New report into rail services indicates platforms need to be extended in and around Bradford

    A new report into local rail services has indicated that rail capacity in and around the Bradford District will only improve once a new platform in Leeds Rail Station is completed

    Plans were initially in place for new services begin in Bradford last month, although they have not yet started due to a lack of capacity in the rail network.

    West Yorkshire Combined Authority's Transport Committee will discuss the issue at a meeting on Friday, and hear that the under-construction Platform 0 at Leeds Rail Station may be integral to improving services in Bradford.

    However, the project getting underway could mean platforms at Bradford Forster Square and other rail stations in Keighley and Shipley need to be extended, in order to accommodate longer trains.

    Regarding the prospect of extending train platforms, the report said: "Platform lengths and configuration at Leeds station are preventing the operation of longer trains.

    "The layout of the network on approaches from both the west and east makes running more frequent trains difficult. This is now an urgent issue."

    “Six-car trains are due to be introduced on Leeds to Shipley, Keighley, Skipton and Ilkley services from December 2021 whose full benefit will not be realised without platform extensions at the stations where trains are busiest."

    The Platform 0 project to improve capacity at Leeds Station began in 2018, and is expected to be completed in December 2021.

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