Once again that hoary old chestnut of a through railway line for Bradford has reared its head. This time the proponent is the national campaign group Transport 2000, with spokesman Philip Ralph pointing out that "a lot of Bradford's problems are due to the fact that the link between the two stations is missing".

He predicts that if the Forster Square and Exchange stations were linked, Bradford could become a key hub in the rail network, with passengers less likely to have to travel to Leeds to reach other towns and cities.

There is no doubt that Bradford would have benefited greatly if, when the railways were first being developed, the different companies operating into the city had got their acts together and joined up the ends of their lines.

The opportunity was lost, and Bradford has had to make do with being, effectively, at the end of two branch lines. The next big chance occurred in the early 1960s, when much of the city centre was being torn down and redeveloped. Again, it came and went.

Transport 2000 sees the current plans to redevelop Forster Square as offering another ideal opportunity to link the two stations. It might, indeed, be possible, although there would still be major problems of alignment to overcome. But Bradford people would be ill-advised to hold their breath.

The campaign group, and those who back its plans, have other, more easily-achievable proposals to focus on - particularly the need for faster links to Manchester and a general improvement in all rail services into Bradford.