SENIOR politicians, businesses and rail groups have thrown their weight behind a proposal to put Bradford back on the “railway fast-track”.

Transport for the North (TFN) is considering routing the Transpennine line through the city as part of a scheme - dubbed Northern Powerhouse Rail - to improve east-to-west rail links.

In naming Bradford as a possible option for the project, TFN chairman John Cridland described the city as a “premier league city that just happens to be close to Leeds”.

Bradford is bypassed by the Transpennine line - which goes from Liverpool to Newcastle and branches off to Hull, York, Scarborough and Middlesbrough, and also calls at West Yorkshire stations in Leeds, Huddersfield and Dewsbury.

Passengers in Bradford face a 20-minute connecting journey to Leeds, from either Forster Square or the Interchange, or a 45-minute service to Huddersfield from the Interchange, to get on Transpennine trains.

Bradford Council leader Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe said: “We’ve been working hard to make the case for a stop at Bradford for Northern Powerhouse Rail.

“It’s not just Bradford who is championing this, our West Yorkshire neighbours are too. Leeds Council joined us for a meeting recently with Dr John Cridland, the chairman of Transport for the North, and provided strong backing for the idea.

“West Yorkshire Combined Authority also support the proposal. Dr Cridland was receptive and West Yorkshire Combined Authority is also backing the Bradford bid.

“However it is all down to how much the Government is willing to invest in the north.”

Cllr Hinchcliffe added: “We’re the largest city in the UK on a branch line. Liverpool, Newcastle, and even Manchester, are all smaller than Bradford.

“Given our rate of growth, I don’t think the status quo is acceptable. We need Government to be making the level of investment in transport infrastructure to enable growth in places like Bradford.

“We have a large young population, we’re the workforce of the future, and therefore any failure to invest in Bradford will inevitably also affect the whole region’s ability to achieve its economic potential.”

Andy Caton, president of Bradford Chamber of Commerce, said a high-speed trans-Pennine rail link would bring the Northern Powerhouse concept to life.

“Many people are currently struggling to see anything other than a politician’s idea and soundbite, so there is strong business support and lobbying to get this project off the ground." he said.

“To bring the line through Bradford would be a great success for the city. East-west connectivity remains as important for many businesses as north-south and, with the M62 often creaking at full capacity, a new line here would be widely welcomed.

“For Bradford, it would deliver an uplift in economic growth, create jobs, assist connectivity, boost investment and tourism, and there would also be wider benefits to the Leeds City Region.

“There is a good advocacy document that has been produced by the Council that sets out a strong case for routing the line through the city, so we hope that Transport for the North is thumbing through it just now.”

James Vasey, chairman of Bradford Rail Users' Group, said routing the Transpennine line through Bradford was “vital” if the city was not going to get left behind.

“We need to be at the centre of this main line, from Manchester to Bradford and out towards Hull,” said Mr Vasey.

“We are one of the largest cities and we need that level of connectivity to bring investment in.”

He added: “It is vital. If we are bypassed, we might as well not be on the network. Bradford would become a backwater station.

“We are one of the top ten cities in the country, so we need to be on that high-speed line.

“We would end up being a town if we missed it.”

Mr Vasey spoke about the possible redevelopment of Bradford Interchange, and added: “The train station needs to remain in the city centre.

“They might try to move it out of the city centre and say it will get a faster line that way but we need footfall in the city centre.

“We do not want people to have to change on to another train or a bus to get to another station.”

Judith Cummins, MP for Bradford South, said: “Earlier this year, I pressed David Cameron the former Prime Minister about the importance of improving regional railway links in Bradford.

“For far too many years, whilst lines have been upgraded elsewhere in Yorkshire and the North, Bradford has been left behind. We have too few train services to other cities, and the ones we do have are simply too slow.”

She added: “Electrifying the Calder Valley line, and placing Bradford at the heart of the fledgling Northern Powerhouse Rail project, would turbo-charge the city’s economy by bringing better paid jobs in the new emerging creative industries to our city. John Cridland, chairman of Transport for the North, has identified Bradford as a potential hub.

“This is very encouraging, and helps strengthen Bradford’s hand in campaigning for this much-needed railway infrastructure investment.”

Naz Shah, MP for Bradford West, said: “It would most definitely be a positive thing.

“I think it is a very, very welcoming for the city, for the people of the city and the people in the surrounding areas.

“It is very important that we build, and transport is very much the backbone of future prosperity in terms of commuting in and out of Bradford and attracting the right people to the city.”

She added: “Transport infrastructure is massively important, so I would most certainly welcome this.”

Bradford East MP Imran Hussain said Bradford has been poorly connected to West Yorkshire, the rest of the North and London for far too long with ageing rolling stock and slow lines.

“Passengers have been badly let down as a result, so I strongly welcome the news that TfN is seeking to extend the Transpennine line through Bradford, recognising the substantial benefits of doing so,” he said.

“By developing the Transpennine route through Bradford, we will be able to significantly shorten the journey times between Bradford, England’s fourth biggest city, and other major cities in the North, as well increasing the range of journeys not requiring passengers to change, allowing for increased investment that will enable us to build on the ongoing regeneration in the city.

“However despite these proposals, we have seen strong promises for the city before, so I will be pressing to meet with both the chair of Transport for the North and the Transport Secretary along with other key stakeholders to ensure that Bradford remains a key focus of TfN’s rail network strategy and that we get the best possible connections to the rest of the UK that we need.”

Councillor Keith Wakefield, chairman of the Transport Committee at West Yorkshire Combined Authority, said: “By efficiently connecting our town and city centres with a wide range of communities across West Yorkshire, the City Region, other city regions and nationally, rail has an important role to play in achieving our Strategic Economic Plan’s vision of delivering ‘good’ growth that benefits everyone.

“Large and growing numbers of people are using our rail network for sustainable commuting, business and leisure journeys and the level of freight being moved by train is increasing. Seventy per cent of journeys between Shipley and Leeds are now made by rail.

“We want to ensure people right across the City Region enjoy the same high quality of train travel people using those services between Leeds, Shipley, Bradford Forster Square, Skipton and Ilkley. This includes greater integration of tickets and fares, better provision of information where and how people want it and more opportunity for simple interchange between modes of transport.

“Our railway stations are the first impressions our towns and cities give to passengers when they arrive, and we want them to be as impressive and welcoming as possible, to business and leisure travellers alike.

“And we need more new stations, for example at Elland and Thorpe Park, to build upon what we’ve already achieved at Apperley Bridge and Kirkstall Forge and what we will achieve when Low Moor station between Bradford and Halifax is completed next year.

“If we are going to achieve all of these measures to support growth that benefits everyone across the City Region, we will need to work closely with Northern and TransPennine Express, Network Rail and the rest of the rail industry.”

A spokesman for Transport for the North said: “We can confirm that possible links with Bradford are being considered as part of this process.”

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