A Jacobs and Mott MacDonald consortium has been appointed as the Design Development Partner by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) as plans for the proposed West Yorkshire Mass Transit scheme move into the next phase.
The consortium will be supporting WYCA in further developing the proposals. This includes taking the existing concept design through completion, providing all professional services and technical support to deliver the network’s first phase before the end of this decade.
Rob Leech, WYCA Interim Director of Mass Transit, said: “Mass Transit is a significant part of our ambition to create an integrated transport system for West Yorkshire. We are delighted to be working with the Jacobs – Mott MacDonald consortium who will support us to achieve our vision to bring Mass Transit to our region.”
Stephen Luke, Mott MacDonald Global Practice Leader for Urban Transit and Mobility, commented: “With a long heritage in delivering urban transit systems around the world, including in Melbourne, Toronto, Manchester and London we are proud to be supporting this transformational investment to help drive economic growth, and to deliver social and environmental benefits for the region.”
The proposals for the light rail system which would start by linking Leeds and Bradford remain at an early stage and will require the usual planning processes to be followed before full funding is confirmed. But if all goes as planned at the moment, construction should start in 2028.