Stations’ growth ‘justifiesinvestment’
TRANSPORT: The growth in the number of passengers using three new Yorkshire railway stations is testament to the value of investing in the North’s transport network, says of the region’s council leaders.
THE GROWTH in the number of passengers using three new Yorkshire railway stations is testament to the value of investing in the North’s transport network, according to one of the region’s council leaders.
New figures from the Office of Road and Rail released yesterday showed that Apperley Bridge station in West Yorkshire was used by 372,000 people in 2017/18 and nearby Kirkstall Forge by 150,000, an increase of 6.3 per cent and 58.9 per cent respectively.
Low Moor station near Bradford, which opened in March 2017, saw 133,060 users in its first year of operation, and transport officials say it will reach its full potential when its ambition of two services an hour is achieved.
The watchdog’s report highlights Leeds’s continued status as the busiest station in the North, with over 31 million people passing through in 2017/18, while London Waterloo was named as the busiest station in the country.
The watchdog released its figures a day after it emerged that a bailout of nearly £2bn was needed to complete the Government’s flagship Crossrail scheme in London and that it would not be ready for the expected opening date of autumn 2019. Crossrail Ltd chief executive Mark Wild revealed there was a “huge amount still to do” on the 73-mile (118-kilometre) railway line under development in London and the home counties.
Last week, The Yorkshire Post revealed that crucial plans to massively upgrade rail links for freight traffic across the North are to be abandoned. Officials at the Department for Transport will only put forward plans to electrify the route between Leeds and Manchester for passenger trains. And recent research by think-tank IPPR North showed
Yorkshire suffered a bigger drop in transport spending per head from 2016-17 to 2017-18 than any other region.
Plans for Northern Powerhouse Rail, a high speed rail project connecting the great cities of the North, will be submitted in the coming weeks.
Coun Judith Blake, who leads on transport for the West Yorkshire Combined Authority and is leader of Leeds City Council, said: “Against the backdrop of continued regional disparities in funding, these timely figures highlight the strong return that can be secured through investment in the North of England transport network. This report highlights Leeds station’s status as the busiest in the North. It is essential that investment in this gateway for the region matches our ambitions for further growth and supports its development ready for the arrival of HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail.”