Bradford Interchange bus station could reopen next year

Bradford Interchange bus station could reopen by January 2025 - a year after it was first closed.

The station shut in January 2024 due to safety fears after some concrete fell in the basement.

West Yorkshire transport officials said that the risk of reopening the bus station would be low when safety measures are in place - and plans are now being discussed to do just that.

Structural investigations have been carried out which concluded that once appropriate control measures, including safety inspections, netting in the basement and a staged reopening have been implemented, the risk to safety would be low.

However, final surveys are still underway and the Combined Authority is also preparing longer-term plans for an alternative bus station in Bradford city centre.

Checks on fire escapes, life and doors are still needed.It follows a decision over the summer to reopen the lower concourse of the Interchange, to improve access to the Interchange railway station. The lower concourse will reopen by the end of October.

Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, said: “We know the closure of the bus station has caused real hardship for the people of Bradford and West Yorkshire and I want to thank the public for their patience.“It was the right decision to make at the time, but I’m really encouraged by the survey findings being outlined today and relieved that it can be reopened once mitigations have been implemented.“Though the formal decision still needs to be made, we will be working flat out so we can see the Interchange safely reopen as soon as possible.”

Cllr Susan Hinchcliffe, leader of Bradford Council and Chair of the Combined Authority's transport committee, said: "I recognise how incredibly challenging this has been for passengers and local businesses, and the inconvenience and disruption this has caused, so I'm very relieved that the Combined Authority is now mobilising to re-open the interchange."We'll be working closely with the combined authority to make sure that it reopens as soon as possible.”

A final decision on the time of the reopening will be made in October.

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