Bradford Interchange vs Bradford Forster Square

[SemaphoreSam]

Ignorant query from 'cross the sea...was there ever a movement to connect the two stations, or better, consolidate in to one common station in the middle? Seems to my befuddled brain a "no brainer"...Sam

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Ignorant query from 'cross the sea...was there ever a movement to connect the two stations, or better, consolidate in to one common station in the middle? Seems to my befuddled brain a "no brainer"...Sam

This gets suggested on this forum approximately 5 times a year. It has been proposed officially in the past but never got going. Some would be in favour as it would reduce reversals and open up new through routes, personally I don't think it'd be worth it as it would actually extend journey times from the Upper Calder Valley to Leeds by sending them via the longer route via Shipley.

 

[Bevan Price]

Going back further in time - in its heyday, before being rebulit, Bradford Forster Square was a major station, with through services/portions via Leeds City via Sheffield to London St Pancras, Birmingham, Bristol and the South-west, and services to Carlisle and Morecambe, in addition to the local services to Leeds City calling at stations which are just being re-opened on the Aire Valley line.

It was a magnificent structure, which, in its latter years, was given-over mainly to parcels traffic. You had to pick your way through barrows to find your train!
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Before then, many Bradford/Leeds-London services were portion-worked - the main train running to/from Leeds Central, with a 3-coach portion, usually headed by a Stanier tank engine, from Bradford Exchange via Drighlington and Morley Top to Wakefield Westgate, where it was attached/detached from the main train.
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Didn't the fact that the road overbridge at the entrance to Exchange station was getting to the stage that serious maintenance work would be required to continue its safety, plus the perceived need to provide a bus station for all of Bradford's bus terminii, inspire the building of Bradford Interchange on the other side of the bridge?

They also originally built a maintenance depot under the bus station - a bus garage with a bus station on its roof... hmm!


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And many of the local buses have now deserted the bus station, which has been reduced in size to the equivalent of a single wide island platform.

 

[Darren R]

Ignorant query from 'cross the sea...was there ever a movement to connect the two stations, or better, consolidate in to one common station in the middle? Seems to my befuddled brain a "no brainer"...Sam

As has already been said, the notion of a 'Bradford Crossrail' has been floated by the council and features quite regularly on this forum.

However, historically there have been several plans to combine the two terminal stations. The most serious attempt was that by the Midland Railway, which gained the necessary Act of Parliament for its scheme in 1911. By constructing several short connecting lines and using running powers over other companies' lines, the Midland intended to be able to operate trains off its main line from St Pancras northwards over the Settle & Carlisle via Bradford, avoiding the congested area around the various stations in Leeds.

By the time the First World War broke out (for us here in the UK that was 1914 ), the Midland had purchased much of the land it needed in Bradford city centre, but due to the war the plan got no further and was finally abandoned in 1920. By that time, the proposed line had even got as far as being marked on Railway Clearing House maps. (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Yorkshire_RJD_1914#/media/File:Colne,_Halifax,_Holmfield_%26_Keighley_Laister_Dyke,_Bowling,_Bradford,_Low_Moor_%26_Shipley_RJD_8.jpg)

 

[SemaphoreSam]

This gets suggested on this forum approximately 5 times a year. It has been proposed officially in the past but never got going. Some would be in favour as it would reduce reversals and open up new through routes, personally I don't think it'd be worth it as it would actually extend journey times from the Upper Calder Valley to Leeds by sending them via the longer route via Shipley.

Now that the importance of rail, vrs. auto/bus, is quite diminished, I can understand that costs might be prohibitive; but, in the 1890's and early 00's, one would have thought the small geographic space could have been easily and cheaply breached, and many advantages gained. Obviously I'm wrong, but I'm at a loss as to why....maybe rail company objections/competition? Sam

 

[edwin_m]

Now that the importance of rail, vrs. auto/bus, is quite diminished, I can understand that costs might be prohibitive; but, in the 1890's and early 00's, one would have thought the small geographic space could have been easily and cheaply breached, and many advantages gained. Obviously I'm wrong, but I'm at a loss as to why....maybe rail company objections/competition? Sam

The previous post suggests it would have happened if WW1 had not broken out.

I should also add that railway companies generally avoided building in existing city centres - most of the main stations were at the edge of the city when they were built. There are some exceptions, notably the Great Central in Nottingham and Leicester.

 

[30907]

Now that the importance of rail, vrs. auto/bus, is quite diminished, I can understand that costs might be prohibitive; but, in the 1890's and early 00's, one would have thought the small geographic space could have been easily and cheaply breached, and many advantages gained. Obviously I'm wrong, but I'm at a loss as to why....maybe rail company objections/competition? Sam

Competition, as the Midland (who proposed the Dewsbury Market Place to Bradford link, though I'm not sure it was more than a line on a map) didn't have any access to Bradford from the south. And the city centre would have been fully built up by 1900, as Bradford was at the height of its prosperity.

 

[thejuggler]

There has been talk recently of any HS3 line serving Bradford as well as Leeds.

Is this actually possible? The stations are only about 10 miles apart so hardly time for any service to get to a decent speed before slowing, Leeds to Wakefield springs to mind.

Aditionally is it physically possibly to build a line from Manchester to Leeds via Bradford which doesn't involve tens of unjustifiable billions on a tunnel under the Pennines. As Bradford is in a bowl surrounded by a dense urban environment where would another station even go which allows the route to continue to Leeds without reversing or would it all have to be underground!