Northern Powerhouse Rail must include four fast trains per hour between Leeds and Sheffield, leaders say
The Government’s long-awaited Northern Powerhouse Rail project must include the electrification of the Leeds to Sheffield line with four fast trains an hour, regional leaders have said.
Leaders of both councils, Coun James Lewis and Coun Tom Hunt, alongside the West and South Yorkshire mayors Tracy Brabin and Oliver Coppard, made the case to business leaders and MPs at a House of Commons event yesterday.
Currently, Yorkshire’s two largest cities are linked by just one fast train an hour and the region’s growth is being held back by outdated Victorian rail infrastructure.
The leaders said that the Government’s Northern Powerhouse Rail plans, which are expected to be announced ahead of the November Budget, must include four fast trains an hour and the expansion of Leeds and Sheffield stations.
They say this could unleash £25bn of additional growth across the region per year, and is key if Labour wants to grow the economy in all parts of the UK.
Coun Hunt, Sheffield City Council leader, told The Yorkshire Post: “We have come together around a very clear set of asks.
“Four fast trains an hour between Leeds and Sheffield, upgrades to our two stations and an expansion of the Sheffield tram-train system and the mass transit in Leeds.
“Everyone is getting behind that and I know we can make a difference when we have that clarity of ask, and we are having really positive conversations with government.
“Certainty from the government on rail connections between Sheffield and Leeds is the signal investors are waiting for. Let’s end the delay, add more fast trains and get going.”
Leeds leader Coun James Lewis added: “Our great and growing cities are home to internationally-competitive businesses across a wide range of sectors, and we are achieving all this with poor rail connectivity between us.
“Yet these improvements between our two cities will drive growth not just in Leeds and Sheffield but across Yorkshire and the UK.”
Details of the high-speed network to connect the North’s great cities across the Pennines were expected to be unveiled at the Labour Party Conference last month.
However, this announcement was pushed back, with Government sources insisting it will happen before the Autumn Budget.
Sir Keir Starmer said that he remains “absolutely committed to Northern Powerhouse Rail”.
“I want to get it right,” he told ITV Calendar, “We saw with HS2 what happens when a government doesn't take time to get it right.
“So this is about taking the time to get this right. It's not deviating from the commitment.”