Yesterday, Tuesday, 30th January, Rail Minister Huw Merriman announced a £24 million investment to provide a new platform and major improvements to Bradford Forster Square Station to ease congestion, improve access, reduce delays, and ensure it is fit for the future.
Last November the government committed to £400,000 of funding for Bradford to accelerate the council's masterplans for a new station, with the aim of it becoming ‘the King's Cross of the North', and follows the announcement that Bradford has been designated as the UK's City of Culture in 2025.
£500 million has already been committed to upgrade and electrify the Bradford to Leeds line, and another £2.5bn Network North pledge to support the West Yorkshire Mass Transit System for improving connections between Leeds, Bradford, Huddersfield and Halifax.
Rail Minister Huw Merriman said: “Bradford is benefitting from serious investment in rail infrastructure, with £24m towards a new platform for Forster Square Station helping to improve rail journeys, increase rail services and better connect passengers.
“This investment follows £2bn for Bradford to better connect the city including with a new station and to facilitate faster rail journeys to Manchester via Huddersfield as part of our Network North plan, with further funding recently announced to help with the planning work for that station – demonstrating this Government's plan to invest in rail infrastructure in the region.”
Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe, Leader of Bradford Council said: “I'm really pleased we've been able to secure this new investment from Government. It's good to see they now recognise the value of Bradford being better connected to the entire Northern economy. The new platform at Forster Square Station will provide much-needed additional capacity and connectivity for Bradford in time for the district's year as City of Culture in 2025 and for generations to come enabling greater mobility and access to opportunity across the district.”
Matt Rice, Route Director for Network Rail's North & East route, said: “This funding will enable us to deliver extra platform capacity at Bradford Forster Square and allow for improved rail connections for passengers in the future. We look forward to working with the Department for Transport, Bradford Council, and other stakeholders to deliver these upgrades for people travelling to and from the city.”
Kerry Peters, regional director for Northern, said: “We welcome this investment and the benefits it will bring to our customers across West Yorkshire. Bradford Forster Square already sees around two million passengers every year and with these developments, we look forward to many more in the coming years.”
Warrick Dent, LNER's Safety & Operations Director, said: “LNER welcomes the news of investment in a new platform at Bradford Forster Square which will allow us to run more trains to and from the city. Our timetable plans will be announced nearer the time, and need approval by the Department for Transport, but we would expect to see a big increase in the number of LNER services. It's particularly exciting that the changes should happen during Bradford City of Culture 2025.”
They missed a trick when they built the Broadway shopping centre the new train station should Have been built under it and therefore no need for two stations. Just one that runs both ways.
I agree with you. The surface distance between both stations is less than 0.5miles, why not just tunnel through it.
Why could they not use Bradford Interchange and return New Pudsey to direct London trains ?
Bi mode trains could run the non electrified section.
To late to late about Bradford..
Yet again Bradford is treated as nothing more then a part of LEEDS.
A once proud city is given the crumbs of funding.
For the biggest of my life I have fought for Bradford. I find the way it is treated by Local and Central Government an absolute disgrace.
For the first time in my life, in 2023 I couldn’t bring myself to visit the city. It is dealt by the powers that be as a 3rd rate place and it’s citizens don’t count.
I have used the railways all my adult life, but I recognise that should I ever want to return to my home city it’s best to travel by CAR. I haven’t the time or faith, to stand at Foster Sq station, hoping to see a LNER train pulling up at an extended station platform. An absolute JOKE.
And it misses the main point that what Bradford REALLY needs is a single new “through” station to replace both Foster Square and Exchange/Interchange. Only that will provide the connectivity required and, until then, it will remain as a rail backwater with not one but two dead ends.
Spot on!!
New platform well it will not be open for 2025 Bradford city of culture planning applications, obtaining land all got to be approved before work starts I cannot see work starting on this till end of this year.