The Department has made substantial investment in road transport related schemes in Yorkshire during the first local transport plan period (2001-06) and will sustain this investment throughout the second period, which runs until 2011. This includes significant investment by the Highways Agency on the motorway and trunk road network in the Yorkshire and Humber region over the last five years. This high level of investment is set to continue with, for example, the innovative £1.29 billion programme announced last year to reduce congestion on strategic routes in South and West Yorkshire.
To enable better forward planning, the Government in July last year announced three year regional funding allocations to 2007-08 and planning assumptions for 2008-09 to 2015-16, amounting to over £1 billion for the Yorkshire and Humber region. These cover major (greater than £5 million) local transport plan schemes and major Highways Agency schemes other than on those on roads of the greatest strategic national and international importance.
On rail investment, new services have been introduced between Sheffield and Leeds, and new rolling stock provided to increase capacity on routes to Leeds and Bradford. In addition, the Secretary of State, through the rail re-franchising programme, has sought and will continue to seek improvements to rail links between the towns and cities of Yorkshire.