Travel: 'Not everyone wants to go to Leeds' say Calderdale rail campaigners calling for direct trains to Wakefield and York

Members of Halifax and District Rail Action Group, (HADRAG) also want all trains going to Manchester and Blackpool to stop at Sowerby Bridge and says Brighouse and the planned station at Elland need to have twice as many services.

And they are calling for better Sunday services, saying Mytholmroyd currently does not have any trains on a Sunday to Manchester and Brighouse does not have any direct Sunday trains to Leeds or Sunday through trains to Manchester.

Above all, the group says the borough needs a rail service that “works properly”.

Stephen Waring, Chair of HADRAG, said: “In the post-Covid world we need to get better value from the support provided for rail through taxation.

"Work patterns have changed. That should be an opportunity not a threat. An opportunity to open up rail travel, good for the environment and low-carbon, to more and more of the population.

“Number one priority is the service must dependable. It must work properly meaning a decent timetable that delivers.”

Mr Waring added: “We want to see the Brighouse and Elland line developed, including better links upper Calderdale to Huddersfield with reliable connections.

"A direct link Calderdale-Wakefield-York could have massive mutual benefits. Not everybody wants to go to Leeds. This is about delivering value for the whole community.”

The group is meeting on Saturday (November 26) in the Oddfellows room at Coleridge Street in Halifax. Doors open at 2pm for a 2.30pm start and is open to all rail users and anyone interested in improving the area’s train services.