West Yorkshire mass transit: Rail Minister encourages Tracy Brabin to 'carefully consider' cost of routes on busy roads
The Rail Minister has encouraged Mayor Tracy Brabin to “carefully consider” some of the mass transit route options between Leeds and Bradford to avoid running them along main roads.
In a letter, Lord Peter Hendy said that the Government was fully committed to Ms Brabin’s ambitious project, and pledged continued support from the Department for Transport.
However, he advised that the mayor should “carefully consider the cost, effects and benefits/disbenefits of ‘street running’”, which means using tram lines alongside busy roads.
As part of the three initial routes consulted on between Leeds and Bradford, two ran along the A647 until near Bramley.
It is understood that Lord Hendy is concerned about the costs and disruption that would come with building a tram network that runs next to major roads.
He believes that it would be better to have the route going across brownfield and greenbelt land, and use it to encourage fresh housing developments.
In the same letter, he said: “It was clear during my visit that there are extensive interconnected potential benefits that now need to be captured and clearly articulated in your Strategic Case.
“These include the residential and commercial sites that the programme can unlock, densify and/or accelerate, and communities that will be transformed through this transformational investment.”
This is not the first time the Government has advised Ms Brabin to change tack in her £2.5bn project to build two tram lines, one in south Leeds and the other connecting the city to Bradford.
Last December, a Treasury report told the West Yorkshire Combined Authority that it had to change its approach.
Previously WYCA was attempting to work on the business case and the planning process at the same time to speed up the timeframe, however it will now focus on the former first.
This has pushed back the planned completion date from the mid to late 2030s.
The change in direction also led to the resignation of mass transit director Mike Birch, who will stand down next month, citing the need for “a very different leadership focus”.
The DfT is also requiring WYCA to put together a business case for a new bus network as well as a tram system, raising the prospect that Ms Brabin could be overruled by Whitehall.
WYCA will submit its strategic outline case later this year, with all three routes between Leeds and Bradford on the table.