New rail stations part of £270m Leeds transport plans

A NEW parkway rail link for Leeds Bradford Airport and two new stations have been announced as part of “transformational” transport plans for Leeds.

Two other new stations are also being proposed at White Rose Shopping Centre and office park, and at Thorpe Park to support job creation and housing growth along the East Leeds Extension.

These proposals have been announced as part of £270m plans which will be released tomorrow (Tuesday 6 December) in response to a major consultation.

The new parkway station would be built on the existing Leeds to Harrogate line, connecting to the wider rail network and Leeds Bradford Airport and would also act as a park and ride station to be used by commuters to Leeds and Harrogate.

A parkway rail station will provide a rail link close to the airport with connections taking passengers to and from the airport.

In February 2016 a study declared that a rail line to Leeds Bradford Airport was “unachievable” due to topographic challenges.

The new links would be part-funded from the £173.5m of Department of Transport funding secured following the decision not to proceed with the New Generation Transport (NGT) trolleybus in May, with the funds needing to be invested in public transport before the end of 2021.

Investment from West Yorkshire Combined Authority and private sector stakeholders increases the funding available to in excess of £270m for Leeds.

The council and its partners will continue to consider options for a mass transit scheme for Leeds, but this will require significant additional investment and would not be deliverable by 2021.

Leader of Leeds City Council Councillor Judith Blake said: “These plans announced today and the full proposals and strategy to be released tomorrow represent a transformational step change for public transport in Leeds.

“Through the transport conversation we have been given a clear message that people want improvements to be made to benefit all areas of the city as soon as possible, not in another 10 or 15 years’ time but now. I am very pleased to say that everything we are putting forward in this plan is deliverable in the short to medium term.

“Providing a connection by rail to the airport has long been an ambition for the city and this plan will deliver it in a cost-effective way, along with two other new stations at the White Rose Shopping Centre and Thorpe Park to help drive forward job creation, productivity and economic growth.

“These plans all fit with the Department of Transport request that we invest the £173.5m in public transport improvements before the end of 2021, and I am delighted that together with additional funding proposed by stakeholders and private partners we can now do even more to improve transport in our city and make a real difference.”

John Parkin, Leeds Bradford Airport chief executive, said: “This announcement is fantastic news for the millions of passengers who travel to and from Leeds Bradford Airport each year. As one of the country’s fastest growing regional airports, it is vital that we give passengers more choice about how they are able to get here. Investing in the public transport network in this way will enable people to travel to and from the airport easily, as well as create jobs and help to ease road congestion in the area.

“We’re pleased that steps are being taken to implement this transformational project and we look forward to seeing it progress.”

Other improvements proposed for the rail network in Leeds would see improved access at Cross Gates, Morley and Horsforth stations and car park expansion at New Pudsey to increase its park and ride capacity.

Work will also progress in the coming months on preparing the city for high-speed HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail (formerly HS3), with the masterplan for the remodelled Leeds Station being developed by a team including Hiro Aso, the lead architect behind the acclaimed redevelopment of King’s Cross in London.

The new Leeds Transport Strategy has been supported by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority and the new Leeds transport advisory panel. The panel is chaired by Director of Strategy for Transport for the North, Nigel Foster.

It also forms part of the wider regional strategic economic plan which aims to deliver up to 35,000 new jobs and an additional £3.7billion of economic output by 2036.

The proposals and strategy released tomorrow will be considered by senior councillors at next week’s executive board meeting at Civic Hall on Wednesday 14 December and if approved will then go to the Department of Transport for its consideration.