West Yorkshire Combined Authority has set out plans for a transport network across the region that includes a new mass transit system.
The proposal aims to create an integrated network of walking, cycling, bus, rail and mass transit routes that connects all West Yorkshire’s communities to jobs and education opportunities.
According to the combined authority, the project will identify where people will live and work in the coming decades and research the journeys they will need to take and how best to connect them.
Published in its Connectivity Infrastructure Plan and Mass Transit Vision 2040 report, the authority includes details on emerging plans for a new West Yorkshire mass transit system. The documents also cover the areas it could serve as part of a wider programme of transport investment over the next 20 years.
Furthermore, the vision set out the role of major projects including HS2, Northern Powerhouse Rail and the upgrade to the Trans-Pennine line. It too covers a proposed rollout of rail electrification and how these projects could deliver an integrated transport system that connects communities in West Yorkshire to each other and the wider UK.
West Yorkshire Combined Authority said that the proposal aims to benefit up to 675,000 people in the 20% most deprived communities in West Yorkshire. The project will connect up to 35 housing growth areas and 17 employment growth areas as well as five hospitals.
Susan Hinchcliffe, chair of West Yorkshire Combined Authority and leader of Bradford Council, said: “If we are going to raise the quality of life for all our communities then we need a transport system that does just that. We have already made progress in addressing the legacy of years of underinvestment in our region but we need to go further.
“We want our region to become renowned for a transport system that others look towards, something that enhances the lives of those who live right here in West Yorkshire and that makes us a magnet for an ever-increasing pool of talent.”
