NEW plans to resume the electrification of the TransPennine rail route have been welcomed by Horsforth and Aireborough's MP.

Stuart Andrew, Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Secretary of State for Transport Patrick McLoughlin, made his comments after the announcement this week the electrification of the line would resume with immediate effect.

The Government says the new plan will give faster journey times and significantly more capacity between Manchester, Leeds and York. The upgrade is expected to take up to 15 minutes off today’s journey time between Manchester and York and be complete by 2022. When the work is finished, the whole route from Liverpool to Newcastle – via Manchester, Leeds and York – will be fully electrified.

Mr Andrew said people in his Pudsey constituency were already benefitting from the Government’s investment in rail across the North of England. He said increased capacity in 2014 on TransPennine Express services between Leeds and Manchester from four to five trains per hour, offered 90,000 additional seats per week. Other improvements include an increased fleet size of Northern Trains by ten per cent in 2015, and the opening of brand new stations at Kirkstall Forge and Apperley Bridge.

Mr Andrew added: "This is great news for people in my constituency, and it shows the Government’s decision to temporarily pause the programme has provided the space to develop a better plan for passengers, delivering more services and faster journeys.

“Since becoming the Parliamentary Private Secretary to Patrick McLoughlin, I have been banging the drum for investment in rail in the north of England, so I am very pleased the Government is delivering on its promise of making sure every part of Britain benefits from our growing economy."