Sarah Champion MP welcomes £1.5bn investment for South Yorkshire local transport, after years of campaigning for funding
Sarah Champion, Member of Parliament for Rotherham, celebrates historic investment into Rotherham’s local transport system, after years of campaigning for improvements. [1]
Today, the Chancellor announced that working people in South Yorkshire will benefit from a £1.5bn investment into local transport, forming part of the biggest ever investment in buses, trams and local train infrastructure.
Projects likely to be taken forward include:
£350m to reform South Yorkshire’s buses, with franchised buses operating in Rotherham by 2027 and across the whole of South Yorkshire by 2029.
£530m to renew the tram network.
This is part of the £15.6bn of government investment into local transport systems across the country.
Sarah Champion MP for Rotherham said:
“I am delighted that Rotherham’s local bus system will final be given central Government funding, something I have been campaigning on for years.”
“For too long, there has been a vicious cycle of decline in South Yorkshire’s local transport network. Today’s announcement of renewal will mean Rotherham’s young people will have better access to jobs and opportunities, and residents can access vital services without worry.”
South Yorkshire’s Mayor Oliver Coppard said:
“This £1.5n investment into our transport system will be game-changing for communities across South Yorkshire.
Put simply, that investment helps us make our vision a bigger, better integrated transport network under pubic control, a reality. It will mean new and better buses, new elective vehicles, integrated ticketing and better information.”
ENDS
Notes to Editors [1] https://www.sarahchampionmp.com/news/2022/7/1/sarah-champion-calls-on-government-to-support-a-viable-bus-network-in-rotherham