Plans to ease overcrowding on trains across the Bradford district were dealt a blow as it emerged that 100 extra carriages will not be delivered to train operators as promised.

Two years ago Gordon Brown’s Government pledged an extra 1,300 train carriages across the country, of which 647 have either been brought in or are on order.

Now the rest of that order has been “paused”, after the Department for Transport was ordered to slash £683m from its budget by the end of March. Transport Secretary Philip Hammond ordered “an urgent reappraisal” of the Government’s entire train carriage procurement programme – as part of £6.2 billion of overall savings.

Of the 1,300 carriages, Northern Rail, which operates local and inter-urban services across the district, was due to receive 106 with a further 24 allocated to TransPennine Express, according to information given to MPs.

Just 18 of Northern’s carriages have been delivered or ordered – and none of those due to TransPennine Express – which means 112 appear to have been lost to the region.

A Dft spokesman said: “We will not be going forward with any carriages not already ordered during 2010-11. We will be announcing what happens after 2011 in due course.”

In response to the announcement, transport representatives in Yorkshire highlighted the urgent need for extra carriages on the region’s railways.

James Vasey, chairman of Bradford Rail Users Group, said: “We can understand that we are in tight financial circumstances but rail usage on the Airedale line has increased by 80 per cent since privatisation with extreme rush-hour crowding. There’s also extreme overcrowding at 120 per cent capacity between Leeds and Huddersfield through Bradford, so there’s a need for extra carriages.

“We will have to try to convince the Secretary of State additional carriages are needed.”

Tim Calow, chairman of the Aire Valley Rail Users Group, said: “It’s not a matter of having extra carriages to cope with further growth in passenger numbers, it’s extra carriages to cope with the passengers that are already travelling. We are in the position where the fullest train leaving Leeds doesn’t have room for all the passengers to stand on it.”

A spokesman for Northern Rail said: “Northern has attracted 34 per cent more passengers in the last five years and demand for rail travel in the North of England continues to grow. Continued investment in the local network is needed to improve rail services across the North.

“We continue to seek cost-effective solutions to increasing capacity to meet the needs of passengers.”