International firm appointed to plan mass transit system
AN INTERNATIONAL company that has worked on projects ranging from improvements to Los Angeles International Airport to a public transport system in Kuala Lumpur has joined a project to build a new mass transit system in West Yorkshire.
It was announced that
Jacobs has been appointed as the lead consultant, on behalf of the McBains consortium, for the Design and Placemaking Development Partner commission for the scheme.
The company has over 50,000 employees across the world.
A statement from the company said: “With a population of 2.3 million and an economy of nearly £70 billion, West Yorkshire remains the largest metropolitan area in Europe without an urban transit system.
“The McBains Consortium will support the Combined Authority in turning its Mass Transit vision into futuremade designs that better connect West Yorkshire’s most important places, help combat climate change, support a green and inclusive recovery, and
Our approach is focused around integrated, zerocarbon and placebased solutions
improve health and wellbeing for residents as part of rebalancing of the U.K. economy.
“Jacobs’ work as development partner on this transformational program will focus on ensuring feasible options are developed on all corridors to unlock the full scale of benefits such a system can bring to the region.”
The development, which is yet to receive funding and is currently out to public consultation, would be carried out in stages.
The early stages of the scheme would include a line between Dewsbury and Bradford, and another linking Bradford and Leeds.
Further stages could link Bradford to Halifax via a stop in Queensbury, and a line from Bradford to Otley and Leeds Bradford Airport, including stops at Baildon, Shipley Guiseley and Menston.
It is hoped the West Yorkshire Devolution Deal would help access funding, and that construction could start in the mid 2020s.
Jacobs People & Places Solutions Senior Vice President Europe Donald Morrison said: “Our approach is focused around integrated, zero-carbon and place-based solutions that will not only benefit West Yorkshire, but also ensure that Mass Transit acts as a key enabler to unlock the regeneration and inclusive growth potential across the region as part of the Combined Authority’s overall Connectivity Plan.
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