POLITICIANS and campaigners in the district are "delighted" after a Transport Minister said he would be "very surprised" if Bradford did not feature in plans for the new HS3 rail route.

HS3, also known as Northern Powerhouse Rail, would see a new 30-minute link created between Manchester and Leeds, rather than the current 49-minute journey, with trains reaching speeds of up to 125mph.

Transport Minister Paul Maynard backed Bradford’s case during a House of Commons Transport Questions debate, when asked by Shipley Conservative MP Philip Davies.

Mr Maynard said: “There is a very strong case for that. We are waiting to see what Transport for the North (TfN) has to say about Northern Powerhouse Rail but I myself would be very surprised if Bradford did not feature on those plans.”

The Minister’s comments have been supported in Bradford.

Cllr Alex Ross-Shaw, Bradford Council executive member for regeneration, planning and transport, said: “It is vital for Bradford’s future prosperity that the city is included on a new Northern Powerhouse rail line and we will continue to make the case to Government Ministers and TfN, working with politicians from all parties across the district.

"We are pleased to hear that the Transport Minister believes Bradford will be part of the planned route for Northern Powerhouse Rail, and we are grateful to Mr Davies and our other MPs for continuing to champion Bradford’s case in the House of Commons.”

Mr Davies said: “I am delighted the Government seem to be moving closer to confirming Bradford as a station on the route.”

James Vasey, chairman of the Bradford Rail Users’ Group, said: “It is good news to hear this from the minister. It does seem to be a holding statement and we need something more in-depth. We need to keep up the pressure. We need to push for Bradford to be included and not ignored, we have a very good case.”

A TfN spokesman said: “We are working with Network Rail to investigate options for the Northern Powerhouse Rail network, which include possible links to Bradford. Our Partnership Board will weigh up costs, engineering feasibility and benefits to the economy of the whole of the North as they decide which options to recommend to government.”

This is not the first Government recognition of Bradford’s case. Transport Secretary Chris Grayling met Bradford Council leader Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe, its chief executive Kersten England and representatives from Bradford Chamber of Commerce last month to discuss Bradford’s case to be on the planned high-speed Transpennine rail line route.

The Secretary of State added that NPR is “top of TfN’s priority list” as it promises faster journeys between key northern cities.

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