Leeds has faced 'decades of frustration' over mass transit system

West Yorkshire leaders have pitched £200m to government to start the process

Other regions have mass transit systems
Author: Hannah NorburyPublished 21st Sep 2021

Leeds is the biggest city without a mass transit system.

At the annual Transport for the North conference in Leeds, we asked why the city still doesn't have one.

Tracy Brabin, West Yorkshire Mayor tells us she's pitched £200m to the government to start the process, but that the government must buy into the journey themselves.

She says even if we were given the green light now, it would takes years to finish.

Other cities including Newcastle, Sheffield and Manchester have mass transit systems in place, like trams or the metro.

Martin Tugwell, the chief executive of Transport for the North said:

"Well it's very clear that when you put the investment into mass transit systems, it's not just the transport system you're transforming, you're transforming the economy, people have confidence they can invest there, the businesses see it as an opportunity to invest.

"Absolutely part of the plan moving forward if we are going to hit those decarbonisation targets, investing in our transport system and seeing it as an economic opportunity, but also an environmental necessity.

"We're hoping that in the spending review later this year, we will get some good news for investment coming to the North, but I'm in no doubt, we are going to have to make the case for more investment, to overcome that back log that we have had."

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