Leeds could be at the heart of major rail shake-up as mayor backs faster cross-Pennine links
New mayor pledges ‘getting from Manchester to Leeds, Sheffield or Bradford has to be made easier’
Leeds could be at the heart of a major rail shake-up as mayor pledges to push for improvements to cross-Pennine links.
The new Greater Manchester Mayor Bev Craig has pledged to work with other mayors to make it easier to travel from Yorkshire cities to the North West.
Journeys times from Manchester across the Pennines are currently lengthy and can be hit with delays.
But new calls have been made to revive plans for a 14-mile tunnel between Manchester and Sheffield, led by a team known as Future Works who reckon the project could cost around £2bn.
Asked about the idea today (August 3), Bev Craig said: “I’ve been a long advocate of better east-west connections, we’ve seen throughout the debates we’ve been having about Northern Powerhouse Rail that getting to Leeds, getting to Sheffield or Bradford has to be made easier.
“I’m looking forward to getting stuck in over the next few weeks, working with colleagues in Transport for the North and linking up with other mayors to be able to see what solutions we can get.
“The reality for me is that train travel just isn’t reliable enough, it isn’t quick enough, and it isn’t effective enough in this country, and we think that mayors will be able to help with that and be able to push for faster travel.”
The Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) scheme also aims to boost railway travel across the north, including with a new line between Manchester and Liverpool.
This could see up to £45bn being invested and ultimately transform rail services across Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Bradford, Sheffield and York.
The project would be delivered in three phases, with upgrades to the lines east of the Pennines, including electrification, specifically on the Leeds-Bradford, Leeds-Sheffield and Leeds-York corridors.
It would then move to plans for a new line between Liverpool and Manchester, via Warrington and Manchester Airport, before the third phase to focus on better links across the Pennines.