- government invests in plans to develop new railway station in
Bradford
- comes on top of £2 billion Network North commitment to better
connect the city and deliver faster rail journeys to Manchester
and Huddersfield
- station will support regeneration, business and job
opportunities in the UK’ s
‘City of Culture’
Rail passengers in Bradford will be connected to more jobs,
education and business opportunities, thanks to the government’s
commitment to deliver a new train station in the city.
The plan was first revealed last month as part of the
government’s launch of Network North – a £36
billion long-term plan to improve the country’s transport across
roads, buses and railways, through unprecedented levels of
investment.
Today (14 November 2023), the Department for Transport is
building on its promise of building a
brand-new railway station in Bradford by providing
£400,000 for the local authority to kickstart master planning on
the project.
The work will consider how the new station can best support
regeneration in the surrounding area and maximise its potential
to create new homes, jobs and local economic growth – as well as
significantly improving transport links and cutting journey
times.
Once complete, the findings will form part of a wider business
case for the project which will include details on the proposed
location and delivery date for the station.
Rail Minister, , said:
I have championed the case for a new railway station in
Bradford for a long time and the funding announced today will
make this commitment one step closer to becoming a
reality.
Bradford is soon to become the UK’s ‘City of Culture’ and our scheme to
deliver a brand new station and railway line will help attract
tourism, unlock access to neighbouring cities and provide the
area with the huge regeneration opportunities it deserves to
boost connectivity and economic growth.
The station will be delivered as part of the government’s Network
North pledge to connect major cities in the North of England with
more frequent trains, increased capacity and faster journeys.
On top of the £400,000 announced today for regeneration plans in
the city, a total of £2 billion will be invested to build the
station and a new line to deliver a significantly faster,
30-minute journey to Manchester via Huddersfield.
Councillor , leader of Bradford
Council, said:
It is good to see this moving forward, everyone has worked
so hard for so long to get this progressed. Improving
connectivity for Bradford to the rest of the North is
so important to enable greater investment, jobs and
opportunities. There can be no successful North without
Bradford being successful.
Today’s announcement comes on top of a further £2.5 billion
Network North pledge to support the West Yorkshire mass transit
system which will improve connections between Leeds and Bradford,
Huddersfield and Halifax. It will mean Leeds is no longer the
biggest European city without a mass-transit system, with up to 7
lines potentially created as part of a transformed network.
IIn addition to this, the government continues to push forward
plans to electrify the Calder Valley Line between Bradford and
Leeds – backed by £500 million – to cut journey times by around
40% from 20 minutes to as low as 12 minutes.
