THE leader of the Bradford Council feels the government’s £401 million funding boost to help rail services falls “way short” of what the district and region needs.

The Department for Transport (DfT) said £317 million would be invested in the Transpennine Route Upgrade to improve “punctuality, reliability and connectivity” for passengers travelling between York, Leeds and Manchester. The government initially announced £600m for Transpennine upgrades in July 2020.

Cllr Susan Hinchcliffe, leader of Bradford Council and nominated to be Transport portfolio holder for the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, said: “We were promised the full electrification of the Transpennine line a decade ago, so while this investment is a positive step in the right direction it falls well short of what we were told to expect and what our district and region needs.

“We need the full upgrade of the Transpennine line along with a new Northern Powerhouse Rail line connecting Leeds to Manchester via Bradford city centre.

“Northern cities shouldn’t be asked to choose after many decades of under-investment in railways in the North. Northern Powerhouse Rail between Leeds and Manchester with a stop in central Bradford remains a top priority for us.

“We’re under no illusion though that we still need to battle to get the investment we need so that this ambition can become a reality.

“If the government is serious about levelling up it needs to fully invest in transforming transport services in the Bradford district and across the North.”

TUC Regional Secretary Bill Adams added: “The Government claims to be investing more in transport for the North, but once again we are being short-changed.

“These announcements were already made last year with a promise of £600m funding. Today we see ministers making same promises but with £200m sliced off the budget.

“Our question to the government is, when will the broken promises end?”

A further £69 million of funding would go towards increasing freight capacity between the Port of Southampton and the Midlands.

The DfT also announced that £15 million from the New Stations Fund would go towards the construction of new stations at Marsh Barton in Exeter and White Rose and Thorpe Park in Leeds.

The department said the funding announcement coincided with the completion of the first phase of the £1.5 billion Midland Main Line Upgrade, which has supported the launch of East Midlands Railway’s first electric services on the route between Corby in Northamptonshire and London St Pancras.