Council chiefs fear the future of Shipley as a regional transport hub might be de-railed under plans to expand train services in the Aire Valley.

Network Rail, which is responsible for the Bradford district’s railways, is consulting on the future of train services in the region over the next 30 years.

One option under its Yorkshire and Humber Route Utilisation Strategy (RUS) is to increase capacity on the Airedale line, which will see more links to Leeds but reduce access to Shipley station.

Under the new plans, more trains will run between Skipton and Leeds but they will have limited stops, which could cut links between Steeton, Silsden, Keighley, Crossflatts, Saltaire and Bingley to Shipley station.

In October last year, the Department for Transport started a £3 million upgrade to Shipley station and transport officials at Bradford Council unveiled a plan to make improvements to link up public transport in the town.

A Council spokesman said: “The move would reduce the importance of Shipley station as a hub of the railway network for the district.”

There are also concerns about the plans for the Bradford to Manchester service to limit the number of intermediate station stops to reduce journey time.

Councillor Anne Hawkesworth, Bradford Council’s executive member for environment and culture, said: “We do have some concerns that plans to cut down on journey times by missing out intermediate stations could have an adverse affect on our residents, particularly those who live in the rural areas and who rely on these services to get to work.

“Network Rail need to strike a balance between making journeys quicker but not ignoring the needs of rural communities.”

Network Rail spokesman Rachel Lowe said there were two options in the RUS proposals. Other options, popular with rail user groups, include rail links from rural areas to Shipley, she said.

“The whole point of consultation is so that we can get feedback from stakeholders and users to come up with the best way of improving transport in the region,” she said.

Full details of the Yorkshire and Humber Route Utilisation Strategy can be found at networkrailco.uk