NOW here’s something you don’t see too often in York: politicians of all persuasions agreeing with each other. The leaders of all four political parties on the city council have made a joint plea to Whitehall to electrify the railway line from York to Harrogate and Leeds.

They say that would mean faster, cleaner, more frequent trains between York and West Yorkshire – bringing huge environmental, social and economic benefits. They have even put a figure on the economic value of those benefits: £400 million.

That figure may seem a little optimistic to some.

Yet there is no doubt electric trains are cleaner and faster than diesel.

They are lighter (there are no huge diesel engines to haul around) so more efficient and less polluting, even though the electricity that powers them has to be generated somewhere.

They are also quicker: they accelerate faster, and have a higher top speed.

In a letter to Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin, the York politicians estimates 15 minutes could be cut from the York to Leeds journey time.

That, coupled hopefully with more frequent, reliable services, may well persuade more commuters to take the train rather than driving – leading to further reductions in pollution and congestion.

All this adds up to a persuasive case for electrification. It is, in fact, something of a national humiliation that it is taking so long to upgrade our antiquated rail network.