This abandoned Leeds city centre train station could be reopened, says senior Tory

Leader of Leeds City Council’s Conservatives group Coun Andrew Carter has claimed ‘serious consideration’ should be given to reopening Marsh Lane rail station, which closed more than 60 years ago.

It follows the chair of the authority’s city plans panel sending a letter late last year asking regional transport chiefs to look into the possibility of a new Leeds city centre station.

Coun Carter said: “Leeds has over 30 million passengers moving in and out of the city station each year, it is a hugely important piece of rail infrastructure not just for the north but nationally.

“Most other major cities have a central station supported by other centrally located commuter stations, one only has to think of Manchester Oxford Road and Victoria stations that support the main Manchester Piccadilly site.

“To increase capacity in Leeds and improve services for commuters, serious consideration should be given to the Marsh Lane site.

“It has a central location which is ideal for serving commuters accessing the new Southbank area of the city centre.”

Coun Carter believes the council can take advantage of recent assurances from government on transport spending in the north of England.

The old Marsh Lane rail station closed in 1958, having run for more than 100 years. The idea had numerous airings at previous meetings of Leeds City Council’s city plans panel.

Speaking during a meeting in October 2019, Coun Elizabeth Nash (Lab) said she had ‘many letters of support’ following her previous comments on the subject reported in the Yorkshire Evening Post.

She said: “When we talked about development in this area previously, it was raised about the reopening of the old Marsh Lane railway station.

“Network rail are reluctant to do this because they say there is only one line going out eastwards from the city centre, but in my view there is no reason why there couldn’t be a station that is upon the northern side of the railway line.

“When it was last discussed at plans panel, there was general support from members, it was reported in the Evening Post and I had a number of letters and emails from people supporting this.

“Is there anything that can be done in the way of arranging for some of these transport costs to be set aside for the building of a proposed station?

“It would certainly serve the whole district. It is a mile from Leeds City Station and the city centre has moved eastwards.”

The panel chair agreed to write a letter to the West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) – a regional body which looks after transport and large infrastructure projects – asking them to discuss the possibility of reopening a railway station in the east of Leeds.

The old Marsh Lane Railway Station was first built in 1840, before being closed in 1850 to accommodate new railway construction. It was then redeveloped and reopened as a goods station in 1863.

In 1869, a new link rail line to the Leeds New Station was built, and a passenger station was added to the site. Marsh Lane was closed for the final time in 1958.