Bradford's old tram tracks unearthed during city centre roadworks

In April, the T&A reported how a short stretch of track from Bradford's former tramway had emerged as part of the ongoing roadworks scheme in the city centre.

The rails could be seen near the point where Bridge Street turns into Sunbridge Road, near the junction with Tyrrel Street.

This week, a longer section of the long-forgotten tracks has been uncovered nearby, right outside the Rimmington Pharmacy - ironically one of the few shops on Bridge Street that might have looked similar to today when the trams last ran in Bradford city centre.

More old tram tracks have been unearthed near Centenary Square (Image: T&A)

A steady stream of passers-by stopped briefly to glance over the fencing at the old tracks, apparently enjoying an unexpected glimpse of a piece of Bradford's transport history.

When the worn tramway tracks were due for repair in the late 1920s, a replacement of the tram by trolleybuses was suggested as it would prove cheaper than renewing the track.

A fusion of old and new, with the huge tent hosting Bradford LitFest sandwiched between the old tracks in the foreground and historic City Hall in the background (Image: T&A)

The decline of the tram system began and much of it had closed by 1939, and the remainder was to be abandoned in the following years, with the last Bradford tramcar returning to Bankfoot depot for the final time on May 6, 1950.

The emergence of the long-buried rails is just one of the interesting visual aspects of the Bradford City Centre Walking and Cycling Improvements Scheme.

A number of passers-by enjoyed taking a glance at the tracks that had been uncovered (Image: T&A)

Many town and city centres operated tram systems at one point, but a number of these closed as it was thought that motorised buses offered superior economics.

In some cases, this proved a short-sighted move, with millions spent in later years reinstating tram systems.

Sheffield and Manchester are among examples of cities that once again operate extensive tram systems today, while a new tram system in Leeds has been much talked-about over recent decades but has failed to materialise.

In West Yorkshire, transport chiefs are currently pushing the idea of a Mass Transit System, which would offer a similar ultra-local integrated transport system.

This image gives an idea of how the vision of a fully-pedestrianised Market Street is taking shape (Image: T&A)

Elsewhere in Bradford city centre, the current works are continuing to change the appearance of streets such as Hall Ings, which is looking less like a road and has started to take shape as an open space.

In Market Street, more paving has been laid as part of the efforts to create more pedestrianised areas, but there is still lots of work still to come.

Nelson Street remains busy and slightly chaotic as buses are still not able to use Bradford Interchange.