Partnership to deliver transport expertise
Transport experts from Leeds and Huddersfield have joined forces to drive forward West Yorkshire’s £2.5bn Mass Transit scheme.
Currently Europe’s largest metropolitan area without a large-scale urban transit system, plans recently given the green light by government could see trams run between Bradford and Leeds by the mid-2030s.
A new initiative, called the Centre for Transport in Cities (Centric), brings researchers from the Institute for Transport Studies (ITS) at the University of Leeds and the Institute of Railway Research (IRR) at the University of Huddersfield into a strategic alliance with West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA).
An official signing ceremony between the two universities, the Mayor of West Yorkshire and representatives from WYCA took place at the University of Leeds during the UK Light Rail Conference.
West Yorkshire Mass Transit has the potential to be an exemplar for the delivery of a modern integrated mass transit scheme.
Through Centric, the two universities will inform the planning, economics and railway engineering behind the Mass Transit proposals while ensuring that leading edge academic expertise in transport will feed into West Yorkshire’s future transport plans.
They will advise on major regional investments in road, rail, bus and active travel, while developing a ‘blueprint’ that can be shared to support urban transport schemes worldwide.
Following a consultation on route options last summer, which received nearly 5,000 responses and strong support for trams running between Leeds and Bradford, the Combined Authority intends to hold a further public consultation in 2026 with work due to commence in 2028.
Mayor of West Yorkshire Tracy Brabin said: “Our ambition to get spades in the ground on our Mass Transit network by 2028 is on track, but there is still plenty of work to do.
“That's why it's vital for us to call upon the talent and expertise we have right here in West Yorkshire to help us create a state-of-the-art transport system.
“This will be central to our new integrated Weaver Network and will help us to create a greener, better-connected region that works for everyone.”
Richard Batley, Professor of Transport Demand and Valuation at ITS, University of Leeds, said: “West Yorkshire Mass Transit has the potential to be an exemplar for the delivery of a modern integrated mass transit scheme.
“Centric will play a pivotal role by providing independent expert advice along with research that identifies areas for innovation and opportunities for education and skills development.”
A unique proposition
Professor Paul Allen, Director of the Institute of Railway Research at the University of Huddersfield, said: “Centric offers a unique proposition in bringing together the combined strengths of two world-leading academic transport research institutes.
“We are very much looking forward to working alongside WYCA and other local and combined authorities to help deliver innovative and sustainable transport solutions across the UK and overseas.”
Ian Mulheirn, Chief Analyst at the Department for Transport, said: “DfT welcomes the establishment of Centric, which will help strengthen the evidence base WYCA needs to optimise the integrated transport benefits and value for money of the proposed West Yorkshire Mass Transit.
“Bringing together leading academic institutions provides an exciting opportunity to support excellent outcomes for the region.”
James Hammett, Managing Director of UKTram, which represents the UK’s light rail sector, said: “Centric stands to aid the light rail sector and emerging integrated transport schemes by tackling some of the key issues that UKTram and the sector have been striving to overcome.
“By utilising the expertise of academia, this initiative helps take a step further to ensuring the best outcomes for the UK’s integrated transport systems and we look forward to working with and supporting Centric going forward.”
Further information
Photo caption: (left to right) Professor Tim Thornton, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, University of Huddersfield; Professor Paul Allen, Director of the Institute of Railway Research at the University of Huddersfield; Mayor Tracy Brabin; Richard Batley, Professor of Transport Demand and Valuation at the Institute for Transport Studies (ITS), University of Leeds; Professor Shearer West, Vice-Chancellor and President, University of Leeds.
Photo: Mark Bickerdike
For further information, please contact Richard Abbott in the University of Leeds press office on R.Abbott1@leeds.ac.uk.
