Metro a better option for Leeds than HS2 line - Yorkshire Post Letters

WHILE I think that Leeds Central MP Hilary Benn is probably the most informed, honest and kindest politician we have, and Judith Blake is well-intentioned as leader of Leeds Council, I fail to see why they champion HS2 at the expense of investing in more local solutions that would benefit a greater number of people.

It may well be that there is a concentration of deprivation adjacent to the proposed eastern section of HS2 but those outside the greater Leeds area shouldn’t be the immediate concern of Hilary and Judith who should be concentrating on improving transport within our own area, let’s define as the West Riding of Yorkshire. Hence a better use of investment would be on a regional metro with city centre tunnels for Leeds and Bradford as Glasgow, Newcastle and Liverpool already have and as are proposed for Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol and Cambridge.

If we have to have HS2 then a better suggestion is to link it to HS3 via a central interchange under Manchester Piccadilly with a new line in the lower Aire Valley to allow trains from York and the north to access Leeds.

A new station at Leeds Southbank with central area tunnels would allow the Leeds to Garforth line now bypassed by national trains to become the backbone of an East Leeds Metro – such a development coupled with municipal trams could open up the less affluent parts of our own city. If lines to Hull and Scarborough were electrified then these areas would also have improved access to Leeds, Manchester and its airport and the Midlands.

The East Coast Main Line can always be improved but the present service from Leeds is of a relatively high standard and serves Wakefield better than planned HS2. York to London often takes less than two hours. Full electrification of the Midland Main line (MML) between Leeds, Sheffield and London including Nottingham and Derby would offer a much improved quality of service.

Improvements on the ECML and MML would reduce the inequalities. What do you think, Hilary and Judith, surely this is a more egalitarian solution?

Or are we to fund HS2 simply to move well-heeled Tories from their Home Counties hideouts to their sparkling new northern palace in Leeds?

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Thank you

James Mitchinson