Former
Labour
minister


David
Blunkett
is
set
to
unveil
a
£16
billion
plan
for
railways
in
Yorkshire
today.

Yorkshire’s
Plan
for
Rail
outlines
investments
in
new
and
accessible
stations
as
well
as
improving
the
system
as
a
whole
to
connect
cities
more
effectively.

A
total
of
£2.4
billion
is
being
sought
by
the
regions
between
now
and
2030,
followed
by
another
£14
billion
to
2040.
Funding
worth
£2.5
billion
for
a
new
tram
system
in
Leeds
and
extensions
in
Sheffield
would
be
separate.

A
new
through
station
for
Bradford
is
part
of
the
plan,
as
well
as
increased
capacity
at
Leeds,
Sheffield
and
York,
a
main
line
station
for
Rotherham,
upgrades
and
electrification
between
Leeds
and
Sheffield
and
more
frequent
trains
on
the
York-Scarborough
line,
the
Esk
Valley
and
Penistone
lines,
and
in
the
five
towns
which
make
up
the
Wakefield
district.

Also
on
the
shopping
list
are
better
trains,
upgrades
at
key
junctions
and
stations
to
boost
capacity.
Although
the
plan
covers
the
next
15
years,
some
short-term
improvements
to
services
are
included.

The
plan
calls
for
more
devolution
so
that
the
city
regions
have
more
powers
to
decide
how
their
railways
should
be
developed,
and
is
being
published
ahead
of
the
government’s
ten-year
infrastructure
plan
and
spending
review,
which
is
due
in
the
summer.

Yorkshire’s
Plan
for
Rail is
being
launched
in
Leeds
today
by
Lord
Blunkett,
with
West
Yorkshire
Mayor
Tracy
Brabin,
South
Yorkshire
Mayor
Oliver
Coppard
and
York
and
North
Yorkshire
Mayor
David
Skaith.

Lord
Blunkett
said:
‘Yorkshire
has
been
punching
under
its
weight
for
far
too
long,
and
with
the
White
Rose
Agreement
and
this
infrastructure
plan,
the
three
Mayors
are
determined
to
reverse
this
historic
trend.

‘It’s
been
a
pleasure
to
be
asked
to
pull
together
this
credible
and
affordable
plan,
which
presents
a
once
in
a
lifetime
opportunity
to
improve
rail
connectivity,
and
unlock
economic
growth
and
opportunities
for
all. 

‘By
taking
action
now,
the
benefits
of
releasing
capacity,
speeding
up
journeys,
improving
reliability
and
running
more
frequent
services
will
be
felt
not
just
here,
but
across
the
North,
Midlands
and
beyond.
It’s
time
to
back
Yorkshire.’

The
proposals
for
Yorkshire
are
coming
only
days
after
the
mayors
of
Liverpool
and
Manchester
had
called
on
the
government
to
build
a
new
railway
between
the
two
cities
which
they
say
could
reduce
journey
times
by
20
minutes.
Such
a
line
was
first
suggested
last
year
in
the
wake
of
the
cutbacks
to
HS2.

Meanwhile,
unconfirmed
reports
are
claiming
that
the
surviving
phase
of
HS2
might
not
open
until
the
late
2030s,
according
to
a
preliminary
briefing
to
ministers
by
HS2
Ltd
CEO
Mark
Wild.

He
is
still
working
on
a
‘fundamental
reset’
of
the
HS2
project,
and
his
full
assessment
may
not
be
completed
until
later
this
year.

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