Member Article

Support rolls in for Leeds £250 million NGT trolleybus scheme for 2017

Plans to bring a trolleybus scheme to Leeds have been backed by as well as the board of the Metro, Leeds City Council and Leeds University Students Union,

The board of Metro, including members of the council’s Conservative opposition group, met last week and unanimously reaffirmed their support for the scheme.

A lengthy procurement process means that construction work would start in in 2017, with the system fully operational by 2020.

The public inquiry ordered by the Secretary of State for Transport starts on 29th April and is expected to last for around 8 weeks

Representing 30,000 Leeds students, the Union officially registered their support for the proposed New Generation Transport (NGT) system in a statement submitted to the Department for Transport.

This news comes after the University itself submitted a letter of support for the scheme to the DfT, stating that NGT would, “act as a catalyst and drive economic growth and regeneration within the city and the region.”

These statements of support, together with others submitted by major businesses, investors and other organisations in the city, will be used as part of the approaching Public Inquiry, which opens on Tuesday 29 April.

The Inquiry will be an opportunity for Leeds City Council and Metro to demonstrate the major transport and economic benefits that will result from the scheme and a chance for those opposed to it to present any evidence that supports their claims.

The £250 million NGT scheme is “at the heart of creating an integrated transport network for Leeds”, to support the city’s future development.

Possible extensions to the route to St James’s University Hospital and the new Aire Valley Leeds Enterprise Zone are currently being planned.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Clare Burnett .