MORE frequent train services could be heading down the track between Hull and Leeds, the Mail can reveal today.
Passengers currently have to rely on an hourly service between the cities from Monday to Saturday.
On Sundays, there are only seven services from Hull to Leeds, with eight heading in the opposite direction.
But a massive new investment in Manchester's railway infrastructure could also provide a positive spin-off for the route between the two Yorkshire cities.
With work due to start next year, the £560m Northern Hub project in Manchester will see two new platforms built at the Piccadilly Station, allowing more trains to run through the city instead of stopping there.
In addition, new tracks between Manchester and Leeds will allow fast trains to overtake slower ones, reducing journey times while vastly increasing the capacity for extra passengers.
Speaking at a city council transport scrutiny meeting, Network Rail's senior regional strategic planning manager David Phillips said: "The Department for Transport has asked us to improve connectivity between Leeds and Hull with an enhanced service.
"We cannot guarantee it at the moment but we are looking at it.
"As part of the Northern Hub development around Manchester, we have identified the extra capacity will allow for additional services to York and Hull.
"From a purely revenue point of view, the case stacks up for more services to York but we are trying to make a case for also extending services to Hull."
Adam Fowler, of the City of Hull Environment Forum, said: "The Transpennine corridor between Hull, Leeds and Liverpool is a key route.
"However, there is often a perception in Hull that we are seen as a bit of an afterthought in terms of rolling stock and services."
Kathryn O'Brien, head of franchise development at train operator TransPennine Express, said: "The Northern Hub scheme is great news for Manchester and the whole of the rail infrastructure in the North of England. By 2018, there will be a huge improvement in the current infrastructure that gives the opportunity to review services."
Councillor Abi Bell said: "This sort of investment will undoubtedly help the economy but it can often be presented as a chicken-and-egg situation.
"We often hear that investment in new services can't be justified because passenger numbers don't stack up. However, if the services aren't there in the first place, passengers won't be using them.
"As someone who travels to Leeds and Manchester at least once a month, I would say there is a high demand for additional services."
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