Volunteers and railway staff came together to brighten up a busy station in Bradford, ahead of a new platform opening.
Teenagers working with Bradford City Community Foundation and Peer Action Collective pitched in at Bradford Forster Square yesterday, alongside staff from Northern, LNER, ISS and Bradford Council.
They spent the day cleaning and picking up litter in the station, car park and surrounding area, before tidying up the entrance to Bradford Interchange.
It comes as a new government-funded platform, allowing LNER to run seven trains a day between Bradford and London King’s Cross, is due to open on Monday, 19 May.
Parts of the station, which is operated by Northern, were also repainted and upgraded earlier this year, in preparation for millions of visitors arriving for Bradford’s UK City of Culture celebrations.
The team which run the station are now working to clear an overgrown greenspace next to platform 1, so they can plant a community garden, and install lighting in the railway arches.
Trevor Armitage, who manages the station, said: “It was fantastic to see all the volunteers pitch in and make sure Bradford Forster Square is looking its best when the new platform opens next week. We’d like to thank them for all their hard work.
“While that platform has been taking shape, we have been working closely with partners like LNER and Network Rail to upgrade and improve other parts of the station over the last year and provide a warm welcome to all the visitors travelling for the City of Culture.”
Ed Turner, senior public affairs manager at LNER, said: “We are delighted to be introducing additional services to and from Bradford, especially during the year it celebrates UK City of Culture status.
“It was great to join colleagues from Northern and other volunteers to ensure the station looks its best for customers arriving in the city, particularly in this special year.”
Passengers who use Bradford Forster Square travel on some of the best performing routes on Northern’s network.
In the latest period (April 1 to April 26), less than 2% of services which called at the station were cancelled and 97.1% arrived within 3 minutes of schedule.
Northern also introduced cheaper Advance Purchase fares on the two routes into Bradford Forster Square earlier this year.
A ticket from Ilkley to Bradford, which cost £5.80 as a standard day single, is now available from just £1.80. On services from Skipton, which can cost £10.10 as standard day single, prices now start at £1.90.
Advance Purchase tickets are available to buy 12 weeks ahead of travel up until 15 minutes before departure, with the biggest discount available the further in advance you buy.
In April Northern unveiled train artwork, which celebrates the Bradford district’s 2025 UK City of Culture status, at Bradford Forster Square.
It will be seen by tens of thousands of people in the coming months as the Class 331 train – named The Bradfordian – covers hundreds of miles on a daily basis while travelling across West Yorkshire.
Northern is the second largest train operator in the UK, with 2,650 services a day to more than 500 stations across the North of England.