Alec has welcomed today’s news that the electrification of the TransPennine rail route that runs from Newcastle to Liverpool through Elmet & Rothwell will resume with immediate effect under a plan announced by Network Rail and Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin.
Sir Peter Hendy, the Chairman of Network Rail, has written to the Transport Secretary outlining how work on the TransPennine rail route should continue. The Transport Secretary has replied to Sir Peter asking Network Rail to resume this work immediately.
The new plan announced today will deliver faster journey times and significantly more capacity between Manchester, Leeds and York. The upgrade is expected to provide capacity for six fast or semi-fast trains per hour, take up to 15 minutes off today’s journey time between Manchester and York and be complete by 2022. When the work is finished, the whole route from Liverpool to Newcastle (via Manchester, Leeds and York) will be fully electrified and journey times will be significantly reduced compared to today’s railway.
People across Elmet & Rothwell are already benefiting from the Government’s massive investment in rail across the North of England.
Connecting up the great cities of the North is at the heart of the Conservative Government’s plan to build a Northern Powerhouse. The total programme of rail electrification and upgrades will completely transform the railways for passengers in the North and Midlands and help ensure that every part of Britain benefits from a growing economy.
Alec commented: ‘This is great news for the people of Elmet & Rothwell and shows that the Government’s decision to temporarily pause the programme has provided the space to develop a better plan for passengers, delivering more services and faster journeys.
‘Today’s announcement is a demonstration of the Conservative Government’s One Nation approach, making sure that every part of Britain benefits from our growing economy.
‘With electrification work now confirmed, I am particularly looking forward to sitting down with Network Rail to discuss a timetable for long-awaited improvement works at Garforth station. This will include step free access, funding for which was confirmed at the end of last year after a long campaign by local residents.’
