Leeds railway station (also known as Leeds City railway station)
is the mainline railway station serving the
city centre of
Leeds
Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by popula ...
in West Yorkshire, England. It is the fourth-busiest railway station in the UK outside London (as of March 2020).
It is located on New Station Street to the south of
City Square
A town square (or square, plaza, public square, city square, urban square, or ''piazza'') is an open public space, commonly found in the heart of a traditional town but not necessarily a true geometric square, used for community gatherings. ...
, at the foot of Park Row, behind the landmark
Queens Hotel. It is one of 20 stations managed by
Network Rail
Network Rail Limited is the owner (via its subsidiary Network Rail Infrastructure Limited, which was known as Railtrack plc before 2002) and infrastructure manager of most of the railway network in Great Britain. Network Rail is an "arm's leng ...
.
Leeds is an important hub on the British rail network. The station is the terminus of the Leeds branch of the
East Coast Main Line (on which London North Eastern Railway provides high speed inter-city services to every half hour from the station) and is an important stop on the
Cross Country Route
A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two intersecting lines or bars, usually perpendicular to each other. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally. A cross of oblique lines, in the shape of the Latin letter X, is termed a sa ...
between
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
, the
Midlands and
South West England
South West England, or the South West of England, is one of nine official regions of England. It consists of the counties of Bristol, Cornwall (including the Isles of Scilly), Dorset, Devon, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire. Cities ...
connecting to major cities such as
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1. ...
,
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
,
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...
,
Derby
Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby g ...
,
Bristol
Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
,
Exeter,
Plymouth and
Penzance. There are also regular inter-city services to major destinations throughout
Northern England
Northern England, also known as the North of England, the North Country, or simply the North, is the northern area of England. It broadly corresponds to the former borders of Angle Northumbria, the Anglo-Scandinavian Kingdom of Jorvik, and the ...
including
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
,
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...
,
Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to:
*Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England
*Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England
*Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...
and
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire a ...
. It is also the terminus for trains running on the scenic
Settle & Carlisle line
Settle or SETTLE may refer to:
Places
* Settle, Kentucky, United States
* Settle, North Yorkshire, a town in England
** Settle Rural District, a historical administrative district
Music
* Settle (band), an indie rock band from Pennsylvania
* ''S ...
. Future expansion might link the station to the proposed
High Speed 2
High Speed 2 (HS2) is a planned high-speed railway line in England, the first phase of which is under construction in stages and due for completion between 2029 and 2033, depending on approval for later stages. The new line will run from its m ...
network.
Leeds is a major hub for local and regional destinations across
Yorkshire
Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...
such as to
Harrogate
Harrogate ( ) is a spa town and the administrative centre of the Borough of Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England. Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, the town is a tourist destination and its visitor attractions include its spa w ...
,
York
York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...
,
Scarborough Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to:
People
* Scarborough (surname)
* Earl of Scarbrough
Places Australia
* Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth
* Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong
* Scarborough, Queensland, su ...
,
Hull,
Doncaster
Doncaster (, ) is a city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, it is the administrative centre of the larger City of Doncaster. It is the second largest settlement in South Yorkshire after Sheffield. Doncaster is situated in ...
and
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire a ...
. The station lies at the heart of the
West Yorkshire Metro
Metro is the passenger information brand used by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority in England. It was formed on 1 April 1974 as the West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive (WYPTE) at the same time as the metropolitan county of West Yor ...
commuter network for
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. It is an inland and upland county having eastward-draining valleys while taking in the moors of the Pennines. West Yorkshire came into exi ...
providing services to
Bradford,
Wakefield
Wakefield is a cathedral city in West Yorkshire, England located on the River Calder. The city had a population of 99,251 in the 2011 census.https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/census/2011/ks101ew Census 2011 table KS101EW Usual resident population, ...
,
Dewsbury,
Huddersfield
Huddersfield is a market town in the Kirklees district in West Yorkshire, England. It is the administrative centre and largest settlement in the Kirklees district. The town is in the foothills of the Pennines. The River Holme's confluence into ...
and
Halifax.
With over 31 million passenger entries and exits between April 2019 and March 2020, Leeds is the second busiest railway station in the
North of England after and the fourth-busiest railway station in the United Kingdom outside London, after , and Manchester Piccadilly.
Description
![Platform hall, Leeds City Station (10th June 2019)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/57/Platform_hall%2C_Leeds_City_Station_%2810th_June_2019%29.jpg)
The railway station is situated on a hill falling from the south of the city to the
River Aire
The River Aire is a major river in Yorkshire, England, in length. The ''Handbook for Leeds and Airedale'' (1890) notes that the distance from Malham to Howden is direct, but the river's meanderings extend that to . Between Malham Tarn and Ai ...
and the
Leeds & Liverpool Canal
The Leeds and Liverpool Canal is a canal in Northern England, linking the cities of Leeds and Liverpool.
Over a distance of , crossing the Pennines, and including 91 locks on the main line. The Leeds and Liverpool Canal has several small bran ...
basin. Much of it is supported on
Victorian brick-vaulted arches situated just off Neville Street which contain a centre consisting of cafés, restaurants, shops and exhibition spaces called
Granary Wharf
Granary Wharf is a mixed-use development that stands next to the brick tunnels beside the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, and the River Aire in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. Leeds City railway station sits above the brick tunnels on Dark Neville St ...
, known locally as the Dark Arches.
The railway station has 18 platforms, making it the largest by number of platforms in England outside London. There are 12 terminus and six through platforms. Most platforms are subdivided into up to four sections, i.e. 1a, 1b, 1c etc. Altogether, including the numbers, there are 47 platforms. Retail facilities in the station include coffee shops, fast food outlets, a bar, newsagents, chemists and supermarkets. A
British Transport Police
, nativename =
, abbreviation = BTP
, patch =
, patchcaption =
, logo = British Transport Police Logo.svg
, logocaption = Logo of the British Transport Police
, badge =
, badgecaption =
, f ...
station on New Station Street houses officers who police the
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. It is an inland and upland county having eastward-draining valleys while taking in the moors of the Pennines. West Yorkshire came into exi ...
railway stations.
Leeds railway station retained staffed ticket barriers through the 1990s until 2008, when they were replaced by automatic barriers by
Northern Rail
Northern Rail, branded as Northern, was an English train operating company owned by Serco-Abellio that operated the Northern Rail franchise from 2004 until 2016. It was the primary passenger train operator in Northern England, and operated th ...
to reduce congestion around the barriers at peak times.
Platforms
Platform usage varies depending on operational circumstances but is generally:
* 0–5 –
bay platforms
In the United Kingdom and in Australia, a bay platform is a dead-end railway platform at a railway station that has through lines. It is normal for bay platforms to be shorter than their associated through platforms.
Overview
Bay and islan ...
mostly used by
West Yorkshire Metro
Metro is the passenger information brand used by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority in England. It was formed on 1 April 1974 as the West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive (WYPTE) at the same time as the metropolitan county of West Yor ...
services operated by
Northern, towards , , and .
* 6 is a bay platform used for terminating
London North Eastern Railway services from London.
* 8, 9, 11, 12, 15, 16 – through platforms. 8 is a through platform that London North Eastern Railway uses for services which both terminate and continue onward to Bradford, Harrogate and Skipton as well as the early morning LNER departure to Aberdeen. CrossCountry services heading north to York and beyond depart from platforms 8, 9 or 11; services heading south use platform 12. Platforms 15 and 16 are used by north/east and south/westbound TransPennine Express services to Hull, Newcastle, York, Scarborough, Middlesbrough, Huddersfield, Manchester Airport and Liverpool Lime Street.
* 7, 14 – bay platforms used for local Northern services running north/east from Leeds.
* 10, 13, 17 – bay platforms used for local and regional services running south/west to Manchester Victoria and Huddersfield, alongside southbound services towards Wakefield, Barnsley, Meadowhall, Sheffield and Nottingham.
Transport links
![Leeds City (6282693111)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/57/Leeds_City_%286282693111%29.jpg)
Leeds Interchange, located at the New Station Street exit, provides onward transport connections from the station. There are five bus stands serving
Arriva Yorkshire
Arriva Yorkshire is a major bus operator providing services primarily within and across West Yorkshire, although it also provides service in some parts of South Yorkshire, East Riding of Yorkshire and southern areas of North Yorkshire. It is a ...
,
First West Yorkshire
First West Yorkshire operates both local and regional bus services in West Yorkshire, England. It is a subsidiary of the FirstGroup, and is made up of three sub-division brands: First Bradford, First Halifax, Calder Valley & Huddersfield and Firs ...
and Flyer routes 1, 4, 4F, 5, 14, 16, 16A, 19, 19A, 40, 444, 446, 870, A1 and
DalesBus
DalesBus is a network of bus services, which operate in and around the Yorkshire Dales, England. The network is managed by Dales and Bowland Community Interest Company – a volunteer-run subsidiary of the Yorkshire Dales Society.
History
Dal ...
services 874 and 875. A 24-hour taxi rank also operates at the interchange.
Further bus stops are located on Neville Street below the railway station, as well as around City Square outside the railway station. Infirmary Street and Boar Lane bus points are a short walk for more bus connections.
Cycle hub
Leeds Interchange hosts one of the UK's first cycle hubs that allows a number of cycling services including repair, storage and rental. The facility opened in summer 2010 and is designed to encourage visitors and commuters into Leeds to continue their journey from the railway station by bike. Its design is based on the Dutch cyclepoint concept.
History
Past railway stations
![Leeds City Station 1974](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/23/Leeds_City_Station_1974.jpg)
The railways arrived in Leeds in 1834, when the
Leeds and Selby Railway
The Leeds and Selby Railway was an early British railway company and first mainline railway within Yorkshire. It was opened in 1834.
As built, the line ran west/east between two termini, Marsh Lane station, Leeds and Selby railway station. Th ...
(which became part of the
North Eastern Railway) opened its line. It had a terminus at
Marsh Lane east of the city centre. In 1840, the
North Midland Railway
The North Midland Railway was a British railway company, which opened its line from Derby to Rotherham (Masbrough) and Leeds in 1840.
At Derby, it connected with the Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway and the Midland Counties Railway at wha ...
(a constituent of the
Midland Railway
The Midland Railway (MR) was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844. The Midland was one of the largest railway companies in Britain in the early 20th century, and the largest employer in Derby, where it had its headquarters. It ama ...
) constructed its line from
Derby
Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby g ...
via
Rotherham
Rotherham () is a large minster and market town in South Yorkshire, England. The town takes its name from the River Rother which then merges with the River Don. The River Don then flows through the town centre. It is the main settlement of ...
to a terminus at
Hunslet Lane to the south. It was extended to a more centrally located terminus at Wellington Street in 1846, known as ''Wellington Station''.
Another railway station,
Leeds Central
Leeds Central is a List of United Kingdom Parliament constituencies, constituency recreated in 1983 represented in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, UK Parliament since 1999 b ...
on Wellington Street, was opened in 1854 by the
Manchester & Leeds Railway and the
London & North Western Railway
The London and North Western Railway (LNWR, L&NWR) was a British railway company between 1846 and 1922. In the late 19th century, the L&NWR was the largest joint stock company in the United Kingdom.
In 1923, it became a constituent of the Lon ...
(LNWR). The railway station became owned jointly by the LNWR and the North Eastern Railway, but other companies had powers to run trains there, including the
Great Northern Railway and the
Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway
The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (L&YR) was a major British railway company before the 1923 Grouping. It was incorporated in 1847 from an amalgamation of several existing railways. It was the third-largest railway system based in northern ...
.
In 1869, ''New Station'' opened as a joint enterprise by the LNWR and the North Eastern Railway. It connected the former Leeds and Selby Railway Line to the east with the LNWR lines to the west. A mile-long connection was built, carried entirely on viaducts and bridges. New Station was built partially on a bridge over the
River Aire
The River Aire is a major river in Yorkshire, England, in length. The ''Handbook for Leeds and Airedale'' (1890) notes that the distance from Malham to Howden is direct, but the river's meanderings extend that to . Between Malham Tarn and Ai ...
, adjacent to Wellington railway station. The arches created under the station are known as 'The Dark Arches'.
The map to the right shows the variety of different railway lines in Leeds in 1913.
Following the
1921 Railways Act, when railways in Great Britain were grouped into four companies, New Station was jointly operated by the
London, Midland & Scottish Railway
The London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMSIt has been argued that the initials LMSR should be used to be consistent with LNER, GWR and SR. The London, Midland and Scottish Railway's corporate image used LMS, and this is what is generally ...
(LMS) and the
London & North Eastern Railway (LNER).
1938 rebuilding
![Leeds City South Station geograph-2192440](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c3/Leeds_City_South_Station_geograph-2192440.jpg)
The first rationalisation occurred in 1938, when two railway stations (New and Wellington) were combined to form ''Leeds City Station'', opening on 2 May that year. This was designed by LMS architect
William Henry Hamlyn
William Henry Hamlyn FRIBA (16 February 1889 – 1968) was an architect based in England noted for his buildings for the London Midland and Scottish Railway.
He was born in Wigan in Lancashire. He studied architecture with Reginald Wynn Owen in ...
. The third railway station, Leeds Central, was unaffected by the change. Part of Wellington railway station later became a parcels depot. The north concourse and the Queens Hotel were built at this time.
Leeds Blitz
In March 1941, the
Luftwaffe
The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...
launched attacks on
Leeds
Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by popula ...
,
Armley
Armley is a district in the west of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It starts less than from Leeds city centre. Like much of Leeds, Armley grew in the Industrial Revolution and had several mills, one of which houses now the Leeds Industri ...
,
Beeston and
Bramley. Leeds New Station was one of the primary targets, along with the Town Hall, Kirkgate Markets, the Central Post office, the Quarry Hill flats, Hotel Metropole and part of the Inner Ring Road. The station was bombed, causing an unknown number of casualties, and was later rebuilt.
The
Transport Act 1947
The Transport Act 1947 (10 & 11 Geo. 6 c. 49) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Under the terms of the Act, the railway network, long-distance road haulage and various other types of transport were nationalised and came under ...
nationalised nearly all forms of
mass transport
Public transport (also known as public transportation, public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) is a system of transport for passengers by group travel systems available for use by the general public unlike private transport, typica ...
in Great Britain and came into effect on 1 January 1948.
British Railways came into existence as the business name of the
Railway Executive
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a prep ...
of the
British Transport Commission
The British Transport Commission (BTC) was created by Clement Attlee's post-war Labour government as a part of its nationalisation programme, to oversee railways, canals and road freight transport in Great Britain (Northern Ireland had the se ...
(BTC) on 1 January 1948.
1962 British Railways House
In 1962, British Railways House, now City House, was added to the railway station. It was designed by architect
John Poulson
John Garlick Llewellyn Poulson (14 April 1910 – 31 January 1993) was a British architectural designer and businessman who caused a major political scandal when his use of bribery was disclosed in 1972. The highest-ranking figure to be forced ...
providing British Railways with administrative buildings. The building became dated and hard to let before refurbishment in 2009. The building was lambasted in 1967 by poet
John Betjeman who said it blocked all the light out of
City Square
A town square (or square, plaza, public square, city square, urban square, or ''piazza'') is an open public space, commonly found in the heart of a traditional town but not necessarily a true geometric square, used for community gatherings. ...
, and was a testament to money with no architectural merit. In 2010 the building was bought by property company Bruntwood which is (as of 2017) redeveloping it to provide serviced offices, with a new look to the façade.
1967 rebuilding
In 1967, further remodelling of the site took place and trains using Central Railway Station were diverted into the City Railway Station which became the main railway station serving the city. Central Railway Station was closed and has been demolished. The viaduct leading to Central Railway Station is one of many disused viaducts near Leeds Railway Station. Engineering work included replacing 100-year-old bridges over the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, the construction of the south concourse and an overall roof, along with major platform and track layout alterations and the commissioning of a new power signal box to control the railway station area.
At the time of this rebuilding, the railway station was served by 500 trains on a typical day, with 2.75 million passenger journeys a year. Wellington (or City North) became entirely devoted to parcels traffic at this time with the track layout extensively changed. The remaining Midland line trains which previously used City North station were diverted into the City South station, the former LNWR/NER 'New' station, and called simply Leeds from this time.
Electrification
The station had overhead electrification installed under the ownership of
British Rail in 1988, to facilitate usage of the new
Class 91 services on the East Coast main line.
2002 rebuilding
![Transpennine train at Leeds (geograph 4704285)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/67/Transpennine_train_at_Leeds_%28geograph_4704285%29.jpg)
By the 1990s, the railway station's capacity was exceeded on a daily basis, and the 1967 design was deemed inadequate. Between 1999 and 2002, a major rebuilding project took place, branded as ''Leeds 1st''. This project saw the construction of additional approach tracks at the western end of the railway station, improving efficiency by separating trains travelling to or from different destinations and preventing them from having to cross each other's routes. The railway station was expanded from 12 to 17 platforms, with the construction of new platforms on the south side, and reopening of the disused parcels depot to passengers on the north side.
The majority of the track, points and signals were also replaced and the 1967 power box closed – control being handed over to the signalling centre at . The most visible change to passengers, however, was the replacement of the 1967 metal canopy with a new glass roof, considerably increasing the amount of daylight on the platforms. A new footbridge was also provided, replacing the previous underpass. Ancillary improvements included a new multi-storey car park and railway station entrance, refurbishing the North Concourse and expanding retail facilities.
A small temporary railway station called
Leeds Whitehall was provided to handle some services while the railway station was being remodelled. This was used between September 1999 and February 2002.
2008 work
In 2008, automated ticket gates were installed in place of the human-controlled ticket checking, to speed up the passage of passengers. When the gates came into operation at the end of October 2008, they suffered from several faults including accepting expired tickets. An oversight on the part of Northern also meant that the gates were not compatible with West Yorkshire Metro Cards.
Southern entrance
A £17.3 million southern entrance to allow for easier access from the south completed on 3 January 2016.
It widens the railway station's western footbridge and provides escalators, stairs and lifts to a partial deck over the River Aire in an iconic structure. The deck provides access to either side of the river for passengers to access Granary Wharf and Little Neville Street or
Holbeck. It contains extra ticket vending machines and cycle storage. Around 20%
of passengers are expected to use the new entrance.
South concourse and platform zero
Work on a new terminal platform alongside platform 1 (labelled platform 0) began in late 2018 and was completed in January 2021.
In November 2018 Network Rail began work to improve the south concourse. The first phase of works aimed to reduce congestion by moving and expanding ticket barriers. A new transparent roof was installed, matching the design at the Southern entrance, with works completed in October 2019.
Accidents and incidents
*13 January 1892, a fire broke out in the arches underneath the station carrying the River Aire and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal. The fire burnt for two days, with the heat buckling the rails and causing significant damage to the permanent way. One person died when a platform collapsed underneath him.
*On 23 July 1993, a passenger train ran into the rear of another occupying a platform. Twenty-one people were injured.
*On 17 April 1997 a small bomb planted by the
Provisional Irish Republican Army
The Irish Republican Army (IRA; ), also known as the Provisional Irish Republican Army, and informally as the Provos, was an Irish republican paramilitary organisation that sought to end British rule in Northern Ireland, facilitate Irish reu ...
exploded at a relay cabinet near the station, causing the city centre's closure for six hours.
Future
Leeds City railway station is the third-busiest railway station outside London in England; being a very busy railway station, expansion is needed. Passenger numbers at Leeds are expected to surge by 63% by 2029, meaning further expansion is necessary.
Future Remodelling
In October 2017, it was proposed that the station could be remodelled for the proposed HS2 scheme. The proposal includes new platforms on the northside of Leeds as well as HS2 services running into the existing east–west platforms as well as the proposed terminal platforms allowing links to proposed 'Northern Powerhouse Rail'. In November 2017, details were released about how the station might look.
Expansion
Plans are being drawn up to expand the railway station's capacity with new lines and platforms alongside platform one in the Riverside Car Park on the site of the original Leeds Wellington railway station to cater for predicted growth. Also
Metro
Metro, short for metropolitan, may refer to:
Geography
* Metro (city), a city in Indonesia
* A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center
Public transport
* Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urb ...
announced plans to replace platform 1 with three separate platforms using the car park next to it. This would increase platform numbers from 17 to 20.
HS2 platforms
![Leeds station proposed HS2 platforms](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9e/Leeds_station_proposed_HS2_platforms.png)
The original plans for
High Speed 2
High Speed 2 (HS2) is a planned high-speed railway line in England, the first phase of which is under construction in stages and due for completion between 2029 and 2033, depending on approval for later stages. The new line will run from its m ...
proposed a separate new station in Leeds to the south of the River Aire at
New Lane. However, a later review in November 2015 instead recommends that HS2 platforms be added to the existing station.
These would attach to the southern part of the existing station building, and span the river in a north–south alignment to create a 'T' shape.
Whilst not directly linking the rail lines, it will allow a common concourse for easy interchange between high speed and classic rail services. These plans were approved by the Government in November 2016.
However on 18 November 2021, Grant Shapps (Transport Secretary) announced that the eastern leg of HS2 would be cancelled, terminating at
East Midlands Parkway instead of going all the way to Leeds.
Services
The railway station is served by train operators
CrossCountry,
London North Eastern Railway,
Northern and
TransPennine Express
TransPennine Express (TPE), legally First TransPennine Express Limited, is a British train operating company owned by FirstGroup that operates the TransPennine Express franchise. It runs regional and inter-city rail services between the major ci ...
. It is also the hub of the
Metro
Metro, short for metropolitan, may refer to:
Geography
* Metro (city), a city in Indonesia
* A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center
Public transport
* Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urb ...
network in
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. It is an inland and upland county having eastward-draining valleys while taking in the moors of the Pennines. West Yorkshire came into exi ...
, being the terminus of the following lines:
* The Leeds branch of the
East Coast Main Line to London King's Cross
*
Airedale Line to Keighley/Skipton/Heysham Port/Morecambe/Carlisle
*
Caldervale Line
The Calder Valley line (also previously known as the Caldervale line) is a railway route in Northern England between the cities of Leeds and Manchester as well as the seaside resort of Blackpool. It is the slower of the two main rail rou ...
to
Manchester Oxford Road/Blackpool North/Huddersfield
*
Hallam Line
The Hallam Line is a railway connecting Leeds and Sheffield via Castleford in the West Yorkshire Metro area of northern England. It is a slower route from Leeds to Sheffield than the Wakefield line. Services on this line are operated by Nor ...
to Castleford/Wakefield/Barnsley/Sheffield
*
Harrogate Line to Harrogate/Knaresborough/York
*
Huddersfield Line
The Huddersfield line is the main railway line between the English cities of Leeds and Manchester, via Huddersfield. It is one of the busiest MetroTrain lines. The route travels south-south-west from Leeds through Dewsbury. After a short west ...
to Dewsbury/Huddersfield
*
Pontefract Line to Castleford/Pontefract/Knottingley/Goole
*
Wakefield Line to Wakefield/Doncaster/Sheffield
*
Wharfedale Line to Ilkley
*
Leeds-Bradford Lines to Bradford
Former services
East Midlands Railway (EMR) and its predecessors operated a few services to and from
London St Pancras
St Pancras railway station (), also known as London St Pancras or St Pancras International and officially since 2007 as London St Pancras International, is a London station group, central London railway terminus on Euston Road in the London Bor ...
via the
Midland Main Line
The Midland Main Line is a major railway line in England from London to Nottingham and Sheffield in the Midlands. It comprises the lines from London's St Pancras station via Leicester, Derby/Nottingham and Chesterfield in the East Midlands ...
until May 2022. Two evening northbound and two morning southbound services operated primarily to cycle
sets through
Neville Hill TMD
Neville Hill is a railway train maintenance depot in Osmondthorpe, Leeds, England on the Leeds to Selby Line. The depot is situated to the east of Leeds railway station on the north side of the line.
The TOPS depot code is NL.
History
In ...
. After EMR withdrew its last InterCity 125 sets in May 2021, the service was reduced to a single northbound service operated by a
Class 222. It was withdrawn in May 2022.
[Cautious changes for post Covid era '']Modern Railways
''Modern Railways'' is a British monthly magazine covering the rail transport industry which was published by Ian Allan until March 2012, and Key Publishing since then. It has been published since 1962. The magazine was originally based in She ...
'' issue 884 May 2022 page 63
See also
*
References
Further reading
*
External links
*https://web.archive.org/web/20160805024619/http://www.networkrail.co.uk/virtualarchive/leeds-station/ – history of the station from Network Rail archives
{{Railway stations served by TransPennine Express
Art Deco architecture in Leeds
Art Deco railway stations
Articles containing video clips
DfT Category A stations
Former London, Midland and Scottish Railway stations
Former London and North Eastern Railway stations
Network Rail managed stations
Railway stations in Leeds
Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1938
Railway stations served by CrossCountry
Railway stations served by London North Eastern Railway
Northern franchise railway stations
Railway stations served by TransPennine Express
Union stations in the United Kingdom
1869 establishments in England