Call for £14bn investment in Yorkshire’s railways by Sheffield peer Lord Blunkett and three White Rose mayors
Sheffield peer Lord Blunkett has joined forces with Yorkshire’s three elected mayors to put forward an ambitious proposal to revitalise the region’s ailing rail network.
Yorkshire’s Plan for Rail calls for £14bn government investment in the region’s rail network. It proposes big improvements to the network connecting major regional cities such as Sheffield and Leeds, introducing faster, more frequent direct services.
The plan would also ensure that trains become reliable with updated rolling stock plus the long-awaited electrification of the Midland Mainline serving Sheffield.
It proposes improvements to Sheffield Midland station, a new Rotherham Gateway station, upgrades to Doncaster station and extending Sheffield to London services to Barnsley.
South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard and his West and North Yorkshire counterparts Tracy Brabin and David Skaith asked former Sheffield Brightside MP Lord (David) Blunkett to put together the plan, which was launched in Leeds today (May 16).
The project is the first major move following the White Rose collaboration agreement signed by the three mayors in March. It aims to improve the lives of commuters and other rail passengers and bring major business investment into the region.
Minister
Timed to be put up for consideration by the government to be included in its 10-year spending plans, the plan has already been discussed with transport minister Heidi Alexander and rail minister Peter Hendy.
Lord Blunkett put it together in 10 weeks, looking at what the region missed out on when the HS2 plan was pulled, and other stalled projects such as the Northern Powerhouse Rail programme.
The report says the rail investment is a vital component in the White Rose mayors’ ambitions to add £20 billion to the region’s economy over a 10-year period, generate 83,000 jobs and deliver 210,000 new homes.
Lord Blunkett said: “We have been punching way under our weight east of the Pennines, with a population just under that of Scotland.”
He said that his train from Sheffield to Leeds this morning was 26 minutes late and most of that time the train was waiting outside Leeds station.
“We would be reconfiguring stations such as Sheffield and building a station fit for its name in Rotherham, connecting with faster rail and more comfortable rolling stock.
Angry
“It is a big ask but a realistic one.”
Mayor Coppard spoke about the effect of rail delays: “This morning we came here by train. The train was delayed, which you might expect, particularly between Leeds and Sheffield. It’s simply not good enough, particularly the size of our two cities.
“A woman stopped me and said ‘aren’t you the mayor’? She was with her mum who had a walker. She was angry enough on the platform because the train was delayed.
“It was standing room only and her mum couldn’t really stand, so she was even more angry. I understand her anger – she wasn’t the only one.
“People’s experience of the railways is overcrowded, not on time, not getting where they need to be when they need to get there.”
Mayor Coppard said the situation has been caused by under-investment for at least the last 14 years. “We’re now coming together as the three mayors with David’s support, saying ‘enough is enough, we need to move this forward and get that investment into our railways’.”