Bradford's rail service upgrade is delayed

Upgraded services from Bradford railway station will be delayed, a report has said

New rail services linking Bradford to key destinations such as Manchester Airport and Liverpool will not be introduced in December as planned.

The services, along with an extra hourly Sunday service on the Calder line, are to be supplied by Northern.

But a report to West Yorkshire Combined Authority's transport committee shows a shortage of trains and staffing issues on Sundays are hampering the changes.

West and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce said it was "disappointing".

The report says direct services from Bradford to Nottingham, via Sheffield, direct links to Liverpool and Manchester Airport, were due to be introduced in December as part of Northern Rail's Train Service Requirement.

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But those services, as well as a new Bradford to Manchester train and an extra hourly Sunday service on the Calder Valley line, will now not be going ahead as soon as planned.

Reasons cited include insufficient capacity, a shortage of trains and a lack of staff working on Sundays.

The same report reveals that despite promises from the government that the criticised Pacer trains would not be operating after Christmas, at least 23 Pacers would still be used, with a phasing out now expected by Summer 2020.

Mike Cartwright of West and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce said: ""This news is very disappointing - for both businesses and the West Yorkshire public.

"Many of Northern's services, especially at peak times, are already above capacity and Bradford is very poorly served with the north's rail network.

"So this announcement comes on the back of an already poor form from rail operators, and underlines Bradford's campaign to get the city better connected across the north and beyond."