BORIS Johnson has been urged to “correct the course his Government is on” after it was claimed two rail projects seen as being key to levelling up the North and Yorkshire could be scrapped later this week.

Northern Powerhouse Rail – a high speed rail line linking Hull to Liverpool, has been pushed as one of the most important infrastructure projects in the North.

For years efforts have been made to get a Bradford stop on the line, which would drastically reduce travel times between Bradford and other Northern cities and, according to local politicians, lead to massive investment in the city.

But according to national news reports in recent days, the Government is expected to announce it will scale back ambitions for the £39bn Northern Powerhouse Rail, with proposals to deliver it through track upgrades rather than building a new line.

And the same reports reveal that the planned Leeds leg of HS2 is also now in doubt.

Earlier this year Bradford Council revealed that the St James Market site off Wakefield Road would be the preferred site for a Bradford station for Northern Powerhouse Rail.

But rather than a Bradford stop, or even the new rail line Northern leaders had hoped for, leaked reports say the Government merely plans to upgrade the existing Transpennine track – upgrade that have been in the pipeline for years anyway.

An announcement is expected on Thursday with the publication of the Integrated Rail Plan.

Any decision to scrap NPR would be seen as a huge snub to the North, and go against numerous recent claims that the Government backed the rail line.

Calls ramped up to bring high-speed rail to Bradford

As recently as the Tory conference in October, Prime Minister Boris Johnson told party members that the Government would “do Northern Powerhouse Rail” – although the vague nature of his comments rang alarm bells for some.

During the Batley and Spen by election in June, Jonson visited Birstall, where he said: “There is definitely a commitment to Northern Powerhouse Rail, and a huge investment in railways in the North.

“I’m going to have to get back to you to give you chapter and verse on exactly where the stops are going to be, but we’re going ahead both with HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail.”

And on a visit to the Telegraph & Argus offices in March 2020 Transport Secretary Grant Shapps, who is likely to make the announcement on the rail plans this week, backed Northern Powerhouse Rail, saying: “Bradford has a lot going for it and I’m very keen to make sure Bradford benefits from it.”

Reports in several National papers over the weekend claim the ambitious plans are unlikely to come to fruition – instead replaced with a number of smaller scale plans.

The news came days after a study found that Bradford was the worst connected major city by rail in the country.

West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin has written to the Prime Minister, urging him to step in and save the rail schemes.

She described the leaked reports as “extremely worrying”, and added: “There is no room for breaking the promises that have been made many times by this Prime Minister to truly connect the great cities of the North. Levelling up is in the interests of the nation as a whole, not just the North and it cannot be achieved without this rail plan.”

In February 2020, you told the House of Commons that it wasn’t a case of either HS2 or Northern Powerhouse Rail: “both are needed and both will be built as quickly and cost effectively as possible”.

And just last month, you said at the Conservative Party Conference: “we will do Northern Powerhouse Rail, we will link up the cities of the Midlands and the North”.

Henri Murison, Director of Northern Powerhouse Partnership said: “The suggestion that an upgrade of the current route across the Pennines is going to unlock the potential of the North as a productive and successful counterweight to London and the South East for the UK is misguided and in economic terms – disastrous.

HS2 link via Bradford critical to connecting four UK nations

“Bypassing Bradford with its young and diverse population is the height of short term Treasury thinking.

“Throwing money at 150 year old tunnels towards Manchester because it will cost less, which will never have enough capacity as they and the wider route through Huddersfield is so constrained is not Northern Powerhouse Rail. It is an upgrade, necessary and already underway, and itself hugely delayed in commencing.

“The Prime Minister has only a couple of days late to correct the course his government is on despite his previous promises and instincts.”

Bradford Council Leader Susan Hinchcliffe said: “In Bradford we don’t want Government hand-outs, we want investment. Our young population are ready and able to work and play a full part in a more successful North, but we do need Government to invest alongside us. We believe in Bradford district, we believe in a strong, powerful Yorkshire, do they? It’s crunch time.

“I cannot believe that the Government would miss the opportunity of investing in this, the UK’syoungest city at this time. We know that a Northern Powerhouse Rail stop in Bradford will add £30 billion to the economy over the next 10 years. That equates to increased tax to the Government, instead of increased benefit payments to people without jobs. It’s honestly a no brainer, I urge Government on Thursday to yes to Northern Powerhouse Rail and yes to Bradford. We’re ready for levelling up if they are.”

Bradford West MP Naz Shah, responded to the news by saying : “This is Boris pulling the whole damn rug from under our feet and ripping up the floor behind him!”

Bradford South MP Judith Cummins said: “If the leaks in the media are true, this represents a huge missed opportunity to invest in Bradford and the North.

“The integrated rail plan was supposed to be about presenting a blueprint of how Northern Powerhouse Rail, HS2 and trans-pennine upgrades – separate but integrated schemes – would be delivered in parallel. Instead, it looks like we will get a failure to deliver NPR, a watered-down HS2 and money to deliver upgrades that are needed anyway. This watered-down version won’t deliver the transformational change needed.

“Lots of people right across the north voted Conservative for the first time at the last election, believing promises about levelling-up and investment in the North. Delivering NPR was one of the first things Mr Johnson promised on becoming PM..

If these reports prove to be true it says that this government and this Prime Minister don’t care about what they promise and then fail to deliver.”

Shipley MP Philip Davies said scrapping much of Northern Powerhouse Rail would be a “massively missed opportunity” – but placed some of the blame at local politicians for wanting both the Leeds leg of HS2 and NPR.

He said: “If Northern Powerhouse Rail is scaled back and Bradford does not get a station stop, then it will be hugely disappointing and a massively missed opportunity.

“It will also show up the utter folly and idiocy of Council leaders in Yorkshire campaigning for HS2 which is a huge white elephant and will benefit London rather than the North.

“It is the huge overspend on HS2 which will be the biggest factor if Northern Powerhouse Rail is being scaled back. So why on earth were these leaders pushing so hard for HS2 when we all knew that it was Northern Powerhouse Rail that was most essential?

“I spent years campaigning for HS2 to be scrapped and Northern Powerhouse Rail to be prioritised instead but the Council leaders in Yorkshire insisted on pressing hard for HS2.

“It is a strategy that could well blow up in their faces.”

All Bradford District MPs have been contacted for a comment.

A DfT spokesperson said: “Work is continuing on the Integrated Rail Plan. We will publish it shortly and do not comment on speculation.”