The UK Government has announced a multi-billion-pound rail investment programme, working with Transport for the North and Network Rail to deliver Northern Powerhouse Rail and upgrade rail connectivity across the North West and wider northern England, including links between Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds and surrounding cities.

Work on the Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) programme will involve around GBP45 billion (US$60 billion) of rail improvements, delivered in three phases, with Yorkshire prioritised in the first stage. Phase one is expected to focus on electrifying key routes, delivering a new station in Bradford, and upgrading stations in Leeds, York and Sheffield, with a new station at Rotherham also proposed, subject to approval of a business case. Phase two will concentrate on Greater Manchester, including a new rail line linking Manchester Piccadilly, Manchester Airport and Liverpool. The final phase, likely to be delivered in the 2040s, would involve the construction of a new railway line between Bradford and Huddersfield.

An initial £1.1 billion (US$1.47 billion) has been allocated to fund the design and preparatory stages, with construction not expected to begin until after 2030. NPR was originally planned as a new, high-speed rail corridor spanning northern England from Liverpool to Hull, but the scope of the scheme was reduced by the Conservative government in 2021. The proposal for a new station in Bradford has long been championed by Bradford Council. At present, services terminate at the Bradford Interchange, which was built in the 1970s, requiring trains to reverse out before continuing their journey. The proposed new station would instead operate as a through station, allowing trains to pass straight through and significantly reducing journey times.