APPERLEY Bridge's new train station has been hailed a 'runaway' success.

The £10 million station, part of a £15.9 million Rail Growth Package that also included the new station at Kirkstall Forge, opened last December, albeit delayed by four months while the Office of Rail Regulation and Network Rail signed off on all the necessary safety checks.

Two trains per hour, between Leeds or Bradford Forster Square and Skipton, pass through the station in each direction between Monday and Saturday, and hourly on Sundays.

New figures show that about 400 passengers a day are using the facility, and that its 297-space car park is reaching 85 per cent capacity on weekdays.

Bradford Council's executive member for regeneration, planning and transport, Councillor Alex Ross-Shaw, said: "We expected the new station to be a great success and the user numbers are proving those predictions true.

"The station has provided a cleaner, greener way of moving between Leeds, Bradford and Skipton, reducing traffic congestion on local roads and giving people a sustainable and efficient method of commuting to work."

Apperley Bridge's old station, which opened in the 19th century, was closed as part of the Beeching cuts in 1965.

The new facility was the result of a partnership project between the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, Network Rail and lobbying by Bradford councillors.

It includes modern waiting shelters, secure cycle parking, CCTV security cameras and fully accessible platforms, with staircases and ramps.

New bus services also run from the station, giving passengers from Greengates, Idle, Thorpe Edge and Eccleshill public transport links to the railway network.

West Yorkshire Combined Authority Transport Committee chairman, Cllr Keith Wakefield, said: "I’m delighted the station is proving so popular.

"Apperley Bridge Station is helping more people reach jobs in Bradford, Shipley and Leeds, as well as reducing congestion on a key transport route."

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