BRADFORD Council’s Leader, Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe, has called on Northern to reinstate train services as quickly as possible, as she reiterated her opposition to timetable reductions the rail company is implementing from this week.

Cllr Hinchcliffe has been pressing the government-owned operator since summer last year to increase its services across the Bradford district and region and to reverse its planned reductions.

With the reduced timetable set to come into force, Cllr Hinchcliffe and West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin have met with Northern to seek assurances that services will be restored as planned by the end of the year at the latest, if not sooner.

Cllr Hinchcliffe, together with the Mayor and West Yorkshire leaders, continues to press Northern, the Department for Transport and Transport for the North to get a deliverable recovery plan in place.

Cllr Hinchcliffe will be raising these points again on behalf of West Yorkshire at the Rail North Committee on May 31st.

Cllr Susan Hinchcliffe said: “Together with West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin I have stated my strong opposition to Northern and government over these cuts to train services, which are having a considerable impact on people’s day to day lives across our district. Commuters need to get to and from work and education as well as getting out and about to support local businesses, so it’s not acceptable for government or Northern to sell our district short – particularly at this time as we come out of the pandemic and we are working hard to build the strongest possible economic recovery.

“People living along the Airedale and Wharfedale lines and those who rely on services connecting Bradford and Halifax and beyond are facing unacceptable difficulties in getting about for work, school and college and leisure. That’s why we are a united voice in calling for the services to be reinstated at the earliest opportunity because regular reliable services are fundamental to making people’s lives easier and getting our economy moving.”