Published 23 November 2021 at 3:45pm

Mayor denounces PM’s rail plan for South Yorkshire and the North

Mayor Dan Jarvis has written to the Prime Minister to express his deep dismay at the government’s broken promises over the rail network in South Yorkshire and the North.  

It follows the publication of the Government’s Integrated Rail Plan (IRP), which scrapped the HS2 eastern leg to Sheffield and Leeds. The plan leaves Yorkshire’s two biggest cities no closer to getting faster or more frequent services. 

The government also drastically watered down Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR), which they had promised or re-announced more than 60 times since 2014. NPR would have provided better connections between South Yorkshire and the rest of the North, unlocked thousands of new jobs and helped regenerate towns across the region.

Mayor Dan Jarvis said:
“The Prime Minister’s cut-price rail plan has badly let us down. South Yorkshire and the North will not forget this betrayal.

“Not only has he abandoned much-needed and desperately overdue improvements to services for passengers, he’s squandered an opportunity to unlock thousands of jobs, massive new investment and the regeneration of our towns and stations across our region. After so many re-commitments and re-announcements, after so many promises of transformation, for him to do this and to call it levelling up is simply treating people with contempt.
 
“This was supposed to be the moment where the government began to put right years of neglect and underinvestment in the North, where our needs were finally put first or a change. Instead they are locking in a second-class and second-rate solution for a generation. It’s the same old story – when it comes to the crunch, once again the government is leaving us to make do with crumbs off the table. 

“Rather than levelling up South Yorkshire, this Prime Minister is holding our region back.”

The letter highlights significant detail missing from the IRP, including: 

• Proposals to improve capacity on the East Coast Main Line and the potential benefits for Doncaster 
• The status of two key rail new station in the Dearne Valley at Goldthorpe and Rotherham 
• Plans to redevelop Sheffield Midland Station, which already faces significant capacity constraints, to accommodate high speed trains

It also highlights the uncertainty faced by places such as Mexborough in Doncaster and Bramley in Rotherham, who still face the prospect of disruption due to land in their communities kept safeguarded for a future HS2 route, and asks for urgent clarity for residents and businesses.