Recruitment underway for Mass Transit director

01 July 2024

The West Yorkshire Combined Authority is finalising plans for a major consultation exercise to begin next month on the first stage of the programme which will see a tram built to link Leeds and Bradford city centres.

The CA's Mass Transit team is well resourced and has relevant delivery partners in place to help build the transformational programme that will boost connectivity across the region, create jobs and help deliver on climate change commitments.

Mass Transit Director Luke Albanese is stepping down from his role for family reasons. Rob Leech, who is a deputy director working on the project, will be stepping into the role on an interim basis to ensure a smooth transition while a new director is brought onboard.

Mr Leech has extensive experience having led major Mass Transit programmes in the UK and Ireland, including the Trams to Newhaven programme in Edinburgh which opened for service in June last year.

The CA’s Executive Director for Transport, Simon Warburton, will remain at the helm and is ultimately in charge of delivering the programme as part of a wider overhaul of West Yorkshire’s transport network.

Mr Warburton has some 20 years' experience working in a variety of senior roles, including most recently at Greater Manchester on its Metrolink tram project.

Executive Director for Transport Simon Warburton said: “We would like to thank Luke for all his hard work over the past year. His leadership and technical expertise has been key to getting the programme to where it is today, and we are grateful to him for that.

“We are on track to deliver the Mass Transit project, which is a key part of our plans for a better-connected region that works for all.

"We would also like to thank Rob Leech for stepping up to help cover the transition period while a successor to Luke is found.”