Yorkshire commuters torn over Northern Powerhouse Rail plans

Commuters in Yorkshire cities due to be part of the Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) network have welcomed news of the planned improvements – but not all of them are convinced the investment will materialise.

Bradford and Sheffield could both see significant upgrades as part of a route which will enable faster connections to Leeds, York, Manchester and Liverpool.

The work will not begin until the 2030s, when Bradford could have a new station that allows through travel.

Passengers told the BBC what they thought of the vision set out by the government this week.

The announcement described Bradford as a “young, dynamic city of 500,000 people” which would be “at the heart of the northern network”.

That message was warmly welcomed by 18-year-old college student Keira on Wednesday morning as she made her way to Bradford Interchange to catch a train to Pontefract.

“A new station will probably make things quite a bit easier,” she said.

“Depending on the day, trains can be quite bad at showing up. I just don’t think either [Bradford Forster Square Station or Bradford Interchange] are big enough for the amount of people that are here.”

Opened in 1973, Bradford Interchange offers a modest welcome to visitors to the city, not least due to its size. Despite Bradford’s population of half a million, the station has just four platforms and trains must reverse out to leave.

Forster Square Station, located half a mile away, is a similar size.

The government has identified a need for Bradford to have a through station to speed up journey times.

Pensioner Jonathan Gadd braved freezing conditions on Wednesday morning walking between Forster Square and the Interchange, where he planned to catch a bus to take him to his volunteer shift at Bolling Hall Museum.

“Public transport needs improvement in Bradford,” said the 70-year-old, who lives in Ilkley.

“People find it difficult changing from buses to trains and trains to buses because of the way it’s set up. The bus services could do with a lot of improvement as well.

“It’s a make-do situation. It could be improved greatly.”

A new station has been warmly welcomed by local leaders, but not everyone shared their positivity.

“They shouldn’t have got rid of the old Exchange Station years ago, there was nowt wrong with that,” said Keith Robinson, a retired sign-maker who was visiting the city centre with his wife Beverly for a bank appointment.

The Exchange Station made way for the Interchange 53 years ago after it was deemed to be too large.

Now, a bigger transport hub appears attractive to many, although Robinson was unconvinced by the latest government announcement about transforming transport in the north.

“This government will be out and the other one will come in and everything will change again,” he said.

Despite the announcement, a final decision over whether to build a new station in Bradford has yet to be made. A government spokesperson said that would take place by summer, with funding reserved in the event plans move forward.

In Sheffield, nurse Keira Heron welcomed the news of rail improvements.

“I work shifts and we need more reliable transport,” said the 26-year-old, whose train had been delayed by 35 minutes.

“There’s not enough trains provided for what we need at the minute and quite often they’re so overcrowded, then they sell more tickets than what’s available so there’s no seats.”

Simon Coombs, 40, who commutes from Chesterfield to Sheffield via train daily, was hesitant about the announcement, given the cancellation of HS2 in Yorkshire.

“If you’re looking at that then it doesn’t fill you with very much confidence,” he said.

“The proof will be in the pudding.”

Lucy, 22, felt more optimistic about the announcement.

She said she did not have a car and relied on the railway network to help her get to work and for meeting up with friends.

“It’s really important for me,” she said, while waiting for a train at Selby railway station.

“I hope that the work will get done because it will just make things a lot smoother, so I do hope that the improvements are made.”