Hope but not yet belief on Bradford's streets for railway station reboot

Plans for a new railway station in Bradford have been welcomed by passengers, businesses and political leaders in the city. However questions remain about how it will operate, and whether, after years of setbacks, it will finally be delivered.

On a weekday lunchtime at Bradford Interchange, a steady stream of trains rumble in and out, collecting and delivering passengers at the site's four platforms.

The station, built in the 1970s, is one of two in the city. The other, less than a mile away, is the smaller Forster Square.

I see for myself the considerable flow of passengers going about their days, but, for one of the UK's largest cities, the station itself does feel surprisingly small.

The goverment says where I'm standing will be unrecognisable in about a decade as it will be a new station, constructed as part of the £45bn Northern Powerhouse Rail project.

The announcement, made by Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander on Tuesday, follows years of uncertainty.

Previous plans have been scaled back, axed and revived under successive governments and Parliaments.

Despite reassurances from the current government that long-promised rail improvements will happen this time, important questions remain, including whether the new station will allow trains to travel through Bradford rather than having to reverse direction.

It's a question very much on the mind of the city council's Reform UK leader, Stephen Place.

Speaking at a conference at Bradford Live, where the latest station plan was presented to business figures, Place said his administration had pushed for the rail pledge since taking office in May, while acknowledging the work of other political parties over many years.

"It's a fantastic thing for Bradford, it really sets us up for the connectivity that we need and opens the corridors and doorways for expansion in business," he explains.

But he still wants urgent clarity over whether the new station will have a through line - or "the icing on the cake" as he terms it.

"It's really significant because the terminus as it is now doesn't give us the connectivity that we need," he said.

The transport minister said there was a deadline of "a year or so" to decide that question - with decisions being made on possible new viaducts and their impact.

The rail announcement came on the same day that £23m of fresh inward investment for Bradford was announced, including retail schemes and plans for a space testing facility in Keighley.

Rebecca Fitzgerald, chair of Bradford Chamber of Commerce, says improved transport links are vital to creating opportunities for everybody in the city.

"People want to come to Bradford and people want to go and explore outside of Bradford," she says.

"If you're born in Bradford, but you want to get to Leeds, Huddersfield, Manchester... that connectivity is key to creating opportunities."

For a city with a particularly youthful population, improved connections mean better access to jobs and education elsewhere, while making it easier for people to continue living in Bradford, she explains.

Back at the existing interchange, most passengers I speak to are cautiously supportive of the plans.

Steve Kerr, a retired regular rail traveller from Huddersfield, is in Bradford to visit the shops and meet friends.

"I think we need a thoroughly modern, high-tech building that caters for modern needs," he states.

But, having been burnt before, he recalls the previous uncertainty surrounding Northern Powerhouse Rail and says it has left him "confident, but not overconfident" about the new pledge.

Nazmeen Khan, who is a regular bus user but does occasionally travel by train, said he thought the plans were a good idea.

"We need a bit of open space, because the train station is quite small," she says, looking around the site.

Like the previous person I spoke to, she was wary of making the mental leap from hope to belief: "We've been promised a lot of stuff which hasn't happened, so I'd say I'm 50-50 [on whether it will happen]."

For other passengers, the announcement raises questions about how the new station would connect with Bradford's wider public transport network.

Ingrid McLaughlin, from Wetherby, is on her way home after a trip to the Pictureville cinema's IMAX screen with her sister.

The pair are impressed by recent changes to the city centre and believed improved transport connections could bring more visitors.

"It's about time, it really is," she says.

While questions inevitably remain, the overall mood is one of tentative optimism.

For Ingrid, a big hope is that the project will go ahead this time "regardless of politics" and any changes in government.

"I sincerely hope it will still happen as part of the Northern Powerhouse Rail, which the whole of Yorkshire has needed for such a long time," she explains.

"Proper transport links are vital for wherever you live. And I think this will make a big difference to Bradford.

"Just having a train station here or a bus station there is not the answer. There needs to be connectivity."

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