INVESTMENT in rail infrastructure will play a key role in helping the area recover from the coming recession - a meeting of transport bosses heard.

The first in a series of online discussions on local transport issues was held online via Zoom yesterday afternoon.

Transport for the North will bring together transport chiefs, campaign groups and Council bosses for their regular TfNTalks. The topic for the first online talk was “Strategic Rail – Getting the North back on track.”

Much of the debate revolved around what rail travel will look like post Covid-19.

West Yorkshire is likely to see some major changes in its rail network in the coming years.

Re-opening rail route would link Bradford to HS2 - meeting hears

HS2 is due to link Leeds to the South, while another high speed rail line linking the East and West coast, dubbed Northern Powerhouse Rail, has also been proposed.

Local politicians are currently lobbying for the line to have a stop in Bradford city centre.

During the discussion yesterday, those involved questioned whether people would be eager to travel by rail in the coming months - with the Government suggesting people avoid public transport and social distancing measures reducing train capacity.

Councillor Judith Black of Leeds City Council, pointed out that people may not need to travel to city centres as regularly, adding: “Look at us today meeting on Zoom. How will this way of working impact on people’s working lives in the future?”

Cllr Blake said she was “confident” that there would be major investment in rail systems in the coming years, adding: “There is a real recognition that investment in transport will help us recover from this current crisis.

“It is important we work on an integrated model, we need to work on the big schemes, but make sure that connectivity is part of planning going forward.

“We have to reduce the number of people travelling by car once we have got through this health crisis. We have to make it so people can afford to travel on public transport.”

Other members raised concerns that people may drift away from rail services as lockdown eases, and this could see local roads become more congested than ever.

The talk also featured Andrew Jones MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough and former Rail Minister, David Hoggarth, Strategic Rail Director at Transport for the North, David Sidebottom Director at Transport Focus and Maggie Simpson, Director General at Rail Freight Group.

Mr Jones said: "There has been an under investment in rail infrastructure for decades.

"We need big schemes like Northern Powerhouse Rail, but we also need to recognise the need to look at travel from city to city, and to smaller areas."

Other issues raised included the future of season tickets. Mr Sidebottom said that with a big chunk of the population likely to be working from home more often, perhaps a few days a week, expensive rail season tickets would become less attractive.

A more flexible approach to ticketing might be needed to match people’s more flexible working patterns.

And more needed to be done to better link rail stations with cycling and pedestrian networks.