Leeds trams: Council leaders 'cautious' as Rishi Sunak pledges £2.5 billion to deliver mass transit system

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced the Government will “reinvest every single penny” into projects across the North, after cutting plans to extend the HS2 train link north of Birmingham.

Mr Sunak estimated the savings would be around £36 billion and said that £2.5 billion would be used to deliver a new tram system in Leeds alongside a number of other schemes in Yorkshire.

Leader of Leeds City Council, Councillor James Lewis, said: "We are extremely disappointed about government’s decision to cancel HS2 and only cautiously welcome today’s announcements of investment in our transport infrastructure, because commitment to delivering mass transit and Northern Powerhouse Rail has been made numerous times before.

"We are understandably keen to work with government to understand the detail behind these announcements, how and when these will be achieved, the wider impact of these proposals, and how they will amount to a real-terms increase in investment in our city and region.”

Plans for a new tram system in Leeds were first proposed in 1991 – more than three decades after the city’s original tramway was scrapped and it remains the biggest city in Western Europe without a mass transit system.

A wider West Yorkshire mass transit network has been in the planning stages for years and is seen as central to Mayor Tracy Brabin’s plans for the region to become a net-zero carbon economy by 2038, but has faced criticism of late after plans revealed it won’t be “Leeds centric”.

Speaking following the Prime Minister’s announcement, Mayor Brabin described the scrapping of the Northern Leg of HS2 as “yet another betrayal of the North” while Coun Lewis has expressed concern over the lack of a new rail station for the city and called on the Government to help Leeds improve connection links to London.

Coun Lewis added: “The news that the Sheffield-Leeds line is to be electrified and upgraded is welcomed because of the benefits this will bring for our two cities and our neighbouring communities, but we also need upgrades to the East Coast Main Line to deliver an improved service to London on what will be our only rail link. Alongside this we are concerned about the lack of any mention of a new railway station in Leeds.

“Leeds plays a critical role in UK rail connectivity, where usage has trebled in the last 25 years and post-pandemic demand is above the national average.At this rate our station will reach capacity in the next decade. Failing to invest in a new station on the site originally proposed for HS2 adjacent to the existing station will hamper regional and national economic growth, and we will continue to champion this cause to government.”

Work, as part of a major £46.1 million investment scheme, is already underway to significantly improve the main entrance and surrounding area of Leeds central station. These works are designed to meet increased capacity demands and ensure that people can enter, exit and wait for services safely.