Prime Minister commits to new railway station for Bradford
Prime Minister Liz Truss has said Bradford will get a new railway station on the high-speed route to be developed between Liverpool and Hull.
Truss previously said she would strike down a much-criticised Government’s decision to strip back much of the planned Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) line.
She voiced the latest pledge yesterday, telling ITV: “It will stop at Bradford. I’m very clear about that.” And last week, Truss confirmed Hull would be included in the scheme.
Reacting to the Prime Minister’s comments, Henri Murison, chief executive of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, said: “Getting clarity on what exactly Northern Powerhouse Rail will entail is essential for businesses looking to invest here.
“Putting Bradford on NPR would correct one of the biggest mistakes from the Integrated Rail Plan – its young, diverse population and dynamic economy are hugely constrained by woeful transport links.
“If the Government follows through on this, their plans for growth and productivity start to look much more credible.”
The news has also been welcomed by Bradford Council leader Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe.
She said: “We will hold [Liz Truss’s] Government to account to deliver on the Bradford stop and Northern Powerhouse Rail in full and we won’t let up until spades are in the ground and NPR is delivered.
“We have been making the strong case for NPR for several years to successive prime ministers. Northern leaders have been united in the call for a new Bradford city centre stop on NPR.
“A new Bradford city centre station on NPR will bring more than £167bn of annual economic output within a 35-minute journey of the city, it will create 27,000 new jobs, unlock a regeneration site three times the size of Canary Wharf and open up access to a labour market of 6.7 million people.”
Manchester Airports Group’s CEO, Charlie Cornish, said: “The Prime Minister’s renewed commitment to delivering Northern Powerhouse Rail in full, including a new line between Liverpool and Hull with a station in Bradford, will help unlock the North’s full potential and drive a rebalancing of the UK economy.
“The priority now must be to be deliver the once-in-a-generation investment as soon as possible, to transform links between the North’s towns and cities, and connectivity with the rest of the world through Manchester Airport.”
