Battle lines drawn in quest for electrification of the Calder Valley railway line

A petition has been launched by Calderdale Council as part of its campaign for greater investment in the service and it is asking commuters to pledge their support for change by signing the online petition.

#Electricvalley is our campaign lobbying for long overdue investment to electrify the Calder Valley Line. Full electrification of the line would improve journey times; make train services more reliable, cheaper to run and less costly for passengers; help cut congestion on the roads; and reduce impacts on the environment through better air quality and fewer carbon dioxide emissions.

Major employers including Lloyds Banking Group and RSA main hubs are located in Calderdale, while Nestles International, Covea Insurance and SSP have global headquarters in Halifax.

The rail service is essential for these businesses and their workforce. And many companies based in Leeds and Manchester depend upon employees living in Calderdale who commute by train.

We deserve a 21st century rail service. We need rapid, reliable trains and clean, good quality carriages with Wi-Fi, so that people can commute in comfort and arrive at their destination on time.

It isn’t good enough that services are frequently late. We need people to choose to travel by train as it’s a more sustainable form of transport but that’s not realistic if the service is unreliable.

We demand better, it’s time for the Government to invest more and to upgrade the line. Enough is enough.

We're adding our voice to the ever growing campaign calling for full electrification of the Calder Valley Line and we need your support to make it happen.

Please pledge your support today by adding your name to our petition.

To sign the petition click here