Only 14% of tram survey respondents from Bradford

Only 14% of people who responded to a survey about the new West Yorkshire Mass Transit plans were from Bradford, figures have revealed.

A public consultation exercise by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority gave participants the chance to select which routes for the new tram system they preferred.

There were three options to link Leeds and Bradford, but just 669 of the 4,900 people who responded said they lived in the latter city.

The figures also showed there was no clear favourite route out of the three proposed between the two cities, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The Bradford Line would connect both city centres and the Leeds Line would run between St James's Hospital and the White Rose Centre.

Work is expected to start in 2028.

More than 2,700 people who took part in the exercise were from Leeds - 60% of the total - and the remaining 1,202 said they lived in areas that would not be part of the first phases of Mass Transit.

Data on the consultation has been released ahead of a meeting of West Yorkshire Combined Authority next week.

A report to be presented to the meeting found that 71% of respondents were supportive of the Bradford Line and a similar number, 77%, backed the Leeds Line.

The consultation was heavily publicised, and people who took part were asked for their opinions on three possible routes for the Bradford Line.

Although the options did not include exact details of which roads the tramway would follow, one option would see trams travel out of the city centre and head eastwards along the same route as Leeds Road.

The second possible route would go further to the south east before heading eastwards close to Bowling Back Lane.

The third option runs the same route as the second until it gets near Bramley – from where it would pass through Armley and Wortley before arriving in the city centre.

Each of the above options received a similar level of support.

The report will be discussed by WYCA at a meeting on Thursday morning, when members will be told a further consultation, including more details of the stops, depots and park and ride facilities, will be held early next year.

Councillor Alex Ross-Shaw, Bradford Council's executive member for regeneration, planning and transport, said: "Of course we'd always want more people to take part in any consultation, especially one as important for the future of the district as this.

"Connecting Bradford and Leeds with Mass Transit is such a huge opportunity to grow our economy and better connect our communities, not just across the district but the whole region.

"Face to face events, letters, email bulletins, targeted communications and social media were all used to encourage participation and help support anyone who wanted to respond, particularly those living or trading in the affected areas."

Eight face-to-face engagement events were held in Bradford, but the majority of the first phase of the network is within the political boundaries of Leeds.

A West Yorkshire Combined Authority spokesperson said: "We are committed to ensuring all our communities have their say on plans for mass transit - which will be the region's biggest infrastructure project in decades.

"That is why we have carried out extensive engagement, targeting people across both Bradford and Leeds, during the recent consultation.

"We will build on this during our major public consultation in early 2026 which will reveal the full details of where the route will be, including tram stops, depot locations and park and ride facilities.

"We would then urge people to get involved and have their say on these exciting plans for the region."

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