The diagram shows existing routes in black, with proposed
reopenings and the cross - Bradford link in broken red.
The cross - city line would enable a variety of through
services to operate, creating new direct links and
avoiding the need to travel via Leeds.
The current lack of through services adds considerably
to journey times due not only to the time taken to
cross the city centre, but also the addtional connection time
it is necessary to allow. This affects bus / rail transfers
across the city as well as just rail to rail.
|
The route for the cross Bradford link from Interchange Station would cross under Bridge Street, as the lines did previously to enter the former Exchange Station, and skirt the court building on the south and east sides, crossing the present car park close to the retaining wall. All this area was part of the Exchange Station complex prior to the station's closure. The line would cross Hall Ings / Eastbrook Well by way of a bridge, and would remain elevated on viaduct to cross the city centre to allow the passage of vehicles, including double deck buses, beneath. After passing Forster Square / Cheapside, the line would descend to join the main line north of Forster Square Station. In the Forster Square area, removal of some low quality developments, may be required to facilitate this. The steepness of the gradient would depend on the type of traffic using the line. As can be seen on the page 'The gradient - is it a problem?' (link below), modern passenger rolling stock can cope with steeper gradients than was usual when present lines were constructed in the nineteenth century when steam traction was the norm. It may be possible to add elevated through platforms at Forster Square. Alternatively the line might follow a route to the east of the present station, which would remain a separate terminus. The demolition taking place, of that part of the city centre which lies between the two stations, presents the first opportunity since the 1960s to protect a corridor for a future linking of the rail system to the north and south of the city. The Broadway Development as planned would kill off this possibility for a generation. BRUG feels that the re-development of the city centre could have been designed to allow for the link, which would bring benefits both to Bradford, and to those places enjoying new direct rail links for the first time. Some journeys previously made via Leeds would take people across the centre of Bradford instead, raising the profile and awareness of the city. |