Transport chiefs in South Yorkshire are calling on the public to add their voices to calls for a High Speed Rail system to be built to the county.
At its meeting in Barnsley on 7 July the South Yorkshire Integrated Transport Authority (SYITA), made up of councillors from all four districts, gave its backing to plans to build the system, which has the potential to ‘bring massive employment and business gains to the region’.
The Government is currently consulting on its plans to build a Y-shaped High Speed Rail network from London to the West Midlands, which would then fork with one arm going to Manchester and the other through the East Midlands, South Yorkshire and on to Leeds.
That consultation closes on Friday 29 July but the proposals ‘face vocal opposition from some areas closer to London Councillors believe South Yorkshire folk should drown out the critics by loudly supporting the plans’.
Mick Jameson, Chairman of SYITA, said:
“It is vital that South Yorkshire is connected to the proposed High Speed Rail network. The system will be as important to us and generations to come as our current rail lines to London or the M1 motorway. Maybe even more so.
“We urge people to visit the DfT’s website and fill in their details giving their support for the project.
“The more people that express their support for HSR to South Yorkshire the more chance that it will actually get built.”
South Yorkshire’s response to the Government’s consultation said that 91% of businesses in the county are in favour of a HSR network.
It would see trains travelling at speeds of eventually up to 250mph seeing journey times between South Yorkshire and London slashed to one hour, 15 minutes. Capacity on the Midland Main Line and East Coast Main Line would be freed up as well, reducing overcrowding.
Studies undertaken on behalf of Leeds and Sheffield city regions show that the route north of Birmingham ‘will serve up to 6.7 million people and create three million jobs’.
Detailed proposals for the high speed line to the West Midlands have already been made public, but there are no details of the route through South Yorkshire as yet.
Last week a HSR ‘battle bus’ was in Barkers Pool in Sheffield and political and business leaders gathered to show their support. An information event was also held at Sheffield Station to let rail travellers know what the plans were.
Anyone wishing to support the HSR plans for South Yorkshire should go to the consultation website.
