New Stations Study
Members of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority�s Transport Committee have approved publication of a study which recommends four potential rail station sites in West and North Yorkshire be taken forward for further investigation.
Members of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority�s Transport Committee today approved publication of a study which recommends four potential rail station sites in West and North Yorkshire be taken forward for further investigation.
Subject to further study, positive business case and funding, East Leeds, Elland, Haxby and Crosshills emerged as the sites that could have the best potential to serve the most passengers. A further 11 sites were identified as possible new stations, subject to regional plans for route electrification and enhancement schemes, the effects of potential new services and of new stations already being built.
The New Stations Study builds on a previous study in 2009 and on the work of West Yorkshire�s RailPlan 7, published in 2012, but extending the geographical scope to the wider Leeds City Region. Crosshills is in North Yorkshire while Haxby is within City of York.
Read the New Stations Study on the Metro web site.
Economic driver
�Rail stations make it easier for people to reach employment and leisure opportunities, benefitting the wider economy,� said Cllr James Lewis, Chair of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority�s Transport Committee. �Between 1982 and 2005, 23 new stations or additional platforms were built in West Yorkshire, together used by over 8 million passengers in 2013-14. Later this year, new stations at Apperley Bridge and Kirkstall Forge will open, and development work on Low Moor station is underway.
�The New Stations Study shows which locations across the City Region are likely to have the best chance of new stations being delivered over the short-to-medium term, so further supporting sustainable economic growth.�
For the New Stations Study, 62 potential new station sites were assessed, and ranked against potential passenger demand, constructability; and deliverability. The locations recommended for further study are subject to further detailed feasibility work, including business case modelling and their impact on existing rail services.
East Leeds Parkway station already has �10m committed from the West Yorkshire Plus Transport Fund. Development work on a new station at Haxby is advanced, following an earlier, unsuccessful bid in 2013 for funding from the Department for Transport�s New Stations Fund. Funding to complete timetable feasibility and business case work on Elland will be sought later in the year from the West Yorkshire Local Transport Fund.