A coach service set up to help Bradford rail passengers is to be scrapped because of lack of interest.

Great North Eastern Railway is to pull the plug on the service between Bradford and Wakefield in September because passenger figures are so low.

Some of the eight coaches a day between Forster Square and Wakefield Westgate stations leave empty and the most they carry is 20 commuters.

The coach service was set up as a two-year experiment in September 1996 to cut travel times between Bradford and London King's Cross and give people a wider choice of trains to and from the capital.

A similar coach service was set up between Lincoln and Newark which has proved to be a runaway success.

But West Yorkshire commuters prefer to travel by car to Wakefield or use connecting trains provided by Regional Railways. Sandy Needham, director of Bradford Chamber of Commerce, said today: "From discussions last year with Chamber members we found very few people were using the coach service.

"Most people seem to be bypassing the service so it is no surprise that GNER is going to cut it. The people most affected by the loss of the coach service will be people coming to the city from London."

The rail company said today that the decision to cut the coach service would not affect its train service to London. The firm currently runs four trains to London from Bradford and three from the capital to the city.

When it took over from British Rail in April 1996, three trains a day were provided between the cities - one from Bradford and two from London.

But the firm is reviewing its Bradford to London service because it is disappointed with the number of passengers using it. A decision is expected by September.

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