By Chris Young, local democracy reporter
A train service linking two Cities of Culture is to be scrapped to tackle “poor reliability.”
Northern is planning major changes to its Hull to Halifax service, which stops at Leeds and Bradford.
The rail operator says the service is often heavily delayed, and these delays mean it is regularly terminated at Bradford or Leeds.
To tackle the issue, the Hull train will now stop at Leeds – no longer continuing on to Bradford and Halifax.
Passengers wanting to travel to Hull from Bradford will now have to change in Leeds.
But Northern claims other local routes will be improved as part of the shake up.
Hull was the UK City of Culture in 2017, with Bradford holding the honour in 2025.
The proposed changes were discussed by West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s Weaver Network Board on Thursday.
A report to the board said: “Northern is currently consulting the Combined Authority on a proposed timetable change affecting services between Hull, Selby, Leeds, Bradford and Halifax, and between Bradford, Halifax and Huddersfield.
“The Hull–Leeds–Bradford–Halifax service has experienced poor reliability for some time. Delays occurring on either side of Leeds often affect the wider route, meaning services are regularly terminated early at Leeds or Bradford and do not reach Halifax as planned.
“To improve performance, Northern has proposed that Hull services would terminate at Leeds and no longer continue to Bradford and Halifax.
“To maintain connectivity, the Bradford–Halifax–Huddersfield service would be extended to start and finish at Leeds.
“The main impacts of the proposal would be:
- Improved reliability and punctuality across a wider area of the network.
- Halifax, Bradford, New Pudsey and Bramley would lose regular direct services to Cross Gates, East Garforth, Micklefield and stations further east to Selby and Hull, with passengers needing to change trains at Leeds. However, all of these stations except Bramley would retain direct services to Garforth and stations onwards to York.
- Low Moor, Brighouse and, in future, Elland would gain a second hourly service to Leeds, providing more frequent connections.
“Combined Authority officers consider there is a strong case for the proposed change. While some passengers would lose direct services, the overall benefits from improved reliability are expected to outweigh these disadvantages.”
Peter Carlill, Labour Councillor for Calverley and Farsley, raised concerns about the impact on rail passengers using New Pudsey Station.
He said the withdrawal of the service will leave a “gap” at peak times in the morning commute.
Sponsored content
I recently wanted to get from Leeds to Low moor….had to change in Bradford for a train showing it was going to Cottingley! The train was going to Leeds via Halifax and Dewsbury and guare explained they don’t want passengers for Leeds getting on it in Bradford. When it reached Low Moor the destination had changed to Leeds.
The Leeds to Chester trains via Bradford Interchange stop at Low Moor.
I use that Halifax to Hull train daily between Leeds and New Pudsey, Bradford and Halifax in both directions. It’s more reliable than the Manchester, Chester and York trains. No idea what Northern Rail are talking about.
I will miss not being able to get a direct train from New Pudsey to Selby.
This would be a nightmare. Its the most reliable service for commuting on a morning and always the train with the most carriages. These changes would be awful and cause further disruptions at Bramley. Bramley always gets missed out while Pudsey has extra trains!!
Of course at busy times having to change at Leeds doesn’t mean you get off one train then get on another, it means you arrive at Leeds Station where you find they’re six deep on the platform for the train you want and you’re right at the back of the queue so it’s full long before you have a chance to get on board, wait for the next one, rinse and repeat. So you give it up as a bad job and buy a car.
I am 80 and my sister and I use this service regularly from New Pudsey and Selby.
The thought of exchanging in Leeds where you always just miss the connection and they are always on opposite platforms makes it a much longer and uncomfortable journey.
As a commuter who regularly uses Bramley to Leeds for work this proposal will see a reduction in service and connectivity for the people of Bramley.
With the already removed blackbool service which goes through Bramley but does not stop there I question the case for this change, passenger numbers have remained consistently high for the station in peak hours.
I urge WYCA to reconsider and if the service is considered poor and unreliable perhaps Northern need to submit a timetable that is realistic.