New station announced at Bradford Interchange
The new station at Bradford Interchange is set to 'bring passengers more reliable services, better connections and faster journeys'
A new station has been announced at Bradford Interchange.
Bradford Council said delivering the new station alongside the proposed West Yorkshire Mass Transit network will unlocks thousands of jobs and homes, and more than £1 billion in economic benefits.
Bradford's connections with some of the North's largest cities including Leeds, Manchester and York is set to be transformed as passengers will be able to benefit from more frequent trains, improved journey times and reliability.
The government said the announcement marks a major milestone in the delivery of Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) and the Government's mission to drive growth in every postcode.
The station will also become part of Great British Railways (GBR), the new publicly owned railway.
NPR will deliver a turn-up-and-go railway for passengers from Bradford, meaning multiple trains an hour will run frequently enough between major cities across the North that passengers won’t need to check a timetable before going 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The new GBR station will be delivered in the 2030s and replace the outdated 1970s station, providing the modern transport hub that Bradford deserves.
Bradford's new city centre station is a key part of the Government's Northern Growth Strategy, which with Northern Powerhouse Rail is electrifying and upgrading routes between Leeds, Bradford, Sheffield and York, improving journey times and 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.”
Henri Murison MBE, Chief Executive of Northern Powerhouse Partnership said: "The decision to build Bradford’s new station at the interchange in the city centre is a long-term commitment to the city and the wider North.”
“By unlocking the regeneration of the Southern Gateway we will see homes and jobs for this city which otherwise would not be built or come here. Working with the council and Mayor Tracy Brabin and her team I will be doing everything I can to push on and move forward with ambitious plans that enable future phases of Northern Powerhouse Rail. This network will better connect the young people in the city with opportunities in Manchester and Liverpool as well as Sheffield.”
“Bradford and the North’s next phase of growth will be built by business. Confidence is already building here, and this will help build it further.”