New funding supports masterplanning of Bradford’s new station
The Department for Transport (DfT) has announced plans to invest in a new railway station in Bradford. The £400,000 provided in local authority funding will kickstart master planning on the project which is part of the governments’ emerging Network North scheme.
Planning will consider how the new station, potentially in a new location, 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.
The announcement comes on top of the £2bn Network North commitment to improve connectivity between Bradford, Manchester and Huddersfield.
It is unclear how the new masterplan will link up with work the council has been undertaking with the UK Infrastructure Bank since May to develop plans for the new through-station or to the £500m transport hub proposal developed by Arup for the original Northern Powerhouse Rail scheme.
Huw Merriman, rail minister, said, “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 announcement also comes on top of a further £2.5bn Network North pledge to support the West Yorkshire mass transit system which will improve connections between Leeds and Bradford, Huddersfield and Halifax. This will mean Leeds loses the dubious distinction of being the biggest European city without a mass-transit system, with up to seven lines potentially created as part of a transformed network.