Passengers face months of disruption as services are moved out of Bradford Interchange while a massive refurbishment takes place.

Transport chiefs have announced that almost all services will have to operate from stops in the surrounding area during the next year.

Officers told yesterday's meeting of the West Yorkshire Passenger Consultative Committee that the £2.2 million refurbishment was the largest they had undertaken. They accepted the temporary arrangements were 'far from ideal.' But they pointed out that more than two thirds of stands would have to be taken out of use for the new concourse to be built.

Contractors will move into the bus station next month for the construction work, which is expected to take between ten months and a year.

But a promise was given that signs and clear information would be put up at the Interchange. The West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Authority has pledged the public will be given advanced warning when the changes are implemented.

Committee chairman Councillor Latif Darr said the station was now 22-years-old and improvements were well overdue. He said: "It is not going to be an easy time, but we hope people will bear with us during this period. We are trying to do the stand switchovers during the good weather."

lA representative from North Yorkshire County Council attended the meeting to thrash out the issue of Steeton railway station.

Members have complained that drivers are bringing their cars into Steeton station car park from North Yorkshire and Lancashire to take advantage of the cheaper West Yorkshire train fares. But officer Richard Owen, representing North Yorkshire, said his authority had a policy of not subsidising rail services.

He said any "iron curtain" had come down between the counties since local government reorganisation in 1974.

Councillor Hazel Grundy (Labour, Keighley West) said it was necessary to co-operate with their neighbours. It was agreed that talks should be held with North Yorkshire.

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