Leeds locals have hit out at the “north-south divide” on GB News as the Labour Government announced a new major rail project connecting Birmingham and Manchester.
Speaking to the People’s Channel, Britons expressed how they feel “isolated” in their northern communities compared to the vast transport network in the south.
The Government has revealed plans to build a new railway line linking Birmingham and Manchester, following a long-awaited confirmation of a new route between Liverpool and Manchester.
Unveiling the plans at the Neville Hill TrainCare Depot in Leeds, Chancellor Rachel Reeves said: “By the early 2030s. I want people to feel the benefits of these investments. I don’t want to have to wait until the whole line is built for anyone to get any benefit.
“For me, this isn’t just political, this is personal. Because for a long time, the north of England and my constituents have been let down and been fed false promises.
“I’m determined that we are now finally going to deliver, and that this Labour Government is going to deliver what previous governments have promised but failed to get over the line, and that is Northern Powerhouse Rail.”
Delivering their verdict on the plans, one Leeds local told GB News Yorkshire and Humberside Reporter Anna Riley: “I think it’s good to improve connectivity. I think it’s the idea of getting commuters around a lot easier, transport from Leeds to Sheffield to and beyond, it is good. It sort of broadens your horizon a little bit.
“And I think people can get a little bit sort of narrow in where they go, keep on going to Leeds every day and things like that. So it enables you to just go out and and shop around. For years things have not really been that great, so the rail network needed updating.
Leeds locals hit out at the north-south transport divide following Labour’s pledge for a new rail link
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GB NEWS
“It’s always needed updating for many, many years, and I think any improvement on the railway is a good one, especially when it comes to timekeeping and stuff like that. I think any anything on the rail is good.”
Asked if he believes there is a “north-south divide” in terms of transport links, he responded: “That’s another thing that I think would help, wouldn’t it? Once the rail infrastructure improves, I think you probably find that that that will sort of disappear as such really.
“I think the North-South divide is simply because they have a better network than what we do, so anything that can bring us all together is a great improvement.”
Hitting out at the state of rail in the north, another Leeds resident told GB News: “I think we definitely need it. Some people do feel quite isolated. And to be fair, the trains that we go on, they’re either delayed or cancelled. And then when you do get on them, they’re either really full to the point where they’ve been oversold, so you’re standing up for long journeys, or they’re really dirty.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves unveiled the plans at the Neville Hill TrainCare Depot in Leeds
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PA
“So I definitely think we need some sort of improvements made, and also they need to be cheaper. They want people to use public transport and trains, but it’s so damn expensive. So that puts a lot of people off to be fair.”
Declaring that there is “definitely” a north-south divide, she added: “Oh, there definitely is. I think when you’re down south, you’ve got better connections with different forms of transport, not just trains and stuff.
“Whereas I think up in the north we are a little bit more isolated and we do have to rely quite heavily on public transport and sometimes the needs aren’t quite met.”
Voicing her concerns for the newly announced project, another Leeds local told GB News that they need to sort “other issues” with the trains, before expanding connections further.
Britons told GB News that current rail issues should be improved before expanding connections
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GB NEWS
She said: “They need to sort out seating, because you cannot not always get seats. And I think, to be honest with you, thinking about it, I think we could spend this money on better things because it doesn’t actually improve it.
“It’s alright spending money on that, but it’s not actually going to improve what’s already needs improving. So I think they should do that first and then concentrate on that, because it’s just going to cause more problems with the same issues we’ve got now.”
Agreeing with her fellow residents that there is a north-south divide, she concluded: “Yeah, they’ve got better access in London and definitely I think they’ve got a lot of better access to everything down south than what we have.
“They don’t spend as much money up here to improve things, but I think they should concentrate on the problems we’ve already got with travel before improving that connection line.”