Another snub for Bradford in rail plans
From: Richard Killip, Thomas Fyre Drive, London.
LEAKED documents suggesting that Bradford city centre might be excluded from Northern Powerhouse Rail will come as no surprise to those of us that have grown used to grandiose plans for the city turning to sand.
Let’s be honest, a HS3 station for Bradford really only represents the scraps from Leeds’ HS2 table – an inevitability following its absorption into the Leeds City Region in 2007.
Any suggestion that Bradford can’t even have its city centre NPR station cements for Bradfordians the Government’s perception of their rightful place, which should be no shock following the decision to move HMRC – Bradford’s last government department – eight miles to the east.
As if Bradfordians needed any further evidence that they should know their place, the West Yorkshire Combined Authority recently approved a £24m road improvement scheme around Leeds’ Corn Exchange despite being assessed to be very poor value for money – a conclusion unlikely to be reached west of Pudsey.
Has any other British city in recent years been so starved of investment as poor old Bradford?
To deny Bradford its Northern Powerhouse Rail station will only have the effect of depriving an already cash-starved city of the much-needed investment it so desperately craves.
Don’t let your neighbours in Bradford fall even further behind. Please, let Bradford be part of your Northern Powerhouse.
From: CV Barton, Burley in Wharfedale.
MAY I thank The Yorkshire Post for constantly highlighting the disgraceful state our regional transport is in. Politicians from the 1950s are responsible.
Hopefully the new Northern Rail managers are searching the country for rail carriages which will enable them to run longer trains.
Then the public will be able to board their planned train. At the moment it is not possible to run more trains on the network. however we can run longer trains but this will require a lengthening programme for platforms.
To reduce dependence on private cars we have to plan for more use of the rail alternative and plan now for a doubling of rail use.
Many more stations on existing lines are required, for example Elland Road (football), Armley Canal Road (loadings like Burley Park) and many more stations.
Closed lines should be reopened – Wetherby, Otley, Ripon and the closed line between Leeds and Huddersfield.
All these would help to reduce road congestion and pollution from the city.
York is to ban cars from the city but people still lobby for the A64 to be widened. Scarborough has a very poor, expensive rail service, why not provide a high frequency low fare service?
This would be much cheaper than road enhancement, improve air quality, reduce gridlock and reduce the need for parking in York and Scarborough.
From: Steve Jackson, Stape, Pickering.
WE have had over three years of the Tories telling us that we must follow the democratic route when it came to the outcome of the referendum. So it came as a shock to see how they are now ignoring the democratic role of local government.
According to your reports, Robert Jenrick, the Communities Secretary, has ‘all but snuffed out the prospect of a One Yorkshire devolution deal’. Who does he think he is that he can overrule the democratic rights of the people of this great county?
Are they that scared of what might happen if we get the bit between our teeth and show those down there in Westminster just what we are capable of when our shackles are removed?