Joined-up thinking needed to improve North’s railways: The Yorkshire Post says
The same opportunity to press the ‘reset’ button and change course for the better can hopefully apply to those in charge of major public projects such as much-needed rail improvements in the North of England.
As Transport for the North’s submission to the National Infrastructure Commission – the body supporting the Government in developing an Integrated Rail Plan for the North and Midlands – makes clear, current plans for HS2, Northern Powerhouse Rail and Transpennine route upgrades have interconnected aims but fragmented delivery.
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Hide AdIt points out that with the different programmes currently being developed in isolation to each other, the HS2 routes into Leeds and Manchester have been designed with the terminating stations in mind – a decision presenting “significant operational challenges” for the other two projects which are focused more on connecting services across the North rather than a quicker route to London. They have also raised concerns that local services vital for getting people to and from work in Yorkshire could lose out on capacity as a result of focus on the big ticket projects.
With the demand for rail services expected to grow to four times its current level in the next 30 years, piecemeal improvements need to be replaced with a united vision for the region’s railways.
Editor’s note: first and foremost - and rarely have I written down these words with more sincerity - I hope this finds you well.
Almost certainly you are here because you value the quality and the integrity of the journalism produced by The Yorkshire Post’s journalists - almost all of which live alongside you in Yorkshire, spending the wages they earn with Yorkshire businesses - who last year took this title to the industry watchdog’s Most Trusted Newspaper in Britain accolade.
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Hide AdAnd that is why I must make an urgent request of you: as advertising revenue declines, your support becomes evermore crucial to the maintenance of the journalistic standards expected of The Yorkshire Post. If you can, safely, please buy a paper or take up a subscription. We want to continue to make you proud of Yorkshire’s National Newspaper but we are going to need your help.
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Sincerely. Thank you.
James Mitchinson
Editor
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