Mass transit scheme ‘would benefit whole of West Yorkshire’ says expert

It follows an announcement this morning from West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) that it has been working on plans for a multi-billion pound, nine-line, rail-based system that could be built over the next decade and a half.

WYCA claims work could start on such a scheme connecting Leeds with Bradford, Halifax, Huddersfield and Wakefield, along with dozens of other towns and communities, within the next five years.

Dr Anthony Whiteing is a senior lecturer in transport economics at the University of Leeds. He believes the scheme is more likely to succeed than previous attempts to bring mass transit to Leeds.

“It’s a very different proposition,” he said.

“This is an aspiration for the city region – it’s not just about Leeds.

“I can see that (Bradford Council leader) Susan Hinchcliffe would be interested in this, because if it came to fruition, Bradford would get quite a lot out of it.

“All corners of the city region would benefit from this. It is a good measure of what we need to do to give the city region a transport system that would meet its economic growth potential, as well as environmental objectives.

“If we are looking at balanced growth across the region, to get people around the region and to work without cars, it really needs something like this. It’s not a scheme to reduce congestion in a particular part of Leeds. It is to boost the economy of the city region and ensure it’s fit for purpose.”

This is not the first time such a scheme has been brought forward by transport chiefs, with similar Leeds-only schemes scrapped in 2005 and 2016.

“I think it’s a much better scheme than we have seen before,” Dr Whiteing added. “It’s very aspirational and quite possibly not all of it is going to happen, but if we can get the majority of it in place, it would be good.

“It has stuff in poor areas in Castleford and Pontefract way – getting those people access to better work opportunities.

“It loops in the Spenborough and Cleckheaton area into systems that would get them much quicker access to Leeds and Bradford – that is an area that’s been poorly served in the past 40 or 50 years.”

But with the economic uncertainties presented by both Brexit and Covid-19, would the Government be keen to commit to help funding such a scheme?

Dr Whiteing believes West Yorkshire’s devolution deal will help “open doors”

for the scheme.

“We would hope the north is going to get more money than it has in the past,” he said.

“One of the reasons why we have not got anywhere so far is because some of the cases we made have not been very compelling – it’s all about making a proposition and justifying why you are doing something and what the benefits will be.”