Councillors have described an ambitious plan to overhaul a key South Yorkshire train line as a “no brainer”.
A £48m investment will be used to double sections of the track, allowing two trains to travel in both directions on the Northern section of the line every hour.
The project, led by Kirklees Council in collaboration with Barnsley Council and South Yorkshire and West Yorkshire Mayoral authorities, will also see new electric vehicle charging points, car clubs, cycle hire and parcel delivery lockers in stations on the line.
The Penistone Line currently only allows for one hourly train to go between Huddersfield and Barnsley, going 50mph or slower in some sections, and averages a 1h 15min journey time from end to end.
Councillor Cathy Scott, Leader of Kirklees Council and Cabinet Member for Transport, said: “It’s very exciting to see so much transformation across Kirklees and beyond.
“We not only have great towns and beautiful countryside, we’re also slap bang in the middle of some of the north’s most influential cities – and our rail links help connect us with those cities, with the rest of the north, beyond that, the whole of the UK.”
The funding comes from the £169m Yorkshire and the Humber secured from the government’s Levelling Up agenda.
Coun Graham Turner, Cabinet Member for Finance and Regeneration, has been campaigning for the line to be improved for years and said the plans will have a positive economic impact across the country, not just in Yorkshire.
He said: “It’s a no brainer, it will be more reliable which is great.
“It is obvious that linking two major cities in the north makes sense and it means people living in Huddersfield, Leeds and Barnsley will have better connections to travel down the country.”
