It Leads To Leeds : A Vision (Take Three)

 But Not Just Leeds

Above is Tracy Brabin who was once a participant in "Coronation Street", a long running television programme about soap as fbb understands it.

Public Transport does occasionally feature in the programme. Recently a tram fell off the viaduct.

This is a repeat of an incident in 1967 when a train vrashed off he same viaduct and fell on to Ena Sharpes.

The Rovers' hair-netted battle-axe survived but the train, they say, was a write-off.

Our Tracy eventually became Mega Metro Mayor of West Yorkshire ...

... now dubbed a "Combined Authority" which fbb thanks used to be a "Metropolitan County". Whatever, it is one expensive administrative layer above the West Yorkshire PTE, branded as "Metro" which, as yet doesn't have a tram or a trolleybus, let alone a metro!

Our Tracy appears to have some spectacular ideas ....

... but to what extend the ideas are practicable is sometimes debatable. Are the ideas really hers?

However, big plans for public transport are afoot complete with a rather sugary non-event of a video.

fbb's immediate reaction was to think, "pass the sick bucket" - but it does have an acronym which wasn't terribly

CLEAR

Did you spot it in there? No, neither did fbb until it appeared at the end!

You would think canny Yorkshire tykes would expect its public transport to be all five normally, without a trendy video!

But there exists very lengthy report with a huge list of projects for delivery by the end of 2025. Best of Yorkshire luck with them, then!

A few are "delivered", a slightly larger few are "in delivery" but the majority are "in preparation". Best of Yorkshire luck with them, then again!

But, to go with the video there is an on-line PDF which details what might happen. ("what might happen" = "connectivity infrastructure plan" in consultants newspeak)

Even more interesting (slightly less sugary?) is another on-line document.

This offers a list of corridors in the "Combined Authority" with plans for their future. Here is part of just one example.

The shaded bit at the bottom reads "options to be developed", a description which should really apply to the whole splendid scheme.

Unlike the Leeds tram and the Leeds trolleybus, this is a truly massive coñunty-wide project OR vision OR aspiration OR one of these:-

The whole thing seems very aspirational, very visionary, very pipe dreamy; and lacking hard-nosed facts.

Like that sweet Australian girl, Emma Chizzit!

There is no real indication of how it can be afforded, but maybe Tracy (Labour) and her chums will expect Keir (Labour) and his chums to send the appropriate bags of £50 notes from Westminster to "T'North" once he has won the election.

Fat chance!

But there is a map!

YELLOW is local trains

ORANGE is long(er) distance trains 

RED is labelled "considered for mass rapid transit".

Considered?

Thanks to a somewhat inappropriate choice of colours, fbb sometimes finds it difficult to separate orange and red!

Here is the north selection ...

... south west to Cleckhuddersfax ...

... and east/south east.

There is a huge amount to tram to construct and, more scarily, to pay for by 2040.

Currently just two extracts from the above are being immediately " considered".

A tram runs from Leeds to Bradford,  and a second line south to the White Rose shopping centre en route to Wakefield and Huddersfield.

Another set of maps (a different set) even puts colours to groups of services. But in this case, the routes are not quite the same.

Here is the north group Mark 2 ...

... Cleckhuddersfax ...

and east/south east as before.

There will be plenty of passengers dumbfounded by those dark blue lines.

Hmmm.

Aspirations and outline plans are OK as a discussion starter but they are rarely fulfilled in practice. By 2040 Tracy is unlikely still to be Super-Mayor and the new incumbent may have other ideas.

So more money wasted by the Politicians - if they have got any money to waste.

Bankrupt Birmingham begs the question!

 Next Grand railway blog : Friday 15th March