Transport just the ticket for the region
Yorkshire will receive a share of £6.9bn in new transport funding from the Government.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak will outline the full investment in his Budget this Wednesday (October 27).
Details revealed so far show that West Yorkshire, which elected its first metro mayor this year after Sunak announced devolution for the region in 2020, will receive a £830m of the funding to extend the West Bradford-Cycle Superhighway and install electric vehicle charging stations in Kirklees neighbourhoods.
Alongside this South Yorkshire is will get £570m to start a Supertram renewal project and install a “Dutch style” roundabout in Barnsley town centre.
Mr Sunak said: “There is no reason why somebody working in the North and Midlands should have to wait several times longer for their bus or train to arrive in the morning compared to a commuter in the capital.
“This transport revolution will help redress that imbalance as we modernise our local transport networks so they are fit for our great cities and those people who live and work in them.”
Despite these announcements, Sunak remained quiet on both the Eastern leg of HS2 which will connect Birmingham to Leeds and Northern Powerhouse Rail, the link which would connect Leeds to Manchester via Bradford and have a metamorphic effect on Bradford city centre and the wider Northern economy.
Bradford council leader Cllr Susan Hinchcliffe noted recently: ““A new train station in Bradford City Centre built to accommodate Northern Powerhouse Rail and better existing mainline rail services will unlock a central development area three times larger than Canary Wharf and slash journey times to Manchester by two-thirds and to Leeds by more than half. The benefits will be felt district wide.”
Speaking to Trevor Philips on Sky on Sunday the chancellor simply said that an announcement on the easter leg and NPR would be made shortly.
Tracy Brabin, the mayor of West Yorkshire said in a tweet: “I welcome the £830m, but I will be pushing for more. It’s good news that the Government is finally giving. the boost which means we can start work on providing the transport system the people of West Yorkshire deserve.”
In a wider statement she added that: “As the Prime Minister said, it is indeed a disgrace that West Yorkshire is the only major region in Western Europe without a Metro system, so we desperately need the government to address years of underinvestment in transport in our region.”
Dan Jarvis, mayor of South Yorkshire added: “South Yorkshire deserves and needs a world-class transport network. I’ve fought hard to secure the transformative investment we need for South Yorkshire and repeatedly called on ministers to match my ambitions.
“That message has finally been heard by Government. The money we have secured will get South Yorkshire moving and help deliver a public transport revolution – benefitting all parts of our region and making public transport the first choice for travel.
“I want a stronger, greener, fairer South Yorkshire and this settlement marks a big step forward on that journey.”
