Bradford Northern Powerhouse Rail: PM confirms city will get new link

Bradford had hoped for a new station as part of a Northern Powerhouse Rail high-speed line

Bradford will get a new railway station on the high-speed route to be built between Liverpool and Hull, Prime Minister Liz Truss has said.

Ms Truss previously said she would reverse the government's decision to curtail much of the proposed Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) line.

She made the new pledge on Monday, telling ITV: "It will stop at Bradford. I'm very clear about that."

Last week, Ms Truss confirmed Hull would be included in the scheme.

The prime minister said details for the new route would be set out "in due course".

A Bradford stop on the planned route would boost the city's economy by £30bn over 10 years, leaders have claimed.

In response to the prime minister's comments on Monday, 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.

'Positive step forward'

"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."

Analysis - Spencer Stokes, business correspondent, BBC Look North

Bradford was always seen as a prime candidate for Northern Powerhouse Rail.

That's not just because it's one the UK's largest cities, but because it's a city with comparatively poor rail links - particularly for people wanting to travel west to Manchester and Liverpool.

Some journeys in that direction take in excess of an hour to go little more than 30 miles.

Bradford Council called for any new high-speed rail route across the Pennines to have a stop at a new station in the city - meaning Manchester would be just 30 minutes away.

But last November the government rejected the plan - arguing it made no sense to build a new line and station in Bradford when the current trans-Pennine route via Huddersfield is about to be upgraded.

That project was then scaled up and given a budget of £11bn.

Bradford was told that it would get some faster links to Leeds - but the city saw this is a missed opportunity and resented the fact that it was once again playing second fiddle to its West Yorkshire neighbour.

Today the prime minister confirmed there will be a new line all the way from Liverpool to Hull via Bradford.

She doesn't talk about upgrading the old line but implies it'll be a brand new separate railway - akin to London's Crossrail project, now known as the Elizabeth Line.

By committing to that she's taken Conservative rail policy full circle - back to where it was a decade ago when this idea was first announced by former Chancellor George Osborne.

The news has been welcomed by West Yorkshire's Mayor, Tracy Brabin. and the leader of Bradford Council, Susan Hinchcliffe.

Ms Hinchcliffe said she was looking forward to "constructive conversations" with government about when "we can start building".

"Today's announcement is a positive step forward, she said, adding that the authority would "hold the government to account".

"We won't let up until spades are in the ground and NPR is delivered," she added.

Ms Brabin said "this latest U-turn" was good news for Bradford and West Yorkshire.