Leeds needs High Speed Rail...
Monday 12th April 2010 12:09 PM
Proposals for a high-speed rail network between London and Birmingham were unveiled last month. After Birmingham the network will split into a Y-shape and head westwards to Manchester and eastwards to Sheffield and Leeds.
This is excellent news for Leeds and will bring a much-needed economic boost to the region. As Gary Williamson, of Leeds, York and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce, explained:
"This announcement is fantastic news for our region. High-speed rail plays a pivotal role in the longterm economic vision for Yorkshire. We have seen the impact of high-speed rail in delivering growth and inward investment for other regions in Europe."
It's not just businesses that will benefit; rail passengers can expect to see journey times slashed. Between London and Leeds they will come down from around two hours 10 minutes to 75 minutes. All-in-all the project would cost around £30bn but as I hope you can see that is money well spent. However, the Conservatives are threatening the plans that provide such a massive boost to Leeds. Theresa Villiers, the shadow transport secretary, speaking in The Guardian put forward alternative plans that gave "no firm guarantees north of the Midlands".
I was at the forefront of lobbying the government for the inclusion of Leeds in its plans. I think it says an awful lot about the lack of committment of the Conservative Party to this city that it's unwilling to make such guarantees. Their lack of committment runs the risk of making business reluctant to pursue the kind of investment this project will bring. I am committed to this project and making sure that Leeds receives all the benefits it brings; it's a shame the same cannot be said of the Conservative Party.
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