Bradford could miss out on high speed Northern Powerhouse Rail station if Ministers choose £4bn cheaper route through Huddersfield

Northern leaders face a battle to persuade the Government to back plans for a vital high speed rail station in a Yorkshire city amid pressure to cut costs by choosing a less ambitious route that is billions of pounds cheaper.

Boris Johnson, who last year promised a high speed Northern Powerhouse Rail link between Leeds and Manchester and said the benefits would be 'colossal', is being urged to ensure the new line stops in Bradford city centre.

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But his Government faces the choice between a £17bn route serving Bradford which is backed by civic and business leaders and an alternative costing £4bn less which misses out the city entirely.

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And he has been warned that "delay and dither" on the proposals at a time when the future of the eastern leg of HS2 through Yorkshire is also reportedly under threat would show a lack of commitment to his own 'levelling-up' agenda.

Tim Wood, the director of the Northern Powerhouse Rail scheme at Transport for the North, said the strategic body considered a new line serving Bradford to be "incredibly important" because it offered "capacity, connectivity, and then speed".

He backed this option over the cheaper alternative, which is understood to have the support of civil servants within the Department for Transport, but added: "Ultimately, the decision will be made by the Government."

TfN has set out its preferred route for the high speed rail project linking the big cities of the North ahead of the publication next month of the Government's Integrated Rail Plan, which sets out how it will link with HS2 and other major schemes.

Bradford city leaders say a Northern Powerhouse Rail station is vital for its economy.Bradford city leaders say a Northern Powerhouse Rail station is vital for its economy.
Bradford city leaders say a Northern Powerhouse Rail station is vital for its economy.
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This includes the Bradford 'gateway' option which would cut the time to travel between Leeds and Manchester from the current minimum of 50 minutes to 26 minutes and 30 seconds and provide a huge boost to the economy of a city which has long been let down by its poor transport links.

The proposal costing around £17.2bn would require a new station in the centre of Bradford, with leaders rejecting the option of a parkway station on the edge of the city. TfN estimates it would create 30,500 jobs, the highest of any of the available options.

But another option set to be presented to Ministers by the Department for Transport is a cheaper option which largely follows the existing trans-Pennine route through Huddersfield and does not serve Bradford at all.

Though this route would cost between £13bn and £13.5bn, a saving of £4bn against the Bradford city centre route, northern leaders do not support it. It is estimated that it will create just 21,000 jobs and be three minutes slower travelling between Leeds and Manchester.

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Bradford council leader Susan Hinchcliffe, who is standing to be West Yorkshire's first metro mayor, said: "I'm really pleased that TfN and all the northern leaders have fully backed Bradford being a city centre stop on Northern Powerhouse Rail.

"But that is the first stage of the battle, the next stage is to make sure that government commit. They need to invest meaningfully in the North of England and Northern Powerhouse Rail, going through Bradford city centre, would be a strong signal that they are serious about that endeavour."

And Labour's Shadow Transport Secretary Jim McMahon said: "The idea that you believe you can realise the full economic potential of West Yorkshire, and bypass Bradford is just bizarre."

A spokeswoman for the Department for Transport said: “Northern Powerhouse Rail is a key part of the Government’s agenda to level-up the North and, once built, it will transform connectivity across the region and provide faster more frequent services for passengers.

“We welcome TfN’s proposals for this project and we will continue to work closely with them as the business case is developed.”

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