THE new Apperley Bridge railway station will open on Sunday, December 13, four months after it was due to be up-and-running.

Frustrated councillors have been demanding to know for weeks when station, built at a cost of £10 million, would become operational.

The opening was held up by red tape as the Office of Rail Regulation and Network Rail had yet to sign off on all the necessary safety checks.

News of an opening date was welcomed by Bradford Council leader David Green who said: "It has been a long time coming, with recent delays down to Network Rail procedures.

"I'm delighted it is opening and hope it will reduce some of the traffic problems in the area and help link Leeds and Bradford and increase employment opportunities for people in both cities."

Apperley Bridge's old train station closed because of the Beeching Axe in 1965. Plans to re-open it were first announced in 1999, although years of delays followed.

Two trains per hour, between Leeds and Bradford Forster Square or Skipton, will call at Apperley Bridge in each direction Monday to Saturday and hourly on Sundays.

It will be the first new railway station to open in West Yorkshire for ten years.