Lord Blunkett outlines £14bn Yorkshire rail plan

A multibillion-pound plan to fix Yorkshire's "creaking Victorian-era" railways has been put forward by the former home secretary Lord Blunkett.

Backed by the mayors of West, South and North Yorkshire, Lord Blunkett said the region had been held back by ageing infrastructure, poor performance and unreliable trains.

Yorkshire's Plan for Rail sets out a £14bn investment package calling for increased capacity at Leeds, Sheffield and York stations, a new through-station for Bradford and a mainline station at Rotherham.

Lord Blunkett said the proposal offered "a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" to improve connectivity and unlock economic growth in the region.

Other improvements include electrifying the line between Leeds and Sheffield and increasing the frequency of services for places such as Scarborough, the Esk Valley, Penistone Line and Wakefield district's Five Towns.

The first phase of improvements would need £2.4bn of government investment between now and 2030.

This would be in addition to the £2.5bn funding needed to bring trams back to West Yorkshire and investment for tram extension and renewal in South Yorkshire.

According to Lord Blunkett's review, the targeted investment could add £20bn to the region's economy over the next decade.

It could also help generate an extra 83,000 jobs and contribute to the building of 210,000 new homes.

Lord Blunkett is launching his review alongside West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin, South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard and York and North Yorkshire Mayor David Skaith in Leeds.

He said: "Yorkshire has been punching under its weight for far too long, and with the White Rose Agreement and this infrastructure plan, the three Mayors are determined to reverse this historic trend.

"It's been a pleasure to be asked to pull together this credible and affordable plan, which presents a once in a lifetime opportunity to improve rail connectivity, and unlock economic growth and opportunities for all."

Brabin said Yorkshire's rail network was "no longer fit for purpose" and they owed it to younger generations to secure funding for train services fit for the modern-age.

Skaith added: "In York and North Yorkshire, that means two trains an hour between York and Scarborough, upgraded stations at Malton, Seamer and Scarborough, and a new station at Haxby.

"We need to push forward with the transformation of York Station to maximise the benefits of York Central, one of the most significant regeneration sites in the country."

In South Yorkshire, Coppard called for more trains, station improvements and better connections to Leeds, York, Manchester, London and elsewhere.

"Ultimately, we simply want reliable, effective rail services, so we can get to work, see friends and family or just go for a night out," he said.

"I want to see Sheffield fully electrified, a new station at Rotherham, more capacity at Doncaster and new services between Barnsley and London."

It's no coincidence that the latest plan for Yorkshire's rail network comes ahead of a government spending review next month.

The chancellor will set out which infrastructure projects are going to get funding - including some that were put on hold after Labour's 2024 general election win.

Instead of campaigning against each other for local money, Labour's metro mayors have teamed up to press the case for what they're calling the "White Rose" region.

Top of the list is a new station for Bradford connected to the main trans-Pennine line.

A new mainline station for Rotherham is the big ask in South Yorkshire, along with electrification of the line between Sheffield and Leeds.

In North Yorkshire, additional trains to Scarborough and Whitby are being prioritised.

Commissioning former Sheffield MP Lord Blunkett to write the report may catch the eye of ministers and civil servants at a time when there are calls for the treasury to release funds for transport schemes across the country.

Without funding, there's a chance this latest review will be added to a series of plans that have failed to materialise.

The Department for Transport said it would consider Lord Blunkett's recommendations carefully, stressing that it was committed to improving transport across the North.

A spokesman said: "Reliable and affordable public transport links are essential for supporting jobs and driving economic growth, key to our Plan for Change, and making travelling quicker, easier, and greener.

"We are investing in the North and delivering transformational projects across the region, such as the multibillion-pound Transpennine Route Upgrade, and we're maintaining momentum on Northern Powerhouse Rail by progressing planning and design works to support future delivery.

"We will continue to work with local leaders to improve rail connectivity."

The DfT said it had asked Network Rail to maintain development work for updates at Leeds, Sheffield, and Bradford, and is supporting West Yorkshire's mass transit plans by providing £200 million development funding.

The department also said it had prioritised funding to develop plans for a new Rotherham Mainline station and to renew the Supertram network, connecting Sheffield and Rotherham.

It added that, under Great British Railways, there would be a statutory role for devolved leaders in governing, managing, planning and developing the rail network.

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