Government will think again about decision to scrap new Bradford …
The Chair of the Government’s Transport Select Committee welcomed the U-turn pointing out that Bradford is “sometimes dubbed the most badly connected city in the UK”.
Bradford Council’s Leader says although the announcement does not guarantee that Bradford will be part of the proposed Northern Powerhouse Rail, it does mean there will now be debate at top levels of Government about how to improve Bradford’s poor rail links.
Bradford’s proposed Northern Powerhouse Rail station was dropped by Government in late 2021, along with the planned Leeds leg of HS2.
Instead, the Department for Transport (DfT) suggested much less drastic improvements, such as the full electrification of the line between Bradford and Leeds.
The following year the Transport Select Committee, a cross party group of MPs, criticised this decision in a report that claimed removing Bradford from the future rail plans would squander Bradford’s potential to become “an engine room of the Northern Powerhouse” and “undermine the project of Levelling Up”.
The station would have been built on the site of St James’ Market off Wakefield Road – with the market moved to a site in South Bradford.
Today the DfT has responded to the select committee’s report, revealing that it plans to revisit some of the decisions made in the Integrated Rail Plan – including the decision to scrap the new Bradford station.
A statement from the Transport Select Committee today said: “The Transport Committee has welcomed the Government’s announcement that it will follow its recommendations by revisiting its decision to snub Bradford from plans to develop rail networks in the North and Midlands.
“In its response to the committee’s call for robust re-assessment of all the Northern Powerhouse Rail options, DfT said an updated business[1] case for the project, expected later this year, will include ‘updated analysis on a range of different network options’ including the impact on communities such as Bradford.
“Having controversially omitted plans for a new line through, and station in, Bradford from the 2021 IRP, DfT now says ‘a re-assessment of the evidence for better connecting Bradford and the case for [building] a new station will now form part of the NPR development programme and the HS2 to Leeds Study’.”
But the committee says Government is still too “fixated” on the impact on journey times the new line would bring, and instead should be focused on increased capacity and how this could help cities like Bradford.
As well as faster journey times between Leeds and Manchester, one of the major benefits of the new NPR line would be to free up space on existing lines for freight – which would in turn reduce the amount of HGVs on Bradford roads.
The response from the select committee added: “The committee was also concerned that a fixation on journey time reductions was overshadowing the issue of track capacity, as opting for upgrades over building new lines would limit benefits. This was not addressed directly in the Government’s response.”
Transport Committee Chair Iain Stewart MP said: “The main arguments of the committee’s report have been vindicated as the Government has accepted that more work is needed on key elements of the Integrated Rail Plan – its cost-benefit ratios, contributions to levelling up, and projections on shortening journey times.
“We welcome those elements of the response, even though we regret this work was not completed before the major strategic decisions in the IRP were taken.
“We are particularly glad to see DfT taking an open-minded approach to building a new station at Bradford – sometimes dubbed the most badly connected city in the UK – and doing more analysis of a range of different network options.
“It would be remiss to not point out that the committee called on DfT crack on with these work streams months ago.”
Bradford Council Leader Susan Hinchcliffe said: “This announcement is not saying Bradford is definitely going to get a new station, but it is Government challenging itself to make sure it looks into getting Bradford better connected, and looking at a business case for the new station.
“This means there will now be ministerial meetings and Network Rail can start putting some serious heft behind this.
“I think the whole nation was outraged when Bradford was left out, and (Rail Minister) Huw Merriman has been to Bradford several times and recognised the issues we face.
“We’re a prominent city, and thins decisions means we are now getting recognised as such.
“We’re pleased that Huw Merriman has put things right, and that now opens the door for Bradford to have many more constructive conversations with Government.
“We know, from the work we have done, that the opportunities for growth in Bradford district are considerable.
“So I am confident that now Government has committed to working with us in this way, we will be able to build on that work and establish a good business case for further investment from Government. We think, looking to the future, better connectivity and a new station are both achievable for Bradford.
“Our ambitions to deliver affordable rail options on a mainline railway for residents, businesses and visitors are crucial to realising the growth opportunities which the district offers.
“The work with Government starts now. There’s already a meeting in the diary for next week with Government Ministers and the district’s MPs and myself to discuss next steps.”
Mayor of West Yorkshire[2], Tracy Brabin, said: “We have been absolutely clear that Bradford needs that vital new station. The Government made a mistake in excluding this option in 2021, so what has been outlined today is a welcome U-turn.
“But this constant dither and delay has set back our ambitious plans for a better-connected North, and it looks like we’ll have to wait again to see any tangible difference to the network in our region.
“What we want is to see spades in the ground and West Yorkshire getting a fair deal when it comes to transport investment and services that people can rely on.”
Responding to the announcement Lord McLoughlin, Chair of Transport for the North, said: “The strong desire of our Board is for Northern Powerhouse Rail in full and for it to be as ambitious as possible for the North, and for that to happen there needs to be a solution that best works for Bradford.
“Transport for the North continues to work closely with Government to ensure we get to the best possible evidence-led outcome for the North.”