There's a new Lords amendment that will give Mayors the power to approve new underground or tram projects instead of waiting 3 years to get the Transport Secretary to sign off.
That means Tracy Brabin could approve the Leeds tram or Sadiq Khan could approve the Bakerloo Line Extension.
This amendment needs to be adopted. Mayors know their area best. They should be able to pledge to voters that they will build new infrastructure and then be able to approve, fund and deliver it.
In Spain and France, local leaders have all the power to deliver local transport. In turn, they build projects 2x faster and for less than half the price.
Strasbourg in France has a comprehensive tram network of 6 lines and 35 miles of track, which serves its population of 500,000.
Leeds has a population of 812,000 and it goes without.
What's the difference between the two?
Mayors that have the power to build 🧵