Metro Chairman Cllr Chris Greaves today welcomed the news that Transport Secretary Philip Hammond is backing a high-speed rail network that will include Yorkshire and the Leeds City Region.
“I am glad to see the Government has taken the right decision on high-speed rail, a decision that will mean £2.3bn of productivity benefits to the economy and transport benefits of around £60bn.
“It will represent a significant boost for the Leeds City Region, Yorkshire and the whole of the east of England", he continued. “Although the scheme is still a long way off, it will still be a positive factor in influencing companies when making decisions about whether to invest and re-locate to our area.”
Transport & productivity benefits
Recently published research carried out on behalf of Metro and South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive showed that this route through Yorkshire would deliver an estimated £60 billion in standard transport benefits and a further £2.3 billion of productivity benefits.
By linking the Leeds City Region, the Sheffield City Region and the “Three Cities” of Derby, Nottingham and Leicester it would connect an area of 6.7 million people and 3 million jobs. Onward connections to the Tees Valley and Tyne and Wear City Regions would provide access to a further 2.2 million people and 0.9 million jobs.
Transform the national economy
“High speed rail has the potential to transform the shape of the national economy,” said Metro Chairman Cllr Chris Greaves recently. “To do so it must access the areas with the most significant centres of population and employment.
“We also agree that high-speed rail should serve city centre stations – this will maximise the economic benefits due to the proximity of high value jobs. City centres are already public transport hubs and therefore would help spread the benefits of high speed rail more widely across the city regions. They would also act as a focus for regeneration and development."
The Government is planning that from Birmingham, the East line will be routed through via Litchfield and the East Midlands and then on to South Yorkshire and to a new city centre station in Leeds. From Leeds it will then rejoin the existing East Coast Main Line between Leeds and York.
The seven-year construction of the £33bn network could start in the early 2020s and would require new stations with ¼ mile platforms to cater for the new trains.
Improvements to existing routes
The latest research also highlighted the need to make improvements to existing rail routes in the short-medium term. Delivery of high speed rail to the north will be a long-term (20-30 year) project, but existing proposals to upgrade and electrify the Midland Main Line, East Coast Main Line, trans-Pennine and Leeds-Sheffield links can deliver substantial benefits, in some cases at modest costs.
Improvements to existing routes, and to local and regional rail routes and services, will improve access to high speed stations, helping exploit the benefits of high speed rail in providing capacity relief on existing lines.
Read the latest research (pdf, 1.46mb).
