London North Eastern Railway (LNER) is set to significantly expand its services between Bradford and London King’s Cross starting in May 2025. The train operator will increase its daily direct connections from two to seven services each way, operating Monday to Saturday.
The revised timetable includes five additional southbound departures from Bradford to London. These will depart at 11:17, 13:17, 15:16, 17:16, and 19:15, providing convenient travel options throughout the day. The journey time is expected to be around two hours and forty-five minutes. The timetable change aims to link the UK City of Culture 2025, Bradford, more directly with the capital.
To support the increased demand, the timetable will also feature earlier departures from London King’s Cross to Bradford. Starting on 19 May 2025, the first northbound train will leave London at 07:03, enabling visitors to reach Bradford before 10:00. Additional services will be available throughout the day, offering greater flexibility for travelers.
Sunday services are set to increase from one to two trains in each direction, with further enhancements planned for December 2025. Tickets for the new services are expected to go on sale next month, and customers can sign up for alerts to receive the latest updates.
“We are proud to introduce additional services to and from Bradford, especially as the city celebrates its UK City of Culture status. The extra LNER services will make it even easier for people to visit the region, contributing an estimated £4 million annually to the local economy,” said David Horne, Managing Director at LNER.
The new services are made possible in part by the recent completion of a new platform at Bradford Forster Square, delivered by Network Rail. Jason Hamilton, North and East Route Director for Network Rail, said, “We’re delighted that our work on platform 0 at Bradford Forster Square is enabling these new services, supporting Bradford’s City of Culture 2025 celebrations.”
Rail Minister Lord Peter Hendy also welcomed the development, stating, “The new services and platform will ensure passengers benefit from smoother and more frequent travel between Bradford and London, enhancing access to the city’s cultural offerings.”
In addition to these improvements, LNER announced a new industry timetable for its East Coast route, set to launch in December 2025. This will see more services and additional seats between Newcastle-upon-Tyne and London, along with faster journey times between Edinburgh and London, reducing the travel time between the two capitals to under four hours.
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