Shadow Minister lays out transport priorities

LABOUR REMAINS committed to an east-west high-speed rail link across the North as well as a young person’s bus pass which would give free travel to millions of 18 to 25-year-olds, the party’s Shadow Transport Minister Rachael Maskell has said.

Ms Maskell said that while Brexit would be the priority for any incoming Labour government, the party would still implement a raft of transport reforms.

The York Central MP said the party was committed to “crossrail for the north”, which would improve links between Manchester, Leeds and Sheffield.

Plans for the new Northern Powerhouse Rail line are now at an advanced stage, with Transport for the North officials expected to submit plans to the Treasury next month and a decision due early in 2019.

Ms Maskell said a Labour government would also seek to use mobile phone location data to plan out new bus and rail routes.

She said phone data had “huge potential” to improve transport links and was currently being underused by the Department for Transport.

“We forget sometimes that phones travel around with us everywhere and by using that data you can map people’s travel habits. It is a really powerful tool and can really drive decision-making,” she said. “So for example, we could harness that and see when and where people are making consistent journeys, you could then look at whether there is public transport in place on that route and if not why not.”

Last month, Transport Secretary Chris Grayling, whose department has been accused of not providing as much investment in northern infrastructure as is spent in the South East, insisted the Conservative government was overhauling the region’s creaking infrastructure.

He also said he wanted to see a stop for Bradford included on the planned Northern Powerhouse Rail link, saying he was “committed to making sure that really does happen”.