Business leaders in Bradford have welcomed an assessment by transport bosses which found the city could get a new fast train service to the capital as a by-product of the HS2 rail project.

Transport authority Metro has been looking into what the East Coast Mainline could be used for once the HS2 line is running high-speed trains between Leeds and London.

One of its suggestions is a direct, fast service between Bradford and London each hour.

Mike Cartwright, policy executive at Bradford Chamber, said: “Despite its name, HS2 has never been just about speed – it’s always been as much about capacity, but that often gets overlooked in discussions.

“We’ve long been pushing for more direct services between Bradford and London and so we welcome the report’s noting of that.”

Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe, Bradford Council’s executive member for employment, also backed the idea.

She said: “We're keen to make sure that any transport investment benefits Bradford.

“Connections between Bradford and the capital are important for our business community and that's why we've been pushing for improvements like the Wortley Curve which would cut time off the journey to and from London.

“Getting transport infrastructure right is vital to supporting Bradford businesses to grow and deliver the jobs we need in the district.”

Currently, most of the services from Bradford to London involve changing trains at Leeds.

There are only about four direct services to the capital each day from Bradford Interchange, with a journey time of between two-and-a-half and three-and-a-half hours.

Other ideas by Metro chiefs include maintaining the half-hourly service between Wakefield Westgate and London, but with faster journey times.

A report going to its executive on Friday[july 26] suggests that changes to the existing rail network, once it is freed up, could bring economic benefits of between £300 million and £800 million to the region, on top of the benefits of HS2 itself.

The authority is expected to urge HS2 Ltd to revisit its plans and incorporate an improved offer on the East Coast Mainline.