More and faster trains from York, a new station for Haxby and three North Yorkshire station upgrades are proposed in a new blueprint for the railways.
They form part of a £14 billion plan to fix Yorkshire’s “broken” rail system, improve connectivity and unlock economic growth proposed by former home secretary Lord Blunkett.
The Labour peer has published an infrastructure plan with the metro mayors of North, West, and South Yorkshire, which calls on the Government to deliver on repeated promises to back transport in the north of England.
He said Yorkshire’s Plan for Rail would deliver a huge boost to jobs, growth and new housing.
The plan is being launched by Lord Blunkett in Leeds today (Friday) alongside York and North Yorkshire Mayor David Skaith, and his counterparts in West and South Yorkshire, Tracy Brabin and Oliver Coppard.
Lord Blunkett’s report outlines the need for increasing capacity at York, Leeds and Sheffield stations.
Other key recommendations include:
- a new station at Haxby, along with new stations at Elland, White Rose, Thorpe Park, Rotherham Gateway, Waverley, Leeds-Bradford Airport Parkway, and Dearne Valley Parkway
- station upgrades at Malton, Seamer, and Scarborough
- improved services between York and Sheffield
- more services between York and Scarborough
- platform extensions across the network
- new rolling stock for Northern leading to longer trains and more frequent services.
The report points out that nationally, Leeds rail station is by far the worst location across the UK in terms of total minutes delay, with York also in the top 10.
Connectivity across the region is a challenge: for example, there are only five fast services a day between Sheffield and York, compared to four per hour between Liverpool and Manchester.
Lord Blunkett 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.
“By taking action now, the benefits of releasing capacity, speeding up journeys, improving reliability and running more frequent services will be felt not just here, but across the North, Midlands and beyond.
“It’s time to back Yorkshire.”
Lord Blunkett’s review outlines how a “creaking Victorian-era infrastructure” is holding back a region of 4.6 million people, with poor and unreliable services regularly failing to meet the needs of passengers and businesses.
It sets out a need for substantial investment as part of the Government’s proposed 10-year infrastructure plan and spending review later this year, with £2.4 billion required between now and 2030, and approximately £14 billion in total.
It said targeted rail investment has the potential to add £20 billion to the region’s economy and could help generate an extra 83,000 jobs.
The case for Haxby Station
This is what the report says: “Haxby station to the north‑east of York has a strong and well‑established business case and could be delivered within the first five years of our phased programme. The station will provide better opportunities for existing residents, enable housing growth in the nearby area, provide Park & Ride opportunities into York that will alleviate local traffic and further supports the viability of half‑hourly trains between York and Scarborough, contributing to economic growth along the whole corridor.”
The Mayor of York and North Yorkshire David Skaith described it as a “credible, long-term plan” which would deliver “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. And we need to fix the bottleneck on the East Coast Mainline at Northallerton, which has held back progress for too long.”
The Department for Transport said it will consider Lord Blunkett’s recommendations carefully, stressing that it is 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 multi-billion-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.”
You can download and read the report here.