Station update delayed to tie in with tram network

Plans to upgrade areas of Bradford Forster Square station were first proposed in 2017

Plans for long-delayed improvements to Bradford's Forster Square railway station have been paused to tie in with work on West Yorkshire's £2.5bn tram network.

The scheme, first proposed in 2017, would create a new ticket office, toilets, shops and improved lift access and was most recently estimated to cost £17.3m.

However, a report to Bradford Council said Forster Square was "expected" to be the terminus of the mass transit system linking Bradford and Leeds, meaning changes to the proposed improvements might be needed.

Councillors from the regeneration and environment scrutiny committee are due to consider the report at a meeting later.

The report gives details of a number of transport schemes including the Forster Square station gateway project.

It said the scheme, funded by the West Yorkshire Plus Transport Fund, aims to provide a "modern, fit-for-purpose station facility that enhances the user experience upon arriving in Bradford city centre, creating an attractive and welcoming gateway".

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, a draft version of the revised Outline Business Case (OBC) has been prepared but a public consultation on the plan has been paused and submission of the OBC delayed.

The report said this is ahead of further details of the "Mass Transit terminus expected at Forster Square" being confirmed.

"Whilst a decision on strategy is awaited to proceed with OBC and FBC (Full Business Case) submissions, the project is to undertake advanced Technical Surveys at the station which will be used to inform the next design stage," the report adds.

Since the works were first proposed, a new Platform 0 has been built at Forster Square – increasing the number of direct trains to London from the Station.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves approved funding for the mass transit system in June, with work expected to start in 2028 and the first trams operational "before the mid-2030s".

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