Which Bradford station should LNER serve ?

[Halifaxlad]

With news that £24 million is to be spent on a new platform at Forster Square to allow for LNER services.

The fact that Bradford Interchange is Bradford's main station and that Bradford is to have a new station. The line between Leeds and Bradford via New Pudsey is to be electrified.

Which Bradford station should LNER serve ?

 

[Ken H]

With news that £24 million is to be spent on a new platform at Forster Square to allow for LNER services.

The fact that Bradford Interchange is Bradford's main station and that Bradford is to have a new station. The line between Leeds and Bradford via New Pudsey is to be electrified.

Which Bradford station should LNER serve ?

I think it will hang on whether Shipley or New Pudsey will generate more passengers. Bear in mind, for huge swathes of Bradford (old pre 1974 city area), Forster Sq or Interchange are not convenient or close.

Of course 'Bradford' now includes Ilkley, Keighley & the Worth Valley, and Shipley. Places where people will usually change at Leeds because its a large rail hub, and the Aire and Wharfe valleys have direct services to Leeds.

What I am not sure of is how much people get the train from London TO Bradford.

 

[Manutd1999]

If the line was electrified, then it should probably be Interchange so that all London services are focused from one station. But it's not electrified and I have zero faith that it will be done any time soon, so I guess Forster SQ is a reasonable compromise.

 

[Neptune]

But it’s not just Bradford that it serves.

LNER serve a large market from Shipley (the 0604 Skipton - Bradford service that feeds 1A07 on a morning tips plenty onto it at Shipley everyday). When I’ve travelled on it there are loads of Shipley - London reservations proving it‘s not just a glorified Leeds commuter service.

Also GC serve far more than just Bradford which a lot of people seem to forget. Therefore the spread is correct. LNER service Bradford and Airedale from Forster Square, GC serve Bradford, Halifax, Brighouse etc from Interchange.

 

[xotGD]

With Bradford crossrail, trains could do a loop to serve Bradford Hbf, out via Shipley, back via Pudsey, or vice versa.

So I'm voting "none of the above".

 

[mike57]

Some thoughts:

Chances of Bradford Crossrail or whatever you want to call it... Probably close to zero.
Forster Square is already electified, when will Interchange be electified, my guess would be 20 years or more based on current electrification progress.
Upgrades as a result of NPR or whatever takes its place, so far into the future as to be no help now.

Based on these points current proposals make sense. If in 20+ years time things have changed then service pattern could be changed.

 

[Bantamzen]

With news that £24 million is to be spent on a new platform at Forster Square to allow for LNER services.

The fact that Bradford Interchange is Bradford's main station and that Bradford is to have a new station. The line between Leeds and Bradford via New Pudsey is to be electrified.

Which Bradford station should LNER serve ?

Forster Square would remain my choice. As others have pointed out a fairly regular service could serve the Aire & Wharfe lines at Shipley, taking a little pressure off the commuter services along both. I'd also like to see some improvements at Shipley, especially the waiting room and the subway that constantly floods.

Edit: And its worth pointing out that the "new" station is Bradford was expected to be halfway up the hill from the Interchange, in an industrial area & a long way from the city centre. It probably doesn't take too much time to work out that it isn't going to happen because pretty much nobody wants or needs it.