Yes to HSR

Join the campaign to bring High Speed Rail to Yorkshire!

Earlier this year, the Government gave the green light for the first leg of High Speed Rail (HSR) between London and Birmingham. However, the campaign to bring HSR to Yorkshire is far from won as strong opposition to the scheme remians and it is highly unlikely that the bill to extend the line past Birmingham to Leeds and Manchester will be passed this parliament.

The Chamber polled its members on HSR and an overwhelming 97% are in support of the scheme and it is vital that the Leeds, York and North Yorkshire lends its voice to the campaign by signing up to the national HSR campaign.

Why High Speed Rail?                         

How investment in the infrastructure will benefit Yorkshire and the UK

•  Journey time to London will be dramatically reduced. Leeds to London will take 80 minutes and Leeds to Birmingham will take less than 30 minutes.

• High Speed Rail is expected to generate £29 billion in economic benefits, which equates to £34 billion in additional business benefits each year and thousands of jobs.

• High Speed Rail will help create a more balanced and better distributed national economy, which would help reduce the north-south divide and make Yorkshire more attractive to inward investors. By reducing journey times between cities in the North and Midlands it will help create a connected northern economy which could be become a natural investment alternative to London.

• Connectivity to Europe and the rest of the world will be significantly improved as high speed rail will link Leeds to connections to Heathrow as well as reducing journey time to St Pancras and other London Airports

• Investment in High Speed Rail will relieve capacity on existing lines, which could result in additional commuter services in towns and cities not currently served by direct links to London.

• In addition to high speed rail, short to medium term investment will still continue in Yorkshire and the UK's infrastructure.

More Information

Business leaders argue case for high speed rail

Chamber Presidents Support HSR in Telegraph Letter

Chamber organizes meeting for the Transport Secretary, the Rt Hon Philip Hammond MP,  to meet Yorkshire Business