Two trains an hour to stop at Kirkstall Forge from May

Two trains an hour are to stop at Kirkstall Forge from May after annual passenger number forecasts were reached in  five months.

Northern have announced a doubling of the services at the station as part of a new timetable to be introduced from Sunday 20 May.

Kirkstall Forge, one of the newest stations on the Northern network, opened in 2015. Northern said around 20,200 journeys to Leeds were forecast for the station’s first year of operation but 21,400 were recorded in the first five months.

Paul Barnfield, regional director at Northern, said: “We have been talking to partners for some time regarding putting a better service into this increasingly important hub. This wasn’t easy however, due to the sheer volume of rail traffic that goes in and out of the west end of Leeds station.

“We are delighted to say that our combined efforts have prevailed and we will now be able to supply the station with two trains an hour in either direction from May this year. This is terrific news and will help the site, and indeed the whole area, to reach its full potential.”

Jon Kenny, development director at CEG, said: “Kirkstall Forge is one of the most significant regeneration projects underway in the north of England. The dedicated railway station connects the site to Leeds station in just six minutes and Bradford in around 15 minutes.

“The half-hourly service is welcome news, not only for the 15,000 people who live nearby, but also the 10,000 people who will live, work and enjoy the site over the next decade.

“The businesses which are looking to locate here demand urban levels of transport connectivity, alongside the award-winning digital communications offered by this exceptionally high quality development and this is a great step towards achieving that.”