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Railways: North of England

Asked by Imran HussainLabourDepartment for TransportTabled Answered 26 January 2026UIN 106121

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what targets her Department has set for reducing rail journey times between (a) Bradford and Leeds and (b) Bradford and Manchester; and how those targets align with the objectives of the Railways Bill.

Answered by Keir Mather

Northern Powerhouse Rail will seek to create a turn up and go railway for passengers from Bradford to travel to cities across the growth corridor, including improving connections to Leeds and Manchester.

The government is learning the lessons from HS2 by taking sufficient time to explore and develop options, and so building certainty in costs, outputs and benefits, before confirming decisions on details such as journey times. We will work closely with local leaders to do that.

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