Bradford: Trams would be ‘fantastic’ but some are skeptical

The announcement that a Bradford suburb is to be included in West Yorkshire’s mass transport network has been met with a mixed response from would-be commuters.

Bradford Line’s proposed tram routes that would link the city to Leeds have a branch to Laisterdyke.

When the BBC visited the area this week, some residents said they were looking forward to more investment in transport – but others were skeptical about the scheme’s chances of success.

West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA), which will deliver the tram system, said that despite the project’s “considerable” cost, it would boost the region’s economy.

Laisterdyke currently relies on buses for connections to both towns. The suburb lost its station on the nearby Leeds-Bradford line in 1966. It had the last trolleybus service in the UK until 1972.

Arshard Hussain, 47, was waiting for a bus with his son.

He said he was a frequent traveler to Leeds and would welcome any efforts to make the journey easier.

“I think it’s a good idea to implement it in the city,” Mr Hussain said.

While he found it “relatively simple” to travel between Bradford and Leeds, Mr Hussain added, he said a tram would be simpler and more convenient.

“It will be more convenient for people if it is cheaper than the bus,” he said.

Less convinced of the benefits of a tram was Raees Shah, 34, who spoke to the BBC while waiting for his coffee order at King Coffee Co.

“To be brutally honest, I think the money could be spent a little bit better,” Mr Shah said.

“They have already spent a huge amount of money on the cycle lane that runs from Bradford to Leeds and there are hardly any bikes on there.

“It has created congestion and is of little or no benefit.

“I don’t know if the streetcar service is going to have the effect that they’re looking for.”

Asked what else public money could be spent on, Mr Shah said the Combined Authority could look at “more frequent buses or upgrading buses”.

Claire Smith, 40, took a bus into Leeds, who described the journey between the two cities as “difficult”.

“It takes me about an hour,” she said, adding that she would definitely use trams if they were faster and freed up road space.

David Hardwick, 64, said there should be more focus on improving train services “rather than building a whole new infrastructure”.

Hardwick said he did not believe the plans would come to fruition, adding pessimistically “not in my lifetime”.

He added that there was “a lack of confidence in all governance”, citing HS2 as a failed transport policy.

However, he said it “would be fantastic” if trams linked Bradford and Leeds.

“But honestly, I don’t see it happening,” Mr Hardwick added.

Working behind the counter of a vape shop, 18-year-old Harley Bray-Cargill said: “I don’t think trains are too reliable these days, so if there’s another reliable mode of transport, most likely i would use it. “

He added: “There has been a lot of work in Bradford city center which has caused a lot of confusion with buses and stopped a lot of people from travelling.”

“The streetcar lines, depending on where they are located and where they are, I think they could make it a little bit easier,” he said.

“Train tickets are not the most expensive, but they are not the cheapest either.

“If they were a bit cheaper than train tickets, then it would probably get a lot more people using them.”

The BBC has called on WYCA to respond to the concerns of Laisterdyke residents, including whether the scheme will definitely be built.

A WYCA spokesman said the project had been allocated £200m by the Government to develop plans until 2027 and the scheme covered the whole of West Yorkshire.

They added that “more detailed engineering work” would need to take place before an estimate of how long it would take to complete a route between Laisterdyke and the Leeds suburbs of Wortley and Armley was available. The authority envisioned the branch to be a “reliable and fast” service that added capacity to the network.

While fares have yet to be set, WYCA said ticket prices would be in line with “equivalent” bus or train journeys and that mass transit would be “affordable” for passengers.