Concerns raised over Bradford Interchange rail station plans

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 23 Oct, 06:38 · Archive

The Department for Transport has announced plans for a new Northern Powerhouse Rail station at Bradford Interchange, but transport groups have raised concerns about its design.

The Department for Transport announced on Tuesday that a long-planned Northern Powerhouse Rail station would be built at Bradford Interchange. Transport Minister Heidi Alexander said the station would improve journey times and provide needed improvement to the city's rail facilities.

However, the minister said it remained undecided whether the station would be a through station, which local leaders have pushed for, or a turn-back terminus. Following the announcement, the British Regional Transport Association Northern branch raised serious concerns, saying the proposals risk leaving Bradford with a compromised rail link that fails to deliver faster or more frequent trains.

Chris Hyomes, Northern Representative for the BRTA, said: 'Bradford has waited decades for transformational rail links, but a new station building without upgrading the line to Manchester and Leeds is putting the cart before the horse.' He added that without line upgrades, local commuters and businesses would not see the promised benefits. The BRTA is urging the Department for Transport and West Yorkshire Combined Authority to publish detailed engineering plans and commit to upgrading track capacity between Manchester, Bradford and Leeds.

How it is being reported

• Bradford Interchange: “Serious concerns” raised over newly announced plans“Serious concerns” have been raised over the newly announced plans for a new rail station at Bradford Interchange.Yorkshire Post · 22 Oct, 09:04
• Serious concerns about lack of commitment to 'through station' in BradfordThe British Regional Transport Association Northern branch said they had major issues with the plans.Telegraph & Argus · 22 Oct, 03:00

In this story: Department for Transport · British Regional Transport Association · Heidi Alexander · Bradford · West Yorkshire Combined Authority

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