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‘Fast, frequent and reliable public transport’ linking Dewsbury to Bradford and Leeds is to be included in the first wave of the region’s new mass transit plan.

The West Yorkshire mass transit network has been in the planning stages for years, and will link the county’s towns, cities, and suburbs.

Although work is still years away, a new report has revealed that a Dewsbury to Bradford route via Cleckheaton, as well as a Dewsbury to South Leeds passage, will be among the first routes to benefit from the expansive plans.

Lines linking Bradford to Halifax and Bradford to Leeds Bradford Airport via Shipley will come at a later stage, it has been revealed.

An artists impression of light rail trams trains network public transport system for the West Yorkshire mass transit scheme across the county

The Bradford to Dewsbury line would have stops at Heckmondwike, Cleckheaton, the M62, Low Moor and “South Bradford” – with hints that this stop could be based in Holme Wood in Bradford.

The report to the West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s Transport Committee says: “The consortium have been commissioned to lead on the business case development workstream and will initially focus on the Orange (East Leeds, Bradford to Leeds and South Leeds to Dewsbury) and Green (Bradford to Dewsbury) corridors, with other areas of the network following in due course.”

It says work is now being done to develop routes and stops, adding: “The team are now beginning to discuss route options in more detail in a further series of workshops with stakeholders.

“As with the Business Case, this stage of work focuses on the Orange and Green priority areas of the network. It is expected that this phase work will be completed by July/August 2023.”

Dewsbury is set to benefit as part of the West Yorkshire mass transit scheme

A separate Bradford Council report into the plans says: “Mass Transit routes are anticipated to bring high quality, fast, frequent and reliable public transport to major corridors. Infrastructure works are anticipated to be complemented with place-making programmes and parallel segregated cycle facilities.

“Whilst this programme is still several years away from the start of construction, which could start from the late 2020s, the first stage(s) could potentially be opened in the latter half of the decade.”

It has yet to be decided what form the mass transit system will take, or the exact routes.

Mass transit network set to link Dewsbury with Bradford and Leeds