Bradford station plan receives £400,000 boost

Masterplanning for a new railway station for the West Yorkshire city can start, after the Department for Transport signed off the funding.

Details around the station’s location as well as its design and the line it will serve will be announced in due course.

The £400,000 forms part of the previously announced West Yorkshire devolution deal, separate to the Network North announcements made last month.

Bradford, widely regarded as one of the worst-connected cities in the country, has been lined up for a new station for some time, with one option being the St James’ Market site off Wakefield Road.

The project was again floated in Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s proposals for a Network North investment programme to replace the axed HS2 North.

On top of the £400,000, the DfT said that a total of £2bn will be invested to build the station and a new line to deliver a significantly faster, 30-minute journey to Manchester via Huddersfield.

Initial mastrerplanning 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 Huw Merriman 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.”

Cllr Susan Hinchcliffe, 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.”

The government also reaffirmed its commitment to providing £2.5bn for the West Yorkshire Mass Transit System, which could see seven lines providing better connections between Leeds, Bradford, Huddersfield and Halifax; and also supporting the electrification of the Calder Valley rai line.