We completed on-line Hadrag’s response to Mayor Tracy Brabin’s local transport plan. The plan is quite general. We mentioned the need for fast trains on existing routes such as Bradford-Halifax-Manchester, more trains on the Brighouse line and our Sheffield desire! We expressed support for mass transit but said improvements to existing rail services must be equally urgent aims.
Calderdale will have a long wait for trams and they cannot replace a modernised Calder Valley rail line. We expressed mixed feelings about desires for high speed rail, when there is so much need to improve existing rail services. We supported aims of integration, inclusivity and affordability, safety, active travel and access.
On zero-emission we said Calder Valley FULL line electrification must remain top priority. This was, after all, the top-ranked scheme of the 2015 Northern Sparks task force. Hybrid battery-powered trains will be part of the transition, but the end point must be a fully electric railway delivered as part of a cost-cutting rolling programme, benefitting passengers and freight.
Halifax and District Rail Action Group 