WORK to develop a new city centre rail station in Bradford could soon be back on the rails, despite the Government cancelling the local Northern Powerhouse Rail line.

It has today been announced that the UK Infrastructure Bank will be working with Bradford Council to plan and develop a proposed “Southern Gateway” station in the city centre.

Although few details have been announced so far, the station is expected to be a through station, and is likely to be on the site off Wakefield Road currently occupied by St James’ Wholesale Market.

It was this site that was earmarked for the Bradford stop on Northern Powerhouse Rail before Government scrapped the plans in 2021.

The UK Infrastructure Bank has revealed it is now working with Bradford Council new plans for a station in the “Southern Gateway” area – a huge section of the city centre between Manchester Road and Leeds Road.

The announcement says a new through station in the area would improve East-West connectivity and reduce journey times – albeit not to the extent Northern Powerhouse Rail would.

The lack of a through station in the city centre has long been seen as a major hurdle in plans to boost Bradford’s economy.

Today’s announcement, made at the UK Reiif event in Leeds, does not make clear what would happen to the city centre’s two existing rail stations.

It says: “UKIB’s Local Authority advisory service will provide strategic advice to Bradford Council on the delivery, finance and options for a scheme which, alongside a new through station improving journey times to Manchester and Leeds, incorporates a 120-hectare site earmarked for sustainable development.

“The project is central to Bradford Council’s plans to generate economic prosperity for Bradford and fully aligns with UKIB’s key investment principles of driving regional and local economic growth and tackling climate change.

“As well as improved access to the national rail network, the new station would improve east-west connectivity and shorten journey times and the advisory work will support Bradford Council to assess the commercial and financial challenges relating to the development of stations, the funding models and sources for the station (or the public realm around the station), and the potential delivery structures.”

John Flint, CEO of the UK Infrastructure Bank, based in Leeds, said: “As a Bank based in the region, this partnership with Bradford Council is a great opportunity for our team to advise and support a local authority on our own doorstep. The successful delivery of projects which link improved public transport with wider regeneration are critical to the Bank’s mission to boost regional and local economic growth and help the UK make the transition to Net Zero.”

Kersten England, Chief Executive Officer, City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council said: “Our collaboration with UKIB will help us unlock investment options, identify further funding models and work through the practicalities of market and state finance to realise our ambitions. Bradford has a pivotal role to play across the whole of the North of England. Rail investment to enhance connections east and west through Bradford will enable our district to be at the forefront of progressive place-making and sustainability over the decades to come.”

The local authority function is a core part of the Bank’s mandate, set by the UK Government. The advisory service will complement other sources of advice available by helping local authorities across the devolved nations to get the best value from working with the private sector.

In March, legislation that puts the Bank on a statutory footing received Royal Assent, giving the Bank the power to lend directly to local authorities across the UK.

With £4bn to deploy, the Bank can provide flexible loans to support regional infrastructure.

The Southern Gateway has been in the planning stages for a number of years.

Last year Bradford Council put the area forward as a possible "Investment Zone" - a scheme proposed by then Prime Minister Liz Truss' government.

Businesses would be offered incentives to move into these zones, including vastly reduced business rates, Stamp Duty Land Tax and Employer National Insurance Contributions relief.

However, the Investment Zone scheme was scrapped just weeks after it was first proposed due to her short lived premiership.