Currently, a train from Bradford Interchange to Manchester takes around one hour, and averages only 42mph.  A train from Bradford Interchange to Leeds takes over 20 minutes, averaging only 33mph.  

Poor connectivity holds our district back. Bradford’s existing cul-de-sac city centre stations are not commensurate with a city the size of Bradford; they provide a poor sense of arrival and welcome to our city and contribute negatively to perceptions of safety. This in turn negatively influences investment decisions

A city centre through rail station remains central to Bradford’s economic ambition and would help transform the district as a place to invest. A city centre station will help create up to 23,000 new jobs.

The Southern Gateway is the triangular area of land to the south of the city centre, between Manchester Road in the west, the current Bradford Interchange and Leeds Road at the northern end and the disused freight avoiding railway embankment to the southeast. It is an area that is currently largely industrial, but also contains some schools/colleges, the police station, offices and some housing.  It is broadly the area you see from the railway as you approach Bradford Interchange by train.

Our plans are a number of years off so there’s no need to change how you operate.  We need to work on the details to know more about which businesses are likely to be affected and this will take 2-3 years to establish.  

We value our existing businesses and want to make sure that you continue to thrive.  In the coming years we’ll be looking to establish support to help businesses who will need to relocate, creating opportunities to operate from new modern and efficient premises in appropriate locations.

In the meantime, we are happy to talk to companies that are currently operating in the Southern Gateway to understand your needs, concerns and consider what opportunities exist.

Improved rail connectivity will give local people access to trains with more seats and shorter journey times to Leeds, Manchester and Huddersfield.  Integrating the new rail station with the new tram system and bus network will ensure people from across the city are able to benefit.

As more people choose to travel by rail rather than road, we reduce road congestion and continue to improve air quality.  Electrification of the line will also improve air quality.

Being able to get to Leeds and Manchester easier will create new job opportunities for people living in Bradford.  Businesses will find it easier to operate from Bradford, creating more local jobs.

Thousands of new homes could be created for our young and growing population.

There will be new safe and attractive public spaces for people to enjoy, improving quality of life, mental and physical health.

Overall, we hope that this investment will bring a sense of pride.

Through making a better connected Bradford we would give people the choice to leave cars at home and choose buses, trams, and trains for some journeys instead. This reduces harmful pollutants in the atmosphere, which can significantly impact our carbon reduction goals. Through electrification we will provide clean, efficient and eco-friendly transport. Beyond traditional electric systems, we are exploring emerging sustainable technologies. For example, hydrogen-powered transport is one option we will consider where appropriate to meet our sustainability goals.

The Southern Gateway is also an opportunity to create new energy efficient homes and business spaces that are not only better for the environment, but cheaper to run too.

We are working alongside the Department for Transport and Network Rail to establish the exact location for the new station.  There are several options on the table, including the current Interchange site and other sites nearby.  The exact site will need to be technically feasible, improve journey times, be affordable, accessible to the city centre, and unlock development land for new businesses and homes.

The new station is expected to be completed in the early 2030s.  

During this parliamentary term, the engineering and design studies will be completed to allow construction to begin towards the end of the decade.

See our indicative timeline.

Our plans for the new railway station and trams are supported by the mayor's plans for the bus network. A decision was made on 14 March 2024 by Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, to bring buses back under local control through franchising. With franchising, the Combined Authority will set the routes, frequency, fares, and overall standards of the buses in our region. More information on bus franchising in West Yorkshire can be found at Bus Service Improvement Plan webpage(External link).

Once the new station becomes operational it will replace the current Bradford Interchange rail station.  The current Bradford Interchange rail station may need to remain operational for the next 10 years until the new station is ready.

It is also an opportunity to consider the best solution for the bus station given its limited lifespan.

This has been considered several times over the last century, most recently in 2011.  Due to the built-up nature of the city centre it is considered to be too expensive.  Whilst it is too expensive to create a rail connection, the new tram system should provide a link between the new station, the city centre and Bradford Forster Square.

We believe rail and trams can complement each other and give people more choice. A choice to choose a mode of transport which makes their journey easier and quicker. Where rail caters for regional and national journeys, Trams would assist passengers in making shorter, more local journeys. Trams would bring much-needed additional capacity to the transport network, while also freeing up space on rail for people making longer journeys.  By investing in both together we would create an attractive alternative to the car and giving people more opportunities to leave their vehicles at home.  

Our aim will be to minimise disruption whilst the new station is being built.  We will consult on more detailed plans once they have been developed so you can have your say on any potential disruption caused by the new station being built.

In October 2023 the previous Government committed £2bn of funding for a brand new rail station and line connection for Bradford to give a 30 minute journey to Manchester via Huddersfield.  

No announcement has been made by the new Government on the commitment to a new Bradford rail station.  For now, our work continues as planned to progress our case for investment working alongside the Department for Transport.