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16
May
Electrification of Harrogate line included in new Yorkshire rail plan
A new £14 billion plan for rail services in Yorkshire has called for the Harrogate line could be electrified — but not until the 2040s.
Lord Blunkett’s Yorkshire Plan for Rail sets out a phased plan to ‘fix Yorkshire’s broken rail network’.
The review is being launched in Leeds today (May 16) by the former Labour Home Secretary, alongside the three Labour mayors for the county: David Skaith in York and North Yorkshire, Tracy Brabin in West Yorkshire Mayor and Oliver Coppard in South Yorkshire.
They will call on the government to “finally deliver on repeated promises to back transport in the north”.
The plan proposes new stations at Haxby, Elland, White Rose, Thorpe Park, Rotherham Gateway, Waverley, Leeds-Bradford Airport Parkway and Dearne Valley Parkway.
It also calls for increased station capacity at Leeds and Sheffield, including a platform 17 extension at Leeds, and developing a business case for a new through-station at Bradford and NPR network.
Map of rail improvements proposed for Yorkshire.
Harrogate is mentioned five times in the 60-page plan. A general need for improvements on the Harrogate line is raised more than once and a timeline — described as ‘credible and affordable’ — suggests electrification of the Calder Valley and Harrogate lines could take place in the 2040s.
No other stations on the Harrogate line are mentioned except Cattal, which is referred to in passing in a brief section on the Maltkiln new town.
The report says connectivity across the region is a challenge and many commuters cannot use trains to travel to work due to a lack of early services, while other areas have no late services for those wanting to go on a night out.
Northern Rail, which operates the Harrogate line, has an average fleet age of 23.6 years compared to 16.6 years nationally.
Lord Blunkett said:
Yorkshire has been punching under its weight for far too long, and with the White Rose Agreement and this infrastructure plan, the three mayors are determined to reverse this historic trend.
Mr Skaith said:
This is a credible, long-term plan to deliver the connectivity our communities need – creating better access to jobs, education and investment.
In York and North Yorkshire, that means two trains an hour between York and Scarborough, upgraded stations at Malton, Seamer and Scarborough, and a new station at Haxby.
We need to push forward with the transformation of York Station to maximise the benefits of York Central, one of the most significant regeneration sites in the country.
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