Lord Blunkett sets out phased plan to fix Yorkshire’s broken rail network

A phased plan to fix “Yorkshire’s broken railways”, published by Lord Blunkett, could deliver a multi-billion pound boost to the government’s growth mission, delivering a huge boost to jobs, growth and new housing across the region.

Lord Blunkett’s review of rail connectivity – Yorkshire’s Plan for Rail – identifies how its constrained and creaking Victorian-era infrastructure is holding the region back, with train services regularly failing to meet the needs of both passengers and businesses due to poor performance and an overall lack of reliability.

Lord Blunkett and the region’s three elected metro Mayors; West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin, South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard and York and North Yorkshire Mayor David Skaith, have called for the government to “finally deliver on repeated promises to back transport in the North.”

Yorkshire’s Plan for Rail sets out a credible and affordable package of investment in new and accessible stations. Alongside modern rolling stock, improved services in the short term, upgrades to unlock capacity at key stations, development of strategic schemes to transform connectivity between the North’s major centres in the long term, will be investment for housing, jobs and growth. In addition, the report calls for increased powers as part of the devolution agenda to drive change. 

It highlights the need for substantial government investment and support as part of the proposed 10-year infrastructure plan and spending review to be announced later this summer, with £2.4bn sought for the first phase of improvements between now and 2030 and approximately £14bn required over the next 15 years to deliver the plan in its entirety.  

This is 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.

The thrust of the report focuses on the need to deliver faster, more frequent and reliable train services by increasing capacity at Leeds, Sheffield and York stations, building a new through-station for Bradford and a mainline station at Rotherham, carrying out upgrades and electrification 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.

Over the next decade, targeted rail investment, which will maximise the benefits of the ongoing Transpennine Route Upgrade programme being delivered by Network Rail, has the potential to add £20billion to the region’s economy, could help generate an extra 83,000 jobs, and contribute to the building of 210,000 new homes over ten years.

Speaking at the reports launch 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.

"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.

"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.

Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, said, "We are incredibly grateful to Lord Blunkett for leading this vital and timely review as we work together to create a better-connected region that works for all.

"A lack of investment stretching back decades has left Yorkshire with a rail network no longer fit for purpose. This is holding back ambitious growth plans for our regions which will put more money in people's pockets.

"We owe it to everyone, especially younger generations, to secure our fair share of funding so the region’s train services are suitable for the modern age, getting passengers to where they need to go, when they want to go.”

The Mayor of York and North Yorkshire, David Skaith, said, "Working together, we can drive real change and boost opportunities across our region. This is a credible, long-term plan to deliver the connectivity our communities need – creating better access to jobs, education and investment.

"We’re ready to build a better-connected North, creating the growth, opportunity, and prosperity our communities deserve."

South Yorkshire's Mayor Oliver Coppard said, "David Blunkett has, for the first time, made clear the problems created by decades of underinvestment across the whole of Yorkshire and given us a Plan for fixing them.

"Here in South Yorkshire we need more trains, investment in our stations, 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.

"Through this Plan, there is a pathway with a phased approach to fix our broken rail system. Thanks to the work of Lord Blunkett, as the three White Rose Yorkshire Mayors, we will work with the government and rail industry partners to turn this Plan into action. We’re getting Rail in Yorkshire back on track."

The White Rose region’s population now stands at 4.6million, having grown by more than half a million in the past decade. It generates £127billion Gross Value Added (GVA) for the national economy – larger than 10 European Union Countries, but is £25billion smaller than it should be.

The report makes the strong strategic case for investing more in rail as part of a wider regional growth strategy and closing the productivity gap by creating more opportunities, connecting young people to jobs, providing a real incentive for potential employers to relocate, and promoting more sustainable travel.

Previous studies have also shown that demand for rail across the Yorkshire and Humber region could be more than doubled if constraints such as price, performance and convenience were addressed.