TRANSPORT UPDATE. September/October 2018

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1 TRANSPORT UPDATE September/October 2018

2 TRANSPORT UPDATE Below is a list of the main local, regional and national transport projects that the Chamber is involved with, either directly or indirectly. Mention is also made of the Chamber s broad stance regarding the projects. A64/Hopgrove Roundabout Highways England has announced that four detailed options are being developed to upgrade the existing single carriageway to dual the carriageway from the Hopgrove roundabout to the exiting dual carriageway near to Castle Howard. The work will also include improvements to the Hopgrove roundabout. Details are likely to be available in early The Chamber is supportive of the proposals to improve the roundabout and to dual the carriageway however concerns have been expressed about the approx. 3 miles of single carriageway to the west of Malton which will remain once the upgrade has taken place and the congestion that is likely to arise. HS2 In July 2017 the Department for Transport (DfT) reaffirmed its support for HS2 Phase 2b and confirmed the preferred route for the full Y network north of Birmingham. This now enables preparations for the third HS2 Hybrid Bill to begin and which is intended to go before Parliament in autumn 2019 with construction work likely to commence in 2023/24. DfT s announcement also identified an alternative site for the rolling stock depot originally proposed for Crofton near Wakefield. The new site is to the east of Leeds in the Aire Valley adjacent to the M1 motorway. The Chamber of Commerce has been a supporter of HS2 for a good number of years primarily because of the improved connectivity and increased capacity the scheme will bring. The Chamber s proposals for an integrated classic and HS2 rail station in Leeds were adopted and in addition the Chamber s suggestion that some HS2 services should travel through the station have also been accepted. The Chamber remains supportive of HS2 but has also stated that local rail services must be improved to maximise the economic impact of High Speed Rail arriving in Leeds. HS rail services will also travel to York and beyond however, and despite a number of attempts, the Chamber has yet to have meaningful engagement with City of York Council about plans to upgrade the rail station in the city to accommodate the HS services. This is disappointing however attempts will continue to try and engage with the Council. In July 2018 the government confirmed that the new HS2 eastern leg rolling stock depot will be constructed in Leeds close to junction 45 of the MI motorway and in the city s Enterprise Zone. The depot will play a crucial role in enabling 24-hour maintenance of the new high-speed trains and create up to 125 skilled jobs.

3 Sir Terry Morgan has been appointed HS2 Ltd s new chairman, taking over from Sir David Higgins. Sir Terry Morgan moves from Crossrail, where he has been chairman since 2009 and will take up his new role on 1 August One of the last public appearances of Sir David Higgins was in Leeds in July at which he launched HS2 Realising the Potential, a report that reflects both the progress that has been made and the challenges that remain. In early September the Department for Transport confirmed that the Hybrid bill needed to begin work on the eastern and western legs of the line north of Birmingham will now be tabled in However the government insists that this will have no bearing on the final completion date. The bill is being paused to take account of Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR)linking Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds Sheffield and Newcastle. The Chamber understands why the bill has been paused and the need to include touchpoints where HS2 and NPR cross is understandable but could have been better communicated. HS2 Growth Strategy The Leeds City Region (LCR) HS2 Growth Strategy has been developed to ensure the overall opportunity from HS2 is maximised. An overarching document that summarises the Growth Strategy has been developed and which also brings together the different work streams associated with the work. One of these is the Leeds Integrated Station Masterplan (LISM) and the Chamber s desire for an integrated classic and HS2 rail station is reflected in the proposals. In addition work is also being undertaken to ensure that the economic impact of HS2 is fully realised by improving and increasing local rail services. The Chamber has provided input into the early discussions about the strategy and is supportive of the need to ensure that the economic impact is spread as wide as possible. In addition the Chamber has commented: - A door to door integrated approach to connectivity is essential, - Better integration of the existing different modes of transport is required, - Cross modal and boundary ticketing should be introduced as soon as possible. Leeds Bradford Airport The Airport announced plans in September 2018 for a new, state-of-the-art terminal extension. When completed, in late 2019, the new extension will transform the Airport s international arrivals. After the extension is finished, work to re-model the existing terminal building will start. These works are expected to be complete by Further public consultation is set to take place in early 2019 on the Airport s and north west Leeds connectivity and growth plans. The consultation will include proposals for improved road and rail access. The road proposals were first announced at the end of 2015 and the Chamber supported the proposals for a new road from the A65 running alongside the eastern side of the airport before joining the A658 but with congestion

4 mitigation measures at each end of the road and also that all possible rail options (including heavy rail) should continue to be explored. Leeds Public Transport Investment Programme Work is now underway to deliver the Leeds Public Transport Investment Programme funded by a 173.5m grant from DfT, contributions from the West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA), Leeds City Council, and vehicle investment by the major bus companies. The Programme includes: - A further 2000 more Park & Ride services are to be created with a new site opening at Stourton in 2019 and the exploration of a north of city site, plus possible expansion of the Elland Road Park and Ride service, - Bus corridor improvements on 4 key arterial routes, including the A660 route from Adel to Leeds, via Lawnswood and Headingley, and the A61 south from Leeds to Wakefield, via Stourton and Hunslet, - The introduction of a large number of new, more environmentally friendly buses including First Bus investing 71m to provide 284 new vehicles, - Increased capacity on both Northern and Trans-Pennine rail services, - Development work on three new rail stations in Leeds, - A 32m programme of car park extensions at a number of rail stations across West Yorkshire, - The East Leeds Orbital Road which will connect the outer ring road at Red Hall around the east of the city joining a new Manston Lane Link road and connecting through Thorpe Park into junction 46 of the M1 motorway. (following the collapse of Carillion PLC, which was the chosen contractor for the development and construction of the East Leeds Orbital Ring Road, Balfour Beatty has been appointed for the fisrt two phases of the work). Enhanced bus travel is key element of the programme, with the target set of doubling the current 250,000 bus trips made in the city per day within 10 years. The plans include longer and new bus lanes, smart traffic signals and new junction layouts to help keep buses moving, especially during peak travel times. Two contactors have been appointed to undertake the work associated with the city centre and also the main bus corridor activity. Pressure is mounting to ensure the projects are delivered on time. The Chamber has raised concerns about the impact of disruption across the city and has been assured that this will be kept to a minimum but some is inevitable. In addition the Chamber has also commented that an effective communications programme should be put in place to raise awareness of the work and also the potential disruption. Overall the Chamber is supportive of the proposed investment programme however Sara Gilmore, the chair of the Chamber s transport group has written to both Leeds City Council and WYCA expressing the Chamber s disappointment that the buses from the Temple

5 Green Park & Ride site, and the ones from the proposed new site at Stourton, do not drop off or collect in the city s business district. London North Eastern Railway Chris Grayling MP, Secretary of State for Transport informed the House of Commons earlier this year that the franchise for the operation of East Coast Main Line services would in due course run out of money and would not last until Consequently Virgin East Coast s franchise to run the services was terminated on the 24 th of June On that day a new long-term brand for the East Coast Mainline was launched London North East Railway (LNER). A new board with an independent chair to oversee the operation of the LNER route and work with the Department of Transport on building a new partnership has been created. In all circumstances ownership of the infrastructure will remain in the public sector but the railway will be a partnership between the public and private sectors. Tickets, timetables and services have all stayed the same. The Chamber remains concerned that the line has been in multiple ownership over the last decade or so but the majority have failed is there some underlying problem that has not been addressed. Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) The NPR programme seeks to achieve radical changes in service patterns, and journey times between the cities and key economic centres of the North. WYCA and Leeds City Region partners have put forward a clear, convincing and evidence led position on its ambitions for NPR and how it should serve the area. This includes Bradford, Leeds and York. Transport for the North (TfN) is working on a Strategic Outline Business Case for NPR and this should be submitted to government by the end of This is based on an emerging, preferred rail network that s proposed by TfN through its draft Strategic Transport Plan and which mentions an NPR line between Leeds, Bradford and Manchester. The City of Bradford council s preference is for an NPR station in the centre of Bradford. (TfN hasn t made it clear where an NPR station would be located in the city). The Chamber is supportive of an NPR station in the centre of Bradford because of the regeneration and additional investment it would bring. WYCA and Bradford Council are commissioning two pieces of work to strengthen the evidence base for a city centre location. In addition the Chamber will continue to work closely with Bradford Council to promote Next Stop Bradford, the name of the campaign for NPR to come to Bradford. Trans-Pennine Route Upgrade (TRU) TRU was borne out of the original Trans-Pennine Electrification and Northern Hub rail schemes which were required at the time by Government to support improved performance and integration of the north s economy. The electrification scheme was paused for a time and then unpaused by the previous Secretary of State for Transport in

6 autumn 2015, with TRU again committed to in Spring The new proposed completion date for TRU is 2022 and Network Rail has submitted it its plans for the upgrade to the DfT in mid-december 2017 as required. A final decision is expected in late 2018/early2019. The Chamber is supportive of TRU for the following reasons: - It will upgrade the existing lines to create extra capacity for a more frequent rail service between Leeds and Manchester to cope with existing overcrowding and forecast growth, and - Improved journey times including Leeds to Manchester from 49 to 40 minutes and York to Manchester from 74 to 62 minutes. Transport for the North (TfN) Following Parliamentary approval TfN became the first sub-regional transport body in the UK from 1 April As a statutory body TfN will become a partner to the Department for Transport, Highways England, and Network Rail to ensure that the North s strategic transport priorities are delivered. TfN will be publishing its Strategic Transport Plan (STP) in December 2018 following consultation on a draft plan earlier this year. The STP will be TfN s flagship document setting out plans for investment in strategic transport in the north up to The Chamber of Commerce has established its own TfN group and which is chaired by Paula Dillon. Meetings have already taken place with representatives from TfN and it is hoped they will take place on a regular basis. The Chamber is supportive of TfN although it has expressed concerns that, as yet it has no formal powers or funding. In addition the Chamber will want to see effective collaboration between TfN at a strategic level and local authorities/combined authorities at the local level happens to ensure that investment is maximised and benefits are fully realised. On a practical level the Chamber has mentioned the following at recent workshops organised by TfN: - The M62 is the main trans-pennine route used by road traffic to travel east-westeast but is frequently severely congested and with forecasts for continued increases in usage, what can be done to increase the motorway s capacity? - How can transport connections north of Leeds and Bradford plus Keighley be improved to better connect with North East Lancashire? Doing so might alleviate some of the capacity pressures on the M62, and - Could existing roads be better utilised by introducing more passing lanes and/or dualling existing ones rather than building new ones? The above points were also mentioned in the Chamber s response to TfN s consultation on its STP. In addition the Chamber reinforced its support for an NPR station in Bradford city centre. In addition, and amongst other points raised, the Chamber queried when a

7 delivery plan for improving the North s transport connectivity would be produced and what criteria would be used for prioritising schemes. York Plans for a new access road to the York Central site have been developed and have nearly been agreed. The Chamber supports the new road because without one the site will remain largely inaccessible and therefore undeliverable. However the Chamber has expressed concern about the possibility of traffic being able to travel through the whole site and the impact this might have on congestion and possible rat-running in and out of the city centre. However the York Central Partnership is hopeful of producing an outline masterplan for the development of the site by late August The City of York Council announced last year that it intends to upgrade seven of the roundabouts on the city s northern ring road. The work began in early 2018 and the first roundabout is nearly finished. Planning permission has been granted for work on the second roundabout Monks Cross with work likely to start by the end of The Chamber is supportive of the work being undertaken because it will help reduce congestion and in addition the new roundabout layouts will be designed to accommodate a potential future scheme to dual the road. However the Chamber believes that in the long term the road should be dualled and recently raised this in a meeting with Bernadette Kelly CB, Permanent Secretary at the Department for Transport.