Tram network for England's Leeds delayed until late 2030s

LONDON, Dec 18 (Reuters) - Plans for a long-promised tram network in the northern English city of Leeds have been pushed back to the late 2030s, a government review published on Thursday showed, underscoring Britain's chronic difficulties in delivering infrastructure.

The tram network, which would have brought mass transit to Britain's fourth most populous conurbation, had been promised for the early 2030s.

It marks the latest setback for voters in northern England, who have been promised various major transport schemes that would replace and augment aging and unreliable rail networks - viewed by experts as a major barrier to productivity growth and a reason for London's dominance.

In 2023, former prime minister Rishi Sunak axed the northern leg of the HS2 high-speed rail network, which will now run from London to England's midlands.

Britain's Labour government, elected in July last year, has promised to end decades of underinvestment in northern regions.

Tracy Brabin, mayor of West Yorkshire Combined Authority, said Britain's Labour government had confirmed that it was committed to bringing the tram network to Leeds.

"Our region has had two similar projects fail, and it is imperative that we deliver this time. I believe it takes too long to deliver infrastructure in this country," she wrote in a letter to Peter Hendy, the minister for rail.

"It cannot be right that it could take 18 years from the beginning of the project to the end," Brabin added, saying she was still committed to "getting spades in the ground" in 2028. (Reporting by Andy Bruce; editing by William James)