Leeds City Council welcomes plans for new Northern Powerhouse Rail station

Leeds City Council has welcomed plans for a new Northern Powerhouse Rail station in West Yorkshire.

The proposed station would serve Bradford city centre from a six-acre site off the A650 Wakefield Road that is currently occupied by St James’s Wholesale Market.

Revealing details of the plans today, Bradford Council said the scheme would cut train journey times between Leeds and Bradford to just seven minutes.

Bradford Council is calling for the station to be included on a proposed Northern Powerhouse Rail mainline route that would link Leeds and Manchester and form part of a wider network running east to west across the country from Hull to Liverpool.

Today’s announcement comes ahead of the publication of the Government’s Integrated Rail Plan, which it is hoped will set out a timetable for the delivery of not only Northern Powerhouse Rail but also the Birmingham-Leeds section of the high-speed HS2 network as well as upgrades to existing lines.

Councillor James Lewis, leader of Leeds City Council, said:

“These station plans are really exciting, not just for Bradford but for the Leeds City Region as a whole.

“Quicker journey times between Leeds and Bradford would make a real difference to people living and working in both of these great cities.

“Proposals like the new Bradford station are also a clear indication of how Northern Powerhouse Rail and HS2 could meet the demands of 21^st century life and help unlock the economic potential of communities across West Yorkshire and beyond.

“Improved connectivity and capacity on our railways is vitally needed and would create thousands of new jobs – a welcome prospect as Leeds and the wider city region look to recover from the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Tom Riordan, chief executive of Leeds City Council, said:

“This positive proposal is a reminder of the transformative effects that can be brought about by investment in transport infrastructure.

“Northern Powerhouse Rail and HS2, along with upgrades to our existing network, would be key building blocks for a genuinely bright future for the region as a whole.

“Given Bradford’s scale, potential and growing young population, it makes absolute sense to strengthen the connections between the two city economies and reap the maximum benefits from opportunities such as Northern Powerhouse Rail.

“Major rail schemes in Leeds such as the Leeds Bradford Airport Parkway and Thorpe Park stations are already taking shape and we look forward to seeing Bradford’s plans developing in the same way.”

If Bradford’s station proposals win approval, then work is expected to start on the project by 2025 with a view to getting services up and running for 2030.

ENDS