Mayor announces delay to mass transit works and blasts 'process'

The planned opening of West Yorkshire's long-awaited mass transit network has been delayed until the late 2030s, Tracy Brabin has said.

- by Ralph Blackburn

Ms Brabin reaffirmed her pledge to get spades in the ground by 2028 to start work on the tram system, the largest local transport project in the UK, which will connect Leeds with Bradford.

The proposed route runs past Elland Road to the White Rose Centre, with the potential for future extensions to the airport and surrounding areas, including Dewsbury and Wakefield.

Funding for the scheme was allocated by Chancellor Rachel Reeves in the Spending Review, with Ms Brabin given £2.1bn to spend on transport projects between 2027 and 2032.

However, the mayor announced yesterday (Wednesday) that the prospective opening period has now been pushed back from the mid-2030s to the latter end of that decade.