To celebrate Bradford in West Yorkshire being designated as the 2025 UK City of Culture, train operator Northern has applied a livery dedicated to three of the city’s most famous residents to one of its Class 331 trains.

Featured on the train are the Brontë sisters, who were born in Haworth and grew up to become critically acclaimed poets and novelists.

They are joined on the train’s livery by local landmarks such as Bradford City Hall, Cartwright Hall, the Alhambra Theatre, and the statue of author J.B. Priestley.

During the coming months, tens of thousands of people will see the train as it travels hundreds of miles each day on services across West Yorkshire.

The train has also been named The Bradfordian, and many Northern customers will travel in it to the many theatre and dance performances, live music events, film screenings and art exhibitions that are planned to be held across the district this year.

The impressive livery was revealed to the public for the first time at a special ceremony held at Bradford Forster Square Station yesterday, Thursday, 27th March attended by Tracy Brabin, mayor of West Yorkshire, and Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe, leader of Bradford Council.

Bradford Forster Square Station is used by over 1.9 million people each year, and along with a Northern train recently featured in an episode of the BBC crime drama Virdee, which is based on the novels of Bradford author A.A. Dhand.

Kerry Peters, regional director for Northern in Yorkshire, noted that The City of Culture celebrations are already putting Bradford on the map and making a real difference to local people by boosting a sense of pride. Northern is committed to promoting these fantastic events, supporting the organisers and providing a warm welcome to everyone who visits the district.

Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe commented that having Bradford depicted on a train which travels throughout the district and beyond provides a great platform to celebrate the cultural heritage of the Bradford district in its year as the UK City of Culture.

From the start of a new timetable in May, London North Eastern Railway will be running extra services to Bradford, and to make the city more welcoming, major improvements have been made to Bradford Interchange and Bradford Forster Square stations.

“Bradford UK City of Culture 2025 is inspiring creative talent from across the city and beyond, attracting more visitors and investment to the region, and driving jobs and growth in our economy. The vibrant artwork on this train is a fitting tribute to Bradford and our region’s thriving creative industries.”

Tracy Brabin, mayor of West Yorkshire