A NEW connection from Bradford to Manchester Piccadilly and double the number of trains at Brighouse station, are two of the demands from a local rail users group.

Halifax & District Rail Action Group (HADRAG) has set out a number of demands ahead of a meeting being held this weekend.

They are calling for plans for better services on the Calder Valley Line, which runs from Leeds to Manchester Victoria and Blackpool North.

In particular, HADRAG members are keeping up its campaign for a better deal for stations – they want services doubling to Sowerby Bridge, Brighouse and a future Elland station.

HADRAG says these communities at least equal the population served by upper Calderdale stations and they need increased train frequencies. 

Their paper also calls for better links across Manchester, saying they were let down over promised links to the airport. This would involve a service from Bradford via Huddersfield to Manchester Piccadilly to at least partially connect the area with work, higher education, leisure and connections to the south of the city, including Manchester Airport.

Stephen Waring, chairman of HADRAG, said: “In the post-Covid world we need to get better value from the support provided for rail through taxation. Work patterns have changed. That should be an opportunity not a threat. An opportunity to open up rail travel, good for the environment and low-carbon, to more and more of the population. 

“Number one priority is the service must dependable. It must work properly meaning a decent timetable that delivers.

“We were let down back in 2018 when the broken promise of a cross-Manchester service from Bradford and Calderdale to the airport. One alternative could be a service to Manchester Piccadilly via Brighouse and Huddersfield - not just for the airport, but a direct link to work, higher education, leisure attractions and onward connections. 

“We want to see the Brighouse and Elland line developed, including better links upper Calderdale to Huddersfield with reliable connections. A direct link Calderdale-Wakefield-York could have massive mutual benefits. Not everybody wants to go to Leeds. This is about delivering value for the whole community.”

The speaker at HADRAG’s autumn meeting will be Councillor Colin Hutchinson, who is a Calderdale representative on the Transport Committee of West Yorkshire Combined Authority. He will speak about Metro’s rail strategy.

The meeting will be held on Saturday, November 26, in the Oddfellows room, Coleridge Street, Halifax. Doors open at 2pm for a 2.30pm start.

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