£32m Leeds Rail Station refurbishment plans to move one step closer

Blueprints for the scheme include creating a pedestrianised area on New Station Street, dedicated cycle lanes and facilities, and the redevelopment of the main concourse.

West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s (WYCA) investment committee is set to meet this week to grant £3.01m towards creating a final plan for the work, which is set to eventually cost the taxpayer £32.44m.

WYCA officers claim the work will improve air quality around the station and make the station a “welcoming and attractive gateway to the city.”

Among the improvements proposed in the scheme is the redevelopment of the external concourse connecting to Bishopgate Street with new steps, forecourt, and soft landscaping, as well as new passenger lifts.

New pedestrian priority areas will be placed on what it currently New Station Street, while the taxi rank will be moved to Bishopgate Street, with extra bus stops on Boar Lane, Infirmary Street and Wellington Street.

New segregated cycle lanes will also be placed on Neville Street, Dark Neville Street and Victoria Road, while a new 700-space cycle hub with supporting infrastructure for electric cycles will be included in the plans.

The scheme also includes improvements to the cladding, road and pedestrian surfaces and lighting in Neville Street and Dark Neville Street.

The plans follow claims earlier this year that the station will have more passengers than London Kings Cross in just three years.

A WYCA report from claimed the station had just six years to increase capacity significantly, or could risk damaging the region’s economy.

Work is hoped to start on the station by June 2021 and be finished in time for December 2022.

WYCA’s West Yorkshire and York investment committee is set to meet on Wednesday, October 7 to discuss the plans.