West Yorkshire Mayor, Tracy Brabin, has shown her support for using the railway in Yorkshire to deliver the new homes, offices and growth in Leeds and minimise the number of HGVs on the region’s roads.

On a visit to Tarmac and its rail freight operations at Cross Green, in Leeds city centre, the Mayor was shown a freight train delivering materials into the city by rail from Tarmac’s Swinden quarry in North Yorkshire. The Mayor heard how a delivery by just this one freight train can provide the materials to deliver up to 35 new local homes, or surface 1.5km of road, whilst simultaneously removing around 60 HGV movements from local approach roads into Leeds.

Each month, on average, 60 freight trains carry construction materials into the terminals at Leeds from quarries in North Yorkshire and further afield. From the railway, the train’s cargo is turned into the manufacture materials needed for new homes, office developments and new and resurfaced roads in Leeds. With rail freight reducing emissions by 76 per cent, compared to transporting into the city solely by road, the railways are helping to reduce air pollution and road damage and helping to combat congestion and road safety concerns.

Speaking after the visit, Mayor Brabin said: “Improving our railways doesn’t only boost journeys for passengers – it also gets freight from A to B. Transporting freight via rail, rather than heavy goods vehicles on our roads, is the sustainable way to get materials to construction workers, to build new homes and grow our local economy. As we create a greener and better-connected West Yorkshire, we will work closely with rail and freight experts to ensure everybody’s needs are met”.

During the visit, the Mayor and the teams from Tarmac, Network Rail and the Rail Freight Group discussed the challenges and opportunities of using the railway as a sustainable construction conveyor belt from quarry to city centre growth. Forthcoming changes to the way the railway is planned and operates, and plans to devolve more rail powers to the Mayor, were discussed so rail freight can continue to grow and deliver for Leeds.

Chris Swan, Tarmac’s Head of Rail for UK and Europe, said: “It was a pleasure to welcome Mayor Brabin to our rail headquarters in Leeds and show the Mayor how we sustainably deliver the materials needed to help grow the local economy while minimising the impact on residents in and around the area. To meet the Mayor’s ambitions to deliver more affordable homes, and tackle unreliable transport, we will need to deliver more material by rail. We are keen to work with Mayor Brabin to do so.”

Georgie Newby, Head of Customer, Commercial and Performance for Network Rail’s freight division, said: “Rail freight plays a critical, yet often overlooked, role in powering the UK economy – keeping supermarket shelves stocked, supporting construction projects and keeping supply chains running. Showcasing this to Mayor Brabin is important, not only to bring the industry’s impact to life, but also to highlight the future opportunities that can be unlocked through our shared commitment to sustainable growth.”

Huw Merriman, representing the Rail Freight Group, said: “It was great to welcome Mayor Brabin, who, in the years I have known her, has always flown the flag for making the best use of our railway. From the reduction in pollution, road damage and congestion to the public good which Tarmac’s products deliver to help provide new homes and jobs for local people, there was much to discuss on the visit. We can do much more, and we are pleased that the Mayor shares our ambition for rail freight growth.”

The Mayor and West Yorkshire Combined Authority are working to reduce local carbon emissions with a target of reaching net zero by 2038. Local emissions have been reduced by 42 per cent since 2005. Whilst rail freight only accounts for approximately 7 per cent of all logistics transported in the UK, the Government has set a rail freight growth target of at least 75 per cent by 2050. It is hoped that this growth target will contribute to the reduction in carbon emissions which the Mayor is seeking to achieve.