First Bus to Resume 70% of Services at Bradford Interchange Upon Reopening

First Bus has announced that 70% of its services will resume operations at Bradford Interchange upon its reopening in the new year. While the majority of routes are set to return to the bus station, 11 services will continue to operate from stops located on Nelson Street and Hall Ings. This arrangement is due to a resurfacing project that has rendered six stands at Bradford Interchange unavailable, necessitating some services to remain on-street indefinitely. The bus station is scheduled to reopen on 5 January, marking nearly one year since its closure following structural damage. John Roxburgh, the regional head of operations for First Bus, commended local teams and network colleagues for their “amazing job” in reorganising services “during a challenging period.” He further stated, “We have also continued to work closely with West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) and local partners to support changes over many months as improvements to the road infrastructure were completed.” Roxburgh added, “Planning for the reopening of the Interchange has been just the same and we are delighted that most of our services are able to return in the new year.” According to WYCA papers, the resurfacing of the bus carriageway at Bradford Interchange commenced in late 2022, with “considerable progress had been made prior to the closure”; however, approximately 25% of the work remains unfinished. This resurfacing work receives funding from the Integrated Transport Block and City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement programme. WYCA has contributed over £8.5 million, but additional funding is necessary to finalize the remaining tasks. Efforts are underway to secure an additional £2.5 million in funding to complete the resurfacing, which would enable all services to return to Bradford Interchange.