£17.3 MILLION work to improve Bradford Forster Square Station, already years behind schedule, was further delayed by the Pandemic - but is to finally begin in 2023.

Bradford Council says the delay is due to many of the staff that would have worked on the major transport project being “redirected” to deal with pandemic response work.

Plans including a new station building, better lift access and shops and cafes in the station’s unused Victorian arches, were first revealed in 2017.

The original timetable was for the work to be completed by March 2021.

But in early 2019 it was revealed that the completion date had been pushed back to December 2021 due to “insufficient expertise” within the Council to draw up an “invitation to tender” - a document that would encourage constructions companies to apply to carry out the work.

In December 2019 Bradford Council announced a contractor had been appointed, and that work would begin in early 2021.

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Since then there have been few updates on the project.

But a recent report into the various transport schemes planned in Bradford has revealed that the work is expected to start in “early 2023” - almost two years after the originally announced completion date.

For years there have been calls to improve Forster Square station.

Despite being a city centre terminus for a number of services, the station has minimal facilities for rail users, and has been repeatedly blighted by broken down lifts.

Although the multi million pound plans will not have much of an impact on the number of services that operate from the station, the work was proposed to turn Forster Square into a “more attractive and welcoming gateway” to Bradford.

The new station building would incorporate the arches behind the station, and the new lifts which would provide better, more reliable access to Cheapside and Manor Row in the top of town area of the city centre.

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New ‘pods’ would also be installed in the old railway arches to provide extra facilities at the station. The plans propose to create a café, toilets and ticket facilities in a smaller building within the main concourse building.

A small green space would also be created on the site in an area that is currently fenced off and overgrown.

The bulk of the funding for the project will come from West Yorkshire Combined Authority.

The report into current transport projects said: “The proposal for Forster Square station include works to address the aims of providing a new, high quality, modern station facility which enhances the user experience of arriving in Bradford city centre, creating an attractive and welcoming gateway. Proposals which are being considered include providing dedicated ticket office / information centre with ticket vending machines, seating on the main concourse and better lift access from School Street.”

Referring to the delays to the project, the report said: “Work on this scheme was impacted by Covid 19 and little progress was made during 2019/20 financial year.

“Currently, the Council are entering into contract with a delivery partner to progress the Full Business Case submission for this project to achieve a start of construction in early 2023.”

No detail has yet been given on the planned completion date of the works.

Asked for more details about the delays and the current status of the project, a Bradford Council spokesperson, said: “Developing plans for improving of Forster Square station were unfortunately delayed due to staff being redirected to support our emergency response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

“We will shortly contract a delivery partner for this project.

“Together with the Council, this partner will be responsible for developing many of the ideas for the station’s transformation which were made during the earlier consultation on Forster Square.”

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Despite volatility in the construction industry leading to rising budgets for other city centre regeneration projects, such as Darley Street Market and One City Park, the Forster Square Station project is still budgeted at £17.3m.

Bradford’s other city centre station - Bradford Interchange, is soon to undergo a separate £13m improvement project, funded by the Government’s Transforming Cities Fund.