Mass transit system won’t be ‘Leeds centric’ say bosses amid concerns over connecting Calderdale and Kirklees

The transport system, which the West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) wants to build before 2040, will serve all five local authorities in the region.

Although maps showing potential stops on the network have been released over the last two years, exact routes and locations haven’t been confirmed. The type of transport the system will use also remains uncertain.

But speaking at a WYCA meeting on Thursday, the project’s lead manager said it would serve communities across the region.

It came as the leader of Calderdale Council called for WYCA to give “more thought” to Calderdale and Kirklees and how the system will work in more hilly and isolated areas.

Coun Jane Scullion told the meeting: “Topography is important. It’s important to say this from Calderdale’s perspective, because we do have hills and we do have gradients, especially in Calderdale and Kirklees.

“We need to think about connectivity and how you get from the hilltops down to the heavy rail that runs through the valleys. We can move lots of people around Leeds, Bradford and Wakefield, but it becomes much more challenging when you get to Kirklees and Calderdale.”

Leeds Coun Kayleigh Brooks said she also wanted to see other parts of the region well-served.

She said: “I don’t want to end up with it being Leeds getting loads of money and then it not connecting to Calderdale, because people in Leeds want to go to Calderdale and see all the lovely things it has. That’s really good for people’s mental health and wellbeing.”

WYCA says there will be more public consultation on the overall scheme next year.

There are still several legal and logistical hurdles to pass before the system comes close to reality. However, senior figures are hopeful of having spades in the ground by the end of the 2020s.

Stacey White, WYCA’s place manager for mass transit, said that the system would connect to existing train and bus networks.

She told councillors: “In terms of the vision and the approach, it’s definitely not Leeds-centric. It is purposefully a West Yorkshire mass transit vision. Mass transit will only work if it links to other models and we think about the end-to-end journey people have.

“Sometimes that first and last mile is the thing that stops people using public transport, and that might be because there’s a big hill to climb, or there’s something that’s restricting their ability to access that transport.”