REDUCED train services will have a 'detrimental impact' on pupils at Bradford Grammar School.

Rail operator Northern has announced plans to run a reduced service from May which will see services from Bradford Forster Square to Shipley, Ilkley and Skipton reduced from half-hourly to hourly. It says it is "prioritising the routes with the highest customer demand".

Around 300 pupils at Bradford Grammar School in Keighley Road rely on the train to commute to and from school and those living in Ilkley rely on the 4.20pm service from Frizinghall to get home.

When the service is discontinued pupils will face a wait of almost 50 minutes for the next train or their families could be forced into cars for the school run.

Homera Najib, Bursar and Clerk to the Governors at Bradford Grammar School said: "We are understandably very concerned about the proposed changes to the Northern Rail timetable, in particular the decision to discontinue the 4.20pm train from Frizinghall to Ilkley.

"The abolition of this particular service does not make sense given how heavily it is used. This will have a detrimental impact on a large number of our pupils and their families.

"Our school day finishes at 4pm and the next train would be almost 50 minutes later which is not an acceptable wait time. This also has a direct impact on the time our pupils can spend at home with their families, doing school work and engaging in other activities.

"We have contacted Northern Rail about our concerns and we would be grateful for a response."

A spokesperson for Northern, said: “We have reached out to Bradford Grammar School with regards to the impact of our new timetable on their students. We will be investigating suitable alternatives with them to ensure disruption to the students' commute home is kept to an absolute minimum.”

Keighley and Ilkley Conservative MP Robbie Moore said: “It is an infuriating decision by Northern. As more people are now travelling for work or visiting friends and family, we should be looking to expand services, not draw them back.

"I met with the Transport Minister on Tuesday to raise these concerns. I have also written to Northern demanding a meeting as soon as possible to explain the reasons for this happening. We need to ensure that a full timetable is reinstated as soon as possible.”