Many in the city were left disappointed in November 2021, when the Government announced that it would not be included in the route for the high-speed rail network.

But the Department of Transport (DfT) agreed to return to the drawing board last month, claiming it will consider “a range of different network options” for Northern Powerhouse Rail and look at building a new station in Bradford.

Mr Merriman told The Yorkshire Post: “We’re committed to doing that to find a better option for Bradford. That work starts now.”

The Bradford Children’s Trust, which took over the service from Bradford Council in April, is in the process of putting together a business plan that will detail how much money it will need to turn around the beleaguered service.

He said the DfT will work with Bradford Council to “come up with options that will work”.

“We’re at the start of that journey, but I have a real passion and commitment for better transport options for Bradford,” he said. “It’s a city with great potential and I know the city wants it realised.”

When it was preparing the business case for Northern Powerhouse Rail, Transport for the North drew up proposals for a £43bn network, with high-speed lines running between Liverpool to Leeds, via Manchester and Bradford.

Bradford Council then announced plans for a new station in the city centre, where St James’s Wholesale Market is currently based, and said it would trigger “wider regeneration of the city” and boost the local economy by £30bn over 10 years.

According to the council, the new rail network would improve connectivity and slash journey times, allowing people in Bradford to travel to Leeds in 10 minutes and reach Manchester in 22 minutes.

The Government opted for a cheaper alternative that did not feature Bradford – when it published its Integrated Rail Plan in 2021 – saying it would build one new 40-mile high-speed line between Warrington and Marsden and upgrade existing infrastructure.

However, last month the DfT vowed to reassess “the evidence for better connecting Bradford and the case for a new station” in the city, in its response to a report from Parliament’s Transport Committee.

The department promised to conduct an “updated analysis” of Northern Powerhouse Rail and explore “alternatives”, before publishing the business case later this year.

“Future decisions on potential further rail interventions for Bradford will be taken once this work is complete,” the department added. “If any options are taken forward, these will need to be deliverable and affordable within the IRP’s £96bn envelope.”

The Government is also conducting a study that will look to establish “the most effective way” to run HS2 trains to Leeds.

The Integrated Rail Plan stated that the eastern leg of the high-speed rail line will stop at East Midlands Parkway and trains will then run on an existing line to Sheffield.

But Mr Merriman said the Leeds Area Study – expected to take two years to complete – will explore several different options for getting HS2 services to Leeds, including the original plan to build HS2 in full.

The study will look at proposals to run HS2 services from Manchester to Leeds, or from Sheffield to Leeds, by upgrading existing lines.

A plan to have high-speed services run from Nottingham to Leeds, via Newark and the East Coast Main Line route, is being considered.

The DfT said there is also an option to run services to Leeds via Erewash in Derbyshire, by upgrading the Erewash Valley and Old Road lines as well as building a new line “to complete a route to Leeds”.

However, it comes amid growing concerns about the spiralling cost of Europe’s largest infrastructure project, which is expected to reach £71bn even if services never reach West Yorkshire.

Northern Powerhouse Rail: Government looking to find ‘better option for Bradford’