New viaducts may need to be built in Bradford if the planned new rail station at Bradford Interchange is to be a through station, according to the Secretary of State for Transport.
Heidi Alexander was speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service shortly after the announcement that a long planned new rail station for Bradford will be built on the site of Bradford Interchange.
She said the announcement was a “good day for Bradford, but acknowledged that “more work needs to be done” to determine if this new station is a through station – the option preferred by local leaders, or remains a terminus or “turn back” station.
That work will include surveys that are expected to take at least a year.
A previous plan to build a new through station on the site of St James’ Market off Wakefield Road has now been scrapped.
The announcement was discussed at Bradford Council’s Scale Up conference held at Bradford Live on Tuesday.
Speaking at the start of the conference, Bradford Council leader Stephen Place said the announcement of the station was a “landmark, history making moment for Bradford. Bradford needs infrastructure that matches its potential.”
He said there were four aims for the new station, and two have been met by Tuesday’s announcement. He said: “Bradford needs a new station – tick. The station must be located in the city centre – tick.
“Bradford must be connected on a through line network rather than remaining a terminus, and an improved connection to Manchester via Huddersfield should be prioritised.”
Transport Minister Heidi Alexander visited Bradford to attend the conference, and spoke to the press at Bradford Interchange beforehand.
She was accompanied by West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin who said: “What a huge day for Bradford. It is absolutely massive.
“There have been many people on this journey to get here, and we have to credit (former Bradford Council leader) Susan Hinchcliffe for her decade long ambitions to have a new station here in Bradford.
“It is great that Yorkshire is first for investment for Northern Powerhouse Rail, and that it is starting here in Bradford.
“There is no lack of paucity of ambition in Bradford, but the fact is there is a lack of opportunity to connect this community with cities like Huddersfield and Manchester.”
Asked whether she will be pushing for a through station rather than a terminus, Ms Brabin said: “We’ll be pushing for a station that works for the people of Bradford. It will be connected by NPR through faster trains.
“For me what matters is that a 1970s station is being replaced by a station we can be proud of. I want to see it become a Kings Cross style station with the regeneration that comes with it.”
Asked whether the Interchange will still include a bus station, Ms Brabin said: “It will be part of the whole Weaver Network, linked with bus, rail, tram and active travel.
"The Interchange is a long standing bus station, and it is time for it to be renewed with a new station that matches our ambitions. I know Bradford Council, and ourselves, are working together to identify a new location.”
Referring to the fact that the new rail station will be built in the city centre, and not on the St James Market site as once planned, Ms Brabin said: “There were other options on the table, some were further out.
“It might have been a case that you would have had to get on a tram to get into the city centre. I’m really pleased the decision has been made to have the station in the city centre.”
Mrs Alexander said: “This is a good day for Bradford and the wider region. For too long people in the city have had to put up with second rate connectivity. People want more reliable and faster journeys. Having a new station will put Bradford at the heart of Northern Powerhouse Rail.
“We don’t want it where people miss a train and have to wait an hour, we want people to have a tap in and go railway service.
“We want young people growing up in Bradford not to feel like they have to move out to get ahead in life. We want Bradford to have top class connections with other cities.”
Asked about the uncertainty over whether it will be a through station or not, she said: “We need to do a bit more work on the design of the station and the associated rail network to work out if this will be a through station or whether it will be a turn back station, which is how Bradford Interchange works at the moment.
“Over the next year or so Network Rail need to do a piece of work to look at this issue very carefully.
“It might be that new viaducts need to be built and that could have implications for adjoining properties and for the local community, and we need to think through the implications of that.
“As well as considering costs, we need to consider local impact.
“But compared to where we were under the previous Conservative Government, we’ve got over £1B f money allocated to spend in the next few years on the Northern Powerhouse Rail programme, the previous Government knocked their plans up on the back of a fag packet really – they weren’t going to stand the test of time.
“We’re talking to local leaders so we can work out what the priorities are, we’ve decided to prioritise the Yorkshire improvements. The new station here at Bradford Interchange is an absolutely critical element.”
Addressing the conference, Mrs Alexandar told those present: “For too long places like Bradford have been paid lip service at best and written off at worst.”