Plan for extra trains to and from London delayed

LNER services had been due to start stopping at Shipley in October

Plans for additional train services between London and Shipley have been delayed, a transport meeting has been told.

Platforms at Shipley railway station were extended to accommodate the extra trains, which were due to begin stopping at the town in October.

LNER, which operates the Bradford to King's Cross route, said the delay was due to technical issues with the fleet and trains would begin stopping in Shipley in December.

Susan Hinchcliffe, leader of Bradford Council, said work to extend the platform had been done to meet the initial deadline and to find out "the rail stock isn't ready was very frustrating".

Earlier this year a new Platform 0 opened at Bradford Forster Square railway station following a £35m investment from government, enabling an increase in direct services to the capital.

As part of the work to bring more trains to Bradford, platforms at Shipley railway station were extended to allow these services to stop there, a West Yorkshire Combined Authority transport meeting heard on 29 October.

A report said the delay to services at the station was "out of the authority's hands" and was due to a technical issue with the fleet of trains, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Platforms at Shipley railway station have been extended

Hinchcliffe, who chairs the authority's transport committee, said: "We need a lot more detail around this and for it to get sorted out.

"Having these extra trains will be so beneficial – the whole district will benefit."

A spokesperson for LNER said: "Following the completion of extension work to platform 4 at Shipley, LNER will soon be more than tripling its service from London King's Cross to Shipley.

"We are currently in the process of completing a technical update across the full LNER fleet which will allow all of our services from the capital to Bradford Forster Square to call at Shipley.

"We expect this to be complete in the coming weeks, with services to be introduced in December 2025."

LNER currently operates two daily services, Monday to Saturday, from London King's Cross to Bradford Forster Square, calling at Shipley.

The extension work allows this to increase to seven, with an additional service on Sundays.

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