Bradford rail station on track for new building
BRADFORD'S Forster Square Station, once one of Yorkshire's great rail terminals but long relegated to a backwater on the region's transport network, is now in line for a £17m redevelopment.
The station, built in 1890 as part of a complex that included the Midland Hotel, was reduced and rebuilt in 1990 and now serves stations to Leeds, Skipton and Ilkley. Other routes from the city are served from another station, 10-minutes’ walk away.
Councillors have now given initial approval for a new station building that will “provide an attractive gateway to Bradford” with a cafe, information centre and “community garden and meadow area”.
Members of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority were told it could “help to boost Bradford’s profile as a place to live and work” and act as “a catalyst for further investment”.
Councillors also agreed to help fund improvements to major roads into the city, including the outer ring road and the congested Shipley Airedale route.
Bradford Council leader Susan Hinchcliffe said: “Bradford is going to need significant investment in transport infrastructure. This decision represents a step on the way to delivering some improvement.”