Bradford: Would it benefit from having one central station?

[Moonshot]

Instead of slow trains to Selby, I think Bradford people would prefer fast through trains to places like Sheffield and Birmingham which didn't go anywhere near Leeds.

There can't be a city of similar size anywhere in Europe which is treated with such contempt by its national rail network.

Would that be the case if the people of Bradford were prepared to pay an Open Access operator to provide fast through trains to Sheffield and Birmingham?

 

[tbtc]

Instead of slow trains to Selby, I think Bradford people would prefer fast through trains to places like Sheffield and Birmingham which didn't go anywhere near Leeds.

There can't be a city of similar size anywhere in Europe which is treated with such contempt by its national rail network.

Why does it matter whether trains go via Leeds? (other than some civic pride thing?)

Sunderland is a big place but lost its direct services to Leeds/ Manchester etc a few years ago, now only has one train an hour to Newcastle (plus light rail) - GC at least supply some services for York/ London, but nothing like the service that Wearside used to get

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Surely Bradford Exchange (LYR) was built well before the Queensbury lines (GNR) were on the cards.

The LYR Bradford Exchange railway station opened in 1850.

The GNR Queensbury line was constructed from 1876 to 1878.

 

[alwaystouchout]

Couldn't some Bradford Interchange services be routed via Leeds and the ECML junction at Hambleton? Surely it would give Bradford faster services to London rather than prioritising London services for smaller towns such as Pontefract and Brighouse.

 

[BantamMenace]

Grand Central wouldn't be allowed to run via Leeds as they'd extract revenue from East coast. If a service from Bradford to London via Leeds were instated it'd most likely have to be the holder of the East Coast intercity franchise that operated it

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Grand Central wouldn't be allowed to run via Leeds as they'd extract revenue from East coast. If a service from Bradford to London via Leeds were instated it'd most likely have to be the holder of the East Coast intercity franchise that operated it

Well, they could well operate via Leeds- though they might not be permitted to stop there!

 

[Old Yard Dog]

Too many people think every train has to go to the same place, even when there is a frequent service on a particular line.

Is every HS2 service going to go to Leeds, stopping at Birmingham, Toton and Meadowhall, possibly at 10-15 minute intervals? Of course not. There is capacity for a variety of workings. And these should include connections allowing some trains to run through to Bradford, others to Newcastle & Scotland, others to Halifax/Huddersfield.

A similar situation exists in Germany. While most ICE workings running north from Bavaria and Switzerland via Mannheim continue to Frankfurt, a few divert off and run to its smaller neighbour Mainz (and beyond).

I am not sure whether HS2 workings to Scotland should go via York though. Railway passengers from West Yorkshire and Greater Manchester have had to suffer the long diversion via York for well over a century due to the political machinations of a certain Mr George Hudson.

I've often wondered why nobody ever attempted to build a direct line from say Blackburn or Burnley to Darlington. It would cut maybe 40 miles off a Manchester - Newcastle journey. But of course such a line would need to cross the Yorkshire Dales via a endless series of viaducts and tunnels so was probably never viable either economically or environmentally.

 

[NorthernSpirit]

Couldn't some Bradford Interchange services be routed via Leeds and the ECML junction at Hambleton? Surely it would give Bradford faster services to London rather than prioritising London services for smaller towns such as Pontefract and Brighouse.

Well if Brighouse lost its direct service to London, I won't be happy as I use that service at least every two to three weeks and neither will those who I know in Brockholes, Nehterthing and Holmfirth who also use the service. Pontefract doesn't just serve Pontefract it serves the Five Towns (Ponte, Knottingley, Nornamton, Featherstone and Castleford).

 

[AndyHudds]

Well if Brighouse lost its direct service to London, I won't be happy as I use that service at least every two to three weeks and neither will those who I know in Brockholes, Nehterthing and Holmfirth who also use the service. Pontefract doesn't just serve Pontefract it serves the Five Towns (Ponte, Knottingley, Nornamton, Featherstone and Castleford).

They won't knock the the West Riding service on the head, I've caught it twice from Brighouse and both times there was about 50 people waiting for it!! Granted it was a Saturday on both occasions, but nonetheless I was pleasantly surprised at how many people were actually waiting for it.