The Government has confirmed plans to build a brand-new station at Bradford Interchange in an effort to enable more frequent trains, improve journey times and ensure higher reliability.
Set for delivery in tandem with the proposed West Yorkshire Mass Transit project, the station at Bradford Interchange will open as part of Great British Railways (GBR), and will provide services to some of the North’s largest cities including Leeds, Manchester and York.
The Bradford Interchange site itself is anticipated to unlock potential to regenerate Bradford’s Southern Gateway, as well as support new homes, jobs, and up to 1 billion GBP in economic benefits.
This announcement marks a major milestone in the delivery of Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR), as well as the Government’s wider mission to ‘drive growth in every postcode’. Once operational, NPR is anticipated to deliver a ‘turn-up-and-go’ railway for passengers from Bradford, meaning that multiple trains an hour will run frequently enough that passengers will not need to check a timetable before travelling to the station.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said:Today marks an important milestone for Bradford with a brand-new station that will transform how people travel across the North.
By bringing Northern Powerhouse Rail into the heart of the city, we are unlocking the huge potential Bradford offers - improving connections, supporting economic growth and setting the foundations for new homes, jobs and opportunities across the region.
The new GBR station at Bradford Interchange is scheduled for delivery in the 2030s, and will replace the now-outdated 1970s station. The station will sit at the heart of the NPR network, and forms a key part of the Government’s Northern Growth Strategy, which, with Northern Powerhouse Rail, aims to electrify and upgrade routes between Leeds, Bradford, Sheffield and York, improve journey times and ensure reliability across the region.
Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, said:Today is an exciting and important milestone for Bradford, with an iron clad commitment to a new station in the city centre.
Bradford has so much untapped potential, and faster, more frequent trains to Leeds and Manchester, and the transformation of the city centre through Bradford City Village, will help to finally unleash it.
Together with investment for northern powerhouse rail, a mass transit system for West Yorkshire and our brand-new Weaver Network, we are working in lockstep with the government to deliver a better-connected region.
