Tracy Brabin responds to Rail Plan

Responding to the publication of the Government’s Plan for Rail, Tracy Brabin, the Mayor of West Yorkshire, said:  

“Passengers in the North of England have long experienced the impact of disjointed rail services which have failed to address their needs.  

“We must avoid swapping a fragmented railway for one run from Whitehall. I want to see a strong local voice in the way services are commissioned and run, which needs to be supported by the devolution of funding.  

 “I’m already moving forward with my commitment to bring bus services into public control and we need to ensure they are joined up with rail, cycling, walking and our new mass transit system to deliver for our communities.   

 “Alongside reform of the way rail services are run, we need significant investment to increase capacity on our network to deliver the regular and reliable service needed to attract people out of their cars and onto public transport as we tackle the climate emergency.”