TWO major transport projects for the Bradford area - including a £2 billion rail scheme - have been announced by the Prime Minister.

In his keynote speech at the Conservative Party's conference in Manchester today, Rishi Sunak referenced Network North, which will see a new station in Bradford - something which has been promised by the Tories for years.

He also pledged to fund the long-awaited Shipley bypass using cash from a £460 million pot for "smaller road schemes across the north".

The news comes as Mr Sunak axed the HS2 project from Birmingham to Manchester and promised to use the £36 billion of savings to fund hundreds of other transport schemes.

Mr Sunak said: "With our new Network North, you will be able to get from Manchester to the new station in Bradford in 30 minutes, Sheffield in 42 minutes, and to Hull in 84 minutes on a fully, electrified line."

The Government said £2 billion would be spent on the new station in Bradford along with the new line to Manchester.

It has not yet been confirmed by the Government exactly where Bradford's new station will be built or when work will start on it. 

Imran Hussain, Labour MP for Bradford East, said: "A new Bradford train station is a crucial part of the Northern Powerhouse.

"But how many times have we been promised this only for it to be cancelled?

"Mr Sunak can read out his wish-list of rail projects in the north, but let's remember the Tories haven't delivered even one on time and within budget.

"Who can trust them now?"

Tong ward Councillor Matt Edwards, leader of the Green Party on Bradford Council, said:"Despite what the Prime Minister claims, Network North is just a rebranded way of funding projects that have already been announced time and time again.

"We have been promised an improved rail line between Manchester and Bradford for decades and given this Government's track record on cancelling infrastructure I'll believe it when I see it.

"The Prime Minister's speech failed to set out how this Government will make travel more affordable for the people in Bradford who are really struggling with the cost-of-living crisis, the rise in the cost of motoring and the lack of credible public transport alternatives.

"There is nothing about how this Government is going to tackle the crippling congestion that is costing our economy billions and inflicting dangerous air pollution on people living near main roads – in fact, schemes like the Shipley bypass will clog up our roads even more. 

"Around a quarter of the households across our city don't drive and there was absolutely nothing in this speech for them," added Cllr Edwards, who is also the Green Party's national transport spokesperson.

Darren Parkinson, a Shipley town councillor for the Green Party, criticised the news about Shipley bypass. 

He described it as "unbelievable" that Mr Sunak had announced funding.

He added: "This is entirely the wrong decision.

"This new road will create more pollution, more carbon emissions and more traffic."

Cancelling the northern leg of HS2, Mr Sunak told his party's conference the project's costs had "more than doubled".

He said: "I say to those who backed the project in the first place, the facts have changed.

"And the right thing to do when the facts change is to have the courage to change direction."

Responding to this announcement, West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin said: "This is yet another betrayal of the north which will punish passengers and businesses alike.

"As we have found with this Government, the devil is in the detail and we can't take them at their word.

"Northern transport investment requires long-term planning and conversations with local leaders who know their areas best."

Mark Casci, head of policy and representation at West and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce, added: "The scrapping of the HS2 link to Manchester is the final nail in the coffin for high-speed rail in the north of England.

"After more than a decade of promises, life-changing infrastructure upgrades which would have done so much to boost productivity and investment into the north have now been done away with at the stroke of a pen.

"We are now left with the same Victorian rail network that will simply not have the capacity to deal with demand over the coming decades.

"While a commitment to local connectivity is welcome, such as the plans for a new through station for Bradford and for the Shipley bypass to be funded, these are preexisting plans that have been talked about in some cases for years but with little by way of delivery.  

"Business investment decisions in the north for more than ten years have been made with HS2 in mind.

"All in all, this is a dark day for the north's economy."