UK: The Centre for Transport in Cities initiative has been launched to bring researchers from the Institute of Railway Research at the University of Huddersfield and the Institute for Transport Studies at the University of Leeds into a ‘strategic alliance’ with West Yorkshire Combined Authority.
Centric will inform planning, economics and railway engineering for the West Yorkshire Mass Transit light rail programme, and provide ‘leading edge academic expertise’ for the area’s road, rail, bus and active travel plans to develop a blueprint that could be shared to support urban transport schemes worldwide.
‘Centric offers a unique proposition in bringing together the combined strengths of two world-leading academic transport research institutes’, said Professor Paul Allen, Director of the Institute of Railway Research at Huddersfield. ‘We are very much looking forward to working alongside WYCA and other local and combined authorities to help deliver innovative and sustainable transport solutions across the UK and overseas.’
The West Yorkshire Mass Transit programme includes two light rail lines running from St James’s University Hospital, through Leeds city centre to the White Rose Shopping Centre and to Bradford.
Mayor of West Yorkshire Tracy Brabin said ‘our ambition to get spades in the ground on our Mass Transit network by 2028 is on track, but there is still plenty of work to do. That is why it is vital for us to call upon the talent and expertise we have right here in West Yorkshire to help us create a state-of-the-art transport system.’
Richard Batley, Professor of Transport Demand & Valuation at Leeds, said ‘West Yorkshire Mass Transit has the potential to be an exemplar for the delivery of a modern integrated mass transit scheme. Centric will play a pivotal role by providing independent expert advice along with research that identifies areas for innovation, and opportunities for education and skills development.’
