Bradford Crossrail

Last updated

Diagram of city centre stations in Bradford, West Yorkshire Bradford stations.svg
Diagram of city centre stations in Bradford, West Yorkshire

Bradford Crossrail is an idea to link together Bradford's two railway stations, Bradford Forster Square and Bradford Interchange. [1] Both these stations are truncated versions of former station sites, Bradford Forster Square station and Bradford Exchange. These stations were built in the nineteenth century by different railway companies with an individual, rather than a comprehensive plan for rail development in the city.

Contents

History

Linking the stations was first suggested as early as 1845; however, an Act of Parliament granted to the Midland Railway on the 25 July 1896 permitted them to build a new branch railway from Royston in South Yorkshire to Queens Road north of Bradford. The West Riding Lines Act allowed for a tunnel underneath the east side of Bradford, bypassing Exchange station, with underground platforms at Forster Square and emerging out to serve Manningham and beyond. The tunnel was to be 5,000 yards (4,600 m) long. [2]

Another proposal was put forward in 1911 [3] and an enabling Act known as the "Bradford Through Lines Act" was passed. [4] The area between the stations was heavily built-up with Victorian warehouses, shops and offices, so the 1911 plan would have involved a large amount of demolition. This plan called for a line starting near Low Moor with a 3,600 yards (3,300 m) tunnel with a girder bridge high above Forster Square. [5] The start of World War I put a stop to these plans. The Midland eventually abandoned the plan and on the 30 September 1920, it sold all the buildings it had purchased for the scheme back to the Bradford Corporation for £295,000. [6]

Another plan was to emerge in the 1950s when Bradford Corporation members discussed a circular rail service through Bradford using a new tunnel. This would see a train leaving Forster Square and calling at Manningham, Frizinghall, Shipley, Thackley, Idle, Eccleshill, Laisterdyke, St Dunstan's, Bradford Exchange and back into Forster Square (and vice versa). This would use the closed Shipley and Windhill Line. The tunnel was eventually rejected as the height difference between Exchange and Forster Square of 70 feet (21 m) made the gradient unacceptable. [7]

By the late 1950s and early 1960s many of the Victorian buildings in central Bradford were demolished to make way for the urban vision of the then Bradford city engineer Stanley Wardley. [8] Although the land between the two stations was cleared to make way for new office blocks and an urban ring road, the plans did not include a cross rail link. A slightly different vision did emerge in the 1970s when the Victorian Bradford Exchange station was demolished and a new integrated Bradford Interchange rail and bus station was built to the south of Bridge Street. [9]

The idea of a crossrail route for Bradford was raised in 1989, when the estimated cost was £30 million. By 2010, when another proposal was mooted, the cost was estimated at £140 million. [10]

Many of Wardley’s highrise office blocks and shops did not ultimately prove successful and by the late 1980s many of them lay empty. An initial plan was put forward to redevelop part of the city centre with a shopping development called the Broadway Centre. Forster Square station was truncated in 1990 and a new station was built some distance to the north of the original to facilitate these plans. The aim was to build part of the new shopping centre in place of some of the demolished 1960s buildings with the rest of the centre taking up the site of the old station. By truncating the station it was hoped that passengers walking to the new platforms would shop in the shopping centre, thus making it more viable. The recession of the early 1990s however, put paid to these plans and Broadway Centre was never built. [11]

21st century

By 2004 another plan had emerged to build a new Westfield shopping centre in the middle of Bradford. [12] This led to the wholesale urban clearance of many of the 1960s buildings to make way for the new centre. Although work started on laying the groundwork for the new shopping centre another recession again put paid to the initial plans with Westfield still planning to build a new smaller centre when financial conditions were more favourable. In January 2014, [13] the site was cleared and steelwork was erected in March 2014 [14] with the main building works following on. The centre was opened to the public in November 2015. [15]

As most of the land between the stations is now clear of buildings this has led to further speculation about the viability of building a cross city heavy rail link. Bradford Council had discussed plans long before in the 1980s, but linking the stations was ultimately deemed to be too expensive. Today, even with the clearance of most of the land there is no official plan by either the Bradford Council or the Westfield Group to develop a link. Although Westfield did design and fund the new Shepherd's Bush station as part of their West London shopping development. [16] The development of Stratford station in East London is also connected to Westfield's Stratford City project. [17]

In 2010, a group of local businessmen and councillors have put forward a plan to link Bradford's stations. [18] Inspired by other rail projects, such as the London Overground link in Shoreditch, the Bradford business plan involved building new Bradford central station linked by a viaduct and track bridging the distance (currently 0.44 miles (0.71 km)) and the gradient difference involved. The Bradford Crossrail plan is aimed to stimulate business investment in Bradford, but due to the high costs and major engineering works involved it is not likely to be taken forward at this time as a heavy rail link; however, The One North Report from 2014 suggested a tram-train route from the Interchange via Forster Square and continuing on to Leeds Bradford Airport. [19]

The Campaign for Better Transport support the proposal to join the two stations at Bradford with a crossrail link. The support comes from their Re-Opening Rail Lines campaign, which is focused around previous railways being re-opened. [20]

In January 2019, Campaign for Better Transport released a report identifying the line which was listed as Priority 2 for being built. Priority 2 is for those lines which require further development or a change in circumstances (such as housing developments). [21]

The Northern Powerhouse Rail project has also mooted a project to link Leeds and Manchester with a through route at Bradford. Whilst this would either involve a bypass line south of the city and a parkway station at Low Moor or a new route tunnelling through the city centre, neither option mentions connecting the lines from both north and south of the city. [22]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crossrail</span> Railway project in London, England

Crossrail is a railway construction project centred around London. Its aim is to provide a high-frequency hybrid commuter rail and rapid transit system crossing the capital from suburbs on the west to east, by connecting two major railway lines terminating in London: the Great Western Main Line and the Great Eastern Main Line. The project was approved in 2007, and construction began in 2009 on the central section and connections to existing lines that became part of the route, which has been branded the Elizabeth line in honour of Queen Elizabeth II who opened the line on 17 May 2022 during her Platinum Jubilee. The central section of the line between Paddington and Abbey Wood opened on 24 May 2022, with 12 trains per hour running in each direction through the core section in Central London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Merseyrail</span> Metro rail network in England

Merseyrail is a metro railway system serving the Liverpool City Region and adjacent areas of Cheshire and Lancashire. Merseyrail operates 66 railway stations across two lines – the Northern Line and the Wirral Line, which are dedicated 750 V DC third rail electrified lines converging into underground sections in the centres of Liverpool and Birkenhead. Merseyrail branding is also applied to stations and ticketing on the City Line, which are within the Liverpool City Region but operated by other train operating companies, predominantly Northern Trains. The City Line services operate on the Liverpool to Manchester Lines and the Liverpool to Wigan Line using a mix of AC electric and diesel trains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leeds railway station</span> Mainline railway station in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England

Leeds railway station is the mainline railway station serving the city centre of Leeds in West Yorkshire, England. It is the third-busiest railway station in the UK outside London. It is located on New Station Street to the south of City Square, at the foot of Park Row, behind the landmark Queens Hotel. It is one of 20 stations managed by Network Rail.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Calder Valley line</span> Railway line in England

The Calder Valley line is a railway route in Northern England between the cities of Leeds and Manchester as well as the seaside resort of Blackpool. It is the slower of the two main rail routes between Leeds and Manchester, and the northernmost of the three main trans-Pennine routes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leeds–Bradford lines</span>

The Leeds–Bradford lines are two railway lines connecting the cities of Leeds and Bradford in West Yorkshire, both meeting in Leeds railway station and are included in the West Yorkshire Metro area system of lines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Airedale line</span> Rail line in Yorkshire, England

The Airedale line is one of the rail services in the West Yorkshire Metro area centred on West Yorkshire in northern England. The service is operated by Northern, on the route connecting Leeds and Bradford with Skipton. Some services along the line continue to Morecambe or Carlisle. The route covered by the service was historically part of the Midland Railway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bradford Forster Square railway station</span> Railway station in West Yorkshire, England

Bradford Forster Square railway station serves Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The majority of services to/from the railway station use Class 333 electric multiple units operated by Northern Trains; they run on the Airedale Line to Skipton, the Wharfedale Line to Ilkley and the Leeds-Bradford Line to Leeds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bradford Interchange</span> Railway station in West Yorkshire, England

Bradford Interchange is a transport interchange in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, which consists of a railway station and bus station adjacent. The Interchange, which was designed in 1962, was hailed as a showpiece of European design and was opened on 14 January 1973. It is served by the majority of bus services in the city centre, while the railway station, which is one of two in the city centre, is served by Northern and is also the terminus for Grand Central services from London King's Cross.

Crossrail Glasgow is a proposed railway development in Central Scotland to connect the stations Glasgow Central and Queen Street. It has been estimated at a cost of £200 million.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forster Square</span> Open space in central Bradford, England

Forster Square in central Bradford was redeveloped in the (2006) Broadway development, but gives its name to Bradford Forster Square railway station, retail park and a stretch of road in front of Kala Sangam opposite the statue of William Edward Forster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apperley Bridge railway station</span> Railway station in West Yorkshire, England

Apperley Bridge station is situated in Bradford on the line between Leeds and Shipley, West Yorkshire, England. It serves the district of Apperley Bridge in the north-east of the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crossrail 2</span> Proposed railway in London, England

Crossrail 2 is a proposed hybrid commuter rail and rapid transit route in South East England, running from nine stations in Surrey to three in Hertfordshire, providing a new North–South rail link across Greater London. It would connect the South West Main Line to the West Anglia Main Line, via Victoria and King's Cross St Pancras. It is intended to alleviate severe overcrowding that would otherwise occur on commuter rail routes into Central London by the 2030s. Should permission be granted, construction is expected to start around 2023, with the new line opening from the early 2030s. The project's cost has been estimated at £31.2 billion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Picc-Vic tunnel</span> Proposed underground railway in Manchester, England

Picc-Vic was a proposed, and later cancelled, underground railway designed in the early 1970s with the purpose of connecting two major mainline railway termini in Manchester city centre, England. The name Picc-Vic was a contraction of the two station names, Manchester Piccadilly and Manchester Victoria. The proposal envisaged the construction of an underground rail tunnel across Manchester city centre. The scheme was abandoned in 1977 during its proposal stages due to excessive costs, and that the scheme still retained two large and expensive-to-maintain terminal stations in Manchester; other similar sized cities had reduced their terminals to one.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old Oak Common railway station</span> Planned railway station in London

Old Oak Common (OOC) is a railway station under construction on the site of the Old Oak Common traction maintenance depot to the west of London in Old Oak Common, approximately 500 m (1,600 ft) south of Willesden Junction station. When built, it is expected to be one of the largest rail hubs in London, at about 800 m (2,600 ft) in length and 20 m (66 ft) below surface level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Low Moor railway station</span> Railway station in West Yorkshire, England

Low Moor railway station serves the villages of Low Moor and Oakenshaw in the south of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The station is situated on the Calder Valley Line between Bradford Interchange and Halifax.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bradford Exchange railway station</span> Former railway station in Bradford. Yorkshire, England

Bradford Exchange railway station served the city of Bradford, West Riding of Yorkshire, England, from 1850 to 1973, before being replaced by a smaller, new-build station, which was later called Bradford Interchange. Railway lines from Halifax, Queensbury, Wakefield and Leeds met south of the city centre with services terminating in the station. In the British Rail era, many services did not terminate at Exchange station but became through services which reversed in the station to carry on their journey. Exchange station was originally opened in 1850 by the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway (L&YR) as Drake Street, becoming Exchange in April 1867 with the arrival of services from the Great Northern Railway (GNR).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Broadway, Bradford</span> Shopping mall in Bradford, England

The Broadway is a shopping and leisure complex in the centre of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, which opened on 5 November 2015. It was built and was operated, in its first year, by the Westfield Corporation but is owned by Ellandi. It is currently operated by Munroe K Asset Management Ltd.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bradford</span> City in West Yorkshire, England

Bradford is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is governed by a metropolitan borough named after the city, the wider county has devolved powers. It had a population of 349,561 at the 2011 census; the second-largest subdivision of the West Yorkshire Built-up Area after Leeds, which is approximately 9 miles (14 km) to the east. The borough had a population of 546,412, making it the 7th most populous district in England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shipley Great Northern Railway branch line</span> Disused railway line in West Yorkshire, England

The Shipley Great Northern Railway branch line was a railway line that ran east, south and then westwards from Shipley to Bradford in West Yorkshire. The route was opened in 1874 to goods traffic and then to passengers in 1875 by the Great Northern Railway (GNR) and looped around the eastern edge of Bradford. The GNR arrived after other railways had been established in the West Yorkshire area and many of their lines were heavily reliant on tunnels and grand viaducts, the Shipley and Windhill line being an exception to this, although it did have some steep gradients. The branch extended for 8.5 miles (13.7 km) between the two termini of Shipley Windhill and Bradford Exchange. The route as built from Laisterdyke to Shipley was actually only 6.5 miles (10.5 km) as the initial section from Bradford Exchange to Laisterdyke was already in existence as part of the Great Northern Railway's line to Leeds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Esholt Sewage Works Railway</span> Former industrial railway in West Yorkshire, England

Esholt Sewage Works Railway was a standard gauge works railway constructed in 1910 to serve a sewage works in Esholt, West Yorkshire, England.

References

  1. "BRADFORD : HIGH SPEED RAIL CONNECTIVITY PROSPECTS" (PDF). High Speed. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
  2. Thornhill, John (1986). "All Change - Bradford's through railway schemes". The Bradford Antiquary. 3 (2): 39–41. ISSN   0955-2553.
  3. "The proposed Midland Line through Bradford" . Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer. 20 July 1911. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
  4. "Cross-Bradford Rail Link (Hansard, 22 June 1988)". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard) . 22 June 1988. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
  5. Whitaker, Alan (1986). Bradford Railways Remembered. Clapham: Dalesman. p. 42. ISBN   9780852068700.
  6. Thornhill, John (1986). "All Change - Bradford's through railway schemes". The Bradford Antiquary. 3 (2): 44. ISSN   0955-2553.
  7. Whitaker, Alan (1986). Bradford Railways Remembered. Clapham: Dalesman. p. 44. ISBN   9780852068700.
  8. Greenhalf, Jim (13 February 2012). "Out with the old in with the new". Telegraph and Argus. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
  9. Armour, Chris. "Bradford Exchange". Disused Stations. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
  10. "Campaign aims to link Interchange and Forster Square". Telegraph and Argus. 26 July 2010. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
  11. Qureshi, Irna (21 September 2012). "Why does Bradford care so much about a derelict cinema?". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  12. Lowson, Rob (8 May 2014). "Old meets new as Broadway begins to transform the city centre". Telegraph and Argus. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
  13. Tickner, Julie (7 January 2014). "Joy as Broadway scheme gets off the ground at last in Bradford". Telegraph and Argus. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
  14. "Westfield is steeled for action on Bradford's Broadway site". Telegraph and Argus. 8 March 2014. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
  15. Ginns, Bernard (5 November 2015). "Resurgent Bradford in billion pound boost from new Broadway centre". Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
  16. McFall, Brigid (23 October 2008). "Westfield Shopping Centre". BBC News. No. Programme, Politics Show. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
  17. Greed, Clara; Johnson, David (2014). "Regeneration, Retail & Renewal". Planning in the UK. Basingstoke: Palgrave MacMillan. p. 225. ISBN   978-0-230-30333-1.
  18. White, Jim (16 July 2010). "Business leaders make new appeal for line to join two Bradford train stations". Telegraph and Argus. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
  19. Armstrong, Claire (14 August 2014). "Tram-train scheme could link Bradford's two railway stations". Telegraph and Argus. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
  20. "Re-opening rail lines campaign". Better Transport. Campaign for Better Transport. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
  21. "The case for expanding the rail network" (PDF). bettertransport.org.uk. p. 42. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
  22. Haigh, Phillip (27 March 2019). "Ambitious route to unlocking Bradford's economic potential". Rail Magazine. No. 875. Peterborough: Bauer Media. pp. 40–41. ISSN   0953-4563.