Northern wants to axe Hull services to Halifax and Bradford to 'improve reliability'

Under the proposals, passengers travelling between Hull, Bradford and Halifax would be forced to change trains at Leeds.

The Hull Liberal Democrats joined calls objecting to Northern's plans to terminate its Hull to Halifax service at Leeds to fix chronic delays.

Under the proposals, passengers travelling between Hull, Bradford and Halifax would be forced to change trains at Leeds.

Critics argue passengers are being penalised for operational problems.

Coun Mark Ieronimo, portfolio holder for transport, said the city "deserves better than having its rail connections cut because the railway isn't working as it should".

He said the answer "is to fix the causes of the delays—not remove direct services that people rely on every day.

"This route connects people with jobs, education, healthcare and family, while helping businesses attract investment and visitors. "Making every journey more difficult is a step backwards."

Northern says the change is intended to improve reliability. A spokesperson said: "The Hull to Halifax service runs on a busy part of our network and when it is delayed, there is a significant knock-on effect on other trains.

“We are looking to replace it with two separate services: one that runs between Hull and Leeds and one that runs between Leeds and Huddersfield, via Bradford.

“Passengers will still be able to travel between Hull and Halifax, by changing trains at Leeds.”