Battery trains branded an 'insult' to Hull

A politician has criticised new battery powered trains as "an insult" claiming they would only reduce travel times between Hull and Leeds by one minute.

TransPennine Express recently announced it was investing £1bn in a new fleet of battery-electric trains for the 2030s.

However, former Hull Liberal Democrat councillor Lord Dave McCobb said he was pressing for full electrification of the rail line to Hull saying "our part of Yorkshire deserves better".

The 29 new trains will enter service in 2034 and have been welcomed by local MPs and the region's elected mayor Luke Campbell.

Lord Cobb told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that a written response by Rail Minister Lord Hendy stated the battery-electric trains would save "up to a minute" on Hull to Leeds travel times and five to six minutes between Hull and Manchester.

"Just one extra minute. Is that all the people of Hull and East Yorkshire are worth?" Lord Cobb said.

"After years of promises, a devolution deal that committed to improve travel times and a billion pound announcement, Hull is being offered just one minute off the journey to Leeds and we'll wait up to eight years to get it."

In response, Hull North and Cottingham Labour MP, Dame Diana Johnson accused Cobb of "political point-scoring" and said there should be "working cross-party on driving this forward".

"The key task for us now is to keep encouraging the sort of infrastructure investment for the north that Londoners have taken for granted for decades," she said.

Hull was not included in the £45bn Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) scheme announced in January, which will see lines electrified between Leeds, York and Sheffield.

When the new trains were announced in September, Chris Jackson, managing director of TransPennine Express, described them as being "transformational" for Hull.

"Our customers will benefit from more seats and better accessibility, including level boarding," he said.

"Britain has a proud railway heritage and this project puts the UK at the forefront of the next generation of cleaner rail technology."

The BBC has contacted the Department for Transport for a comment.

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