HUDDERSFIELD could benefit from plans for extra carriages on some trains in West Yorkshire.

The Government has announced a 53% increase in capacity for peak hour commuter trains serving Leeds to meet the expected demand for rail travel.

Many will be on routes to and from Huddersfield, including routes operated by Trans-Pennine Express.

Extra carriages on Leeds and Sheffield suburban services are planned from 2009, with all the extra capacity in place by 2014.

Network Rail has been asked to tackle bottlenecks in the Leeds and Manchester areas by 2014.

As a result, journey times on fast services between Manchester and Leeds will be cut to 43 minutes instead of around 55 minutes.

The announcements are included in a Government White Paper, Delivering A Sustainable Railway, which guarantees a railway that will expand to carry at least 180m more passengers a year in England and Wales.

Metro in West Yorkshire has welcomed the announcement.

Metro chairman Clr Ryk Downes said: “Today’s announcement is an acknowledgement by the Government that there is a serious need for more trains in our region in the face of fast-growing demand.

“We now need to look closely at the details of the White Paper and discuss with colleagues at the DfT exactly what today’s announcement means for West Yorkshire and the Leeds City Region.

“While the White Paper goes some way to meeting rising demand in our area, more is needed to reduce overcrowding in line with other major conurbations areas and Metro will be make that point to the Government and calling for the investment required.

Research had shown that key measures such as further electrification, additional stations and introduction of tram-trains were needed to tackle fast-growing passenger numbers.

Under the Government’s plans, its spending on railways will be reduced, while the improvements will be funded by increased passenger revenue.