West Yorkshire universities' light rail alliance

A new initiative called the Centre for Transport in Cities (Centric) has been created by an alliance between the Institute for Transport Studies at the University of Leeds, the Institute of Railway Research at the University of Huddersfield and the West Yorkshire Combined Authority. The signing ceremony with Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, took place at the University of Leeds during the UK Light Rail conference. The two universities will contributor to the planning, economics and railway engineering supporting the light rail project, and advise on major regional investment in roads, rail, bus and active travel. 

 

After consultation on route options last summer generated nearly 5000 responses and showed strong support for the project, there will be further consultation in 2026 aimed a taking advantage of the green light from central government for trams to running between Leeds and Bradford by the mid-2030s. Tracy Brabin said, 'Our ambition is to get spades in the ground on our mass transit network by 2028, but there is still plenty of work to do. That is why it is 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'. Richard Batley, Professor of Transport Demand and valuation at the Institute for Transport Studies added, '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 will identify the areas for innovation and opportunities for education and skills development'.