a31 invested in the railway a further \u00a32.50 is generated in the wider economy, RIA North stands ready to work with WYCA to help make the case for this investment and provide practical support when it comes to developing and procuring major projects.\u201d<\/p>\n

More information can be found at:\u00a0WYCA \u2013 Modern Gov<\/a><\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The West Yorkshire Combined Authority has approved a rail strategy \u2013 which sets out the priorities and next steps for the rail network in West […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":19951,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[7,11],"class_list":["post-19950","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-rail-news","tag-transport","tag-usa"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19950","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=19950"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19950\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/19951"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=19950"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=19950"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=19950"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}