Mayor demands update on £100m project that aims to ensure HS2 trains reach Leeds

West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin speaks to the media outside Leeds Station

West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin is demanding an update on a £100m study that will look at “the most effective way” to bring HS2 trains to Leeds, after almost a year of waiting.

The Government appeared to scale back plans for the high-speed railway line in November last year, as part of its £96bn Integrated Rail Plan (IRP).

According to the plan, the eastern leg of HS2 will stop at East Midlands Parkway, but trains will then run on an existing line to Sheffield and £100m will be spent on a study that will “look at the most effective way to run HS2 trains to Leeds”.

It also said some of the funding would be used to find a solution for capacity issues at Leeds Station and begin work on the West Yorkshire Mass Transit System.

But the launch of that study, known as the Leeds Area Study, has been delayed after the Treasury reportedly questioned the cost and 11 months later Northern leaders are still waiting for an update.

“We’ve not heard a thing and it’s so disrespectful,” said Ms Brabin. “It just shows the Government’s commitment to the North that we still have no information at all on the study, even the terms of reference.”

It comes after she called on the Government to work with operators to urgently improve train services in the North.

TransPennine Express, Northern and Avanti West Coast have cancelled hundreds of services at short notice in recent weeks, despite introducing reduced timetables earlier this year to try and reduce disruption.

Yesterday Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove suggested capital investment for HS2 will be reviewed as he warned the Government has to make “painful” decisions.

Discussing the possible cuts on Times Radio, Mr Gove was asked if the project is still worth it, even without its eastern leg.

In response he said: “I think long term capital investment in making sure this country is better connected is a good thing.

“And ideally, you don’t want to cut that long term capital investment because it helps contribute to economic growth and greater opportunity.

“But when we face the particularly economic problems that we have at the moment, I’m sure that some capital spending will be cut.”

Transport for the North has revealed the study is expected to take 18 months to two years to complete, but it cannot begin until the Department of Transport publishes the terms of reference.

Ministers have said the Leeds Area Study will look at the original plans for the high-speed railway line, potential upgrades to existing lines and a hybrid approach.

And in July, then-Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said “the Government’s commitment is absolute to getting HS2 trains to Leeds”.

Passengers are also waiting for an update on Northern Powerhouse Rail.

Liz Truss promised to build the network “in full” when she became Prime Minister, and abandon the scaled-back proposal, set out in the IRP, to build a high-speed line between Warrington and Marsden.

She appeared to agree to Transport for the North’s original plans for a £43bn network, which includes high-speed lines running between Liverpool to Leeds, via a new station in Bradford. However, her successor Rishi Sunak has refused to make the same commitment.