Secretary of State visits Kirkstall Forge Rail Station site

Patrick McLoughlin MP, Secretary of State for Transport, has paid a visit to the site of the new rail station at Kirkstall Forge in Leeds.

It is one of the two stations being funded by West Yorkshire Combined Authority and the Department for Transport expected to open during 2015, with the work on the other station at Apperley Bridge now well underway.

The new station will include:

• Pickup/drop off point and approximately 120-space station car park;
• Fully-accessible platforms with staircases and lifts;
• CCTV;
• Passenger information displays and public address system;
• Secure cycle parking;
• Modern waiting shelters;
• Ticket vending machine for rail tickets.

The Kirkstall Forge station also receives funding from CEG, who are developing the whole Kirkstall Forge site to include housing, business and leisure opportunities, and is a good example of how transport schemes can help help deliver wider economic benefits by providing access to major employment centres.

Funding

Construction began in October 2014 and the station is expected to open in late-autumn 2015. DfT will provide a maximum of �9.5mm towards the �15.9m scheme for both new stations. The remaining 40% of the cost is made up of local funding contribution by CEG of �5m, supplemented by WYCA funding of �1.4m. Access to the station will be created through a new highway and signalised junction off the A65.

Kirkstall Forge station will be served by 2 trains per hour at peak times and 1 train per hour off peak, primarily by the existing Northern Rail services between Ilkley and Leeds. The journey between Leeds and Kirkstall Forge will be approximately 6 minutes long on modern electric trains which have recently been fitted with free WiFi.

Major schemes

The aims of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority are to raise the quality of life in our region by creating the right environment for our businesses to grow, through the creation of 62,000 good quality jobs in the region, and ensuring that our residents have the right skills and opportunities to access those jobs, including through major transport schemes such as Kirkstall Forge station.

Schemes delivered so far include:

• A programme of Growth Deal initiatives that include city centre development schemes to create new investment opportunities across the Leeds City Region has been agreed. And development has started on almost 40 West Yorkshire plus Transport Fund projects, designed to underpin economic and housing growth.
• Our Better Homes Yorkshire programme providing fuel bill savings for around 12,000 City Region residents is also underway.
• Castleford�s new �1m bus station, which will support the regeneration and growth of Castleford and the Five Towns area and Pontefract Relief Road, designed to unlock new housing and reduce local congestion.

Kirkstall Forge is one of several local transport schemes due to be completed over the next 12 months, including:

• Wakefield Kirkgate regeneration: July 2015
• Apperley Bridge Rail Station: September 2015
• Leeds Station Southern Entrance: November 2015
• Low Moor Rail Station (Bradford): Q1 2016