PLANS for a Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) station in Bradford city centre would be a ‘game changer’, according to the city’s businesses bosses.

Bradford Business Improvement District (BID) has backed the proposal, saying it would bring investment and jobs to the district.

Earlier this month, Bradford Council Leader, Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe, unveiled plans for a new railway station in Bradford that would extend the city centre and open in 2030.

The plans are supported by the T&A which launched its On The Right Track campaign last month.

The new station, which would replace Bradford Interchange, would be located where Saint James’s Market currently is, off Wakefield Road and Essex Street. It would form a vital part of NPR - an ambitious project to connect the north with a new rail network.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus: St James’s site earmarked for new rail stationSt James’s site earmarked for new rail station

A through-station at Bradford on a mainline NPR route would slash journey times from the city to Leeds to seven minutes and 22 minutes to Manchester. The six-acre Saint James’s Wholesale Market site is already owned by the council.

The plans have been supported by Transport for the North, Network Rail, West Yorkshire Combined Authority, Northern Powerhouse Partnership and a host of other organisations and businesses across the north.

Ian Ward, chairman of Bradford BID, said the plans would transform the city centre.

He said: “Northern Powerhouse Rail – and, in particular, a city centre station on a new through line – would have a transformative impact on the city centre, with huge potential to bring in investment and jobs and to drive our economic growth.

"Bradford is a major city and the metropolitan district is one of the top five in the country by population but we tend to punch below our weight, partly because we’re easy to bypass and, therefore, disregard.

A through rail line will physically put us back on the map and place us right where we should be as a strategic hub linking the west and east of the northern powerhouse

“To expand, grow and develop, Bradford needs to attract more people to live, work and spend their leisure time here. The city is ready to do business across the whole of the north of England and beyond but our lack of direct transport connections to other major centres has held us back for too long.”

Mr Ward added the new station would give service businesses to invest in Bradford.

He said: “By getting more people directly into the city centre we can make it easier for people to do business here.

"We can show them just what we have to offer and, in turn, that footfall will help the growth of our retail and leisure core by drawing people to spend money in shops, bars and restaurants as well as on leisure experiences.

"Our theatres and other venues, for instance, will provide a different offering to Leeds and Manchester, and fast, direct connections will make it so much easier for visitors to come and enjoy those unique experiences.

“It will also give service businesses more confidence to invest here and lead to new offices and bases employing workers who will be able to support the local economy in their lunch and leisure times.

“In short, it’s a game changer for Bradford and a vitally important development that we cannot allow to slip through our fingers.

"If the Government truly believes in ‘levelling up,’ there is no better place to start than Bradford and guaranteeing that NPR will run through our city centre will show that it means it and create a real win-win for that ambition.”