Bradford has been held back as a result of it being a public transport blindspot, a new station is to be welcomed
Bradford has long suffered as a result of poor transport connectivity. For a city with such a young population it is hugely damaging to the economic prospects of Bradford. Young people are unable to access opportunities as a result of the public transport blindspot that Bradford has become.
Therefore the Government’s long due announcement for a new major station at Bradford Interchange to be opened is to be welcomed.
The aim is to provide Bradfordians with more access to other major cities across the North, through more frequent trains and improved journey times.
It isn’t just about allowing people in the district to travel more easily out of Bradford for employment and education opportunities but also about rejuvenating the city centre. The potential of the new site to unlock the potential to regenerate Bradford's Southern Gateway is obvious.
The spectre of HS2 continues to loom over transport infrastructure projects across the North. There is no denying that the mishandling of HS2 has made successive governments nervous about signing off on transport infrastructure projects.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander described HS2 as “an absolute dog's breakfast” and attributed the delay to the announcement of the new Bradford station to a desire not to repeat the same mistakes.
It is interesting to see the Transport Secretary talk up the potential to leverage the skills and expertise of engineers in the region who are working on the Transpennine Route Upgrade for the new Bradford station. A greater emphasis needs to be placed on not just delivering much needed infrastructure but joining up the needs of one project with another.