Leeds railway station

Leeds railway station (also known as Leeds City railway station)[1][2][3][4] is the mainline railway station serving the city centre of Leeds in West Yorkshire, England. It is the third-busiest railway station in the UK outside London (as of 2018).[5] It is located on New Station Street to the south of City Square, at the bottom of Park Row, behind the landmark Queens Hotel. It is one of 20 stations managed by Network Rail.[5]

Leeds
Platforms 9 to 11, Leeds railway station
Location
PlaceLeeds
Local authorityCity of Leeds
Coordinates53.794°N 1.547°W / 53.794; -1.547
Grid referenceSE299331
Operations
Station codeLDS
Managed byNetwork Rail
Number of platforms17 (National Rail)
DfT categoryA
Live arrivals/departures, station information and onward connections
from National Rail Enquiries
Annual rail passenger usage*
2014/15 28.848 million
2015/16 29.724 million
2016/17 30.943 million
2017/18 31.101 million
2018/19 30.839 million
Passenger Transport Executive
PTEWest Yorkshire (Metro)
Zone1
History
Key datesOpened 1938
Rebuilt 1967
Rebuilt 2002 (1938
Rebuilt 1967
Rebuilt 2002)
National Rail – UK railway stations
  • Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Leeds from Office of Rail and Road statistics. Methodology may vary year on year.

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 London King's Cross every half hour from the station) and is an important stop on the Cross Country Route between Scotland, the Midlands and South West England connecting to major cities such as Birmingham, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Derby, Bristol, Exeter, Plymouth and Penzance. There are also regular inter-city services to major destinations throughout Northern England including Manchester, Liverpool, Newcastle and Sheffield. It is also the terminus for trains running on the scenic Settle to Carlisle Line. Future expansion will link the station to the proposed High Speed 2 (HS2) network.

Leeds is a major hub for local and regional destinations across Yorkshire such as to York, Scarborough, Hull, Doncaster and Sheffield. The station lies at the heart of the Metro commuter network for West Yorkshire providing services to Bradford, Wakefield, Dewsbury, Huddersfield and Halifax.

With over 31 million passenger entries and exits between April 2017 and March 2018, Leeds is the busiest railway station in the North of England and the third-busiest railway station in the United Kingdom outside London, after Birmingham New Street and Glasgow Central.

Description
The North Concourse (Wellington Quarter) by William Henry Hamlyn dating from 1937/38 – The shops on the right were previously platform entrances
The 6-foot high 'LEEDS' letters inside the main entrance to the station
Platform hall

The railway station is situated on a hill falling from the south of the city to the River Aire and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal 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, known locally as the Dark Arches.

The railway station has 17 platforms, making it the largest by number of platforms in England outside London. There are 11 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.[6] Retail facilities in the station include coffee shops, fast food outlets, a bar, newsagents, chemists and supermarkets. A British Transport Police station on New Station Street houses officers who police the West Yorkshire railway stations.

Leeds railway station retained manned ticket barriers through the 1990s until 2008, when they were replaced by automatic barriers by Northern to reduce congestion around the barriers at peak times.[2][7]

Platforms

Platform usage varies depending on operational circumstances but is generally:

  • 1–5 – Bay platforms mostly used by MetroTrain services operated by Northern, towards Harrogate, Ilkley, Bradford Forster Square and Skipton.
  • 6, 8 – 6 is a Bay Platform used for terminating London North Eastern Railway services from London, 8 is a through platform used for London North Eastern Railway services which both terminate and continue onward to Bradford, Harrogate and Skipton, as well as the early morning LNER departure to Aberdeen.
  • 8, 9, 11, 12, 15, 16 – through platforms. 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 and Middlesbrough and 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.
The Western Entrance into the railway station.

Leeds Interchange, located at the New Station Street exit, provides onward transport connections from the station. There are five bus stands serving Arriva, First and Yorkshire Tiger routes 4, 5, 16, 16A, 19, 19A, 40, 85, 87, 90, 757, 870 and DalesBus services. 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.[8] Its design is based on the Dutch cyclepoint concept.[9]

History

Past railway stations
Neville Street passes under the railway station
Railway lines in central Leeds in 1913
The river Aire and Southern station entrance
The railway station seen in 1974
A trolley point showing the historical name of 'Leeds City' after the 2002 rebuilding

The railways arrived in Leeds in 1834, when the Leeds and Selby Railway (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 (a constituent of the Midland Railway) constructed its line from Derby via Rotherham 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 (on Wellington Street), was opened in 1854 by the Manchester and Leeds Railway and the London and North Western Railway, or 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 and Yorkshire Railway.

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, adjacent to Wellington railway station.

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 and Scottish Railway (LMS) and the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER).

1938 rebuilding
Leeds City South Station: west end, in 1961

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. 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
Main article: Leeds Blitz

In March 1941, the Luftwaffe launched attacks on Leeds, Armley, 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 nationalised nearly all forms of mass transport in Great Britain and came into effect on 1 January 1948.[10] British Railways came into existence as the business name of the Railway Executive of the British Transport Commission (BTC) on 1 January 1948.

1962 British Railways House
Main article: City House

In 1962 British Railways House, now City House, was added to the railway station. It was designed by architect John Poulson 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, 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 & 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.[11]

2002 rebuilding
Platforms three to five
Outer platforms

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 York. 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 has now been demolished.

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.[12] An oversight on the part of Northern also meant that the gates were not compatible with West Yorkshire Metro Cards.[13]

Southern entrance

A £17.3 million southern entrance to allow for easier access from the south completed on 3 January 2016.[14][15] It widens the railway station's western footbridge and provide 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%[14] of passengers are expected to use the new entrance.[16][17][18]

Accidents and incidents
  • On 23 July 1993, a passenger train ran into the rear of another occupying a platform. Twenty-one people were injured; one seriously.
  • On 17 April 1997 a small bomb planted by the Provisional Irish Republican Army exploded at a relay cabinet near the station, causing the city centre's closure for six hours.[19]

Future

Leeds City railway station is the third-busiest railway station outside London in England;[20] 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.[21]

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'.[22] In November 2017, details were released about how the station might look.[23]

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 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. Work on a new terminal platform alongside platform 1 (labelled platform 0) began in late 2018 and is due for completion in 2021.[24]

South concourse

Network Rail plans to improve the south concourse by opening up the skylights to allow in natural light. The first phase of works will aim to reduce congestion. Consideration will be given to a mezzanine level for retail units. Network Rail has said that it "is looking at the feasibility of the provision of a new roof to the concourse. The latter scheme is one that will be taken forward in conjunction with Bruntwood" in connection with the redevelopment of City House.[25]

Future service

In June 2014, Network Rail accepted Alliance Rail t/a Great North Western Railway Company (GNWR) to operate services between London Euston and Leeds via Warrington Bank Quay and Huddersfield with six services per day in both directions. The services were proposed to start in 2017 using Pendolino trains.[26][27] However, in January 2015 the proposed services were rejected.

London North Eastern Railway plan to operate direct services between London King's Cross and Huddersfield via Leeds from 2020 .[28]

As part of the new Arriva Rail North franchise, from May 2019 there will be a new hourly service to Chester, calling at Bradford Interchange, Manchester Victoria and Warrington Bank Quay.[29] Originally planned for December 2017[30] the introduction has been delayed for operational reasons. New services between Halifax and Hull will also be introduced and those to Nottingham will be re-routed via Wakefield Westgate rather than via Barnsley (saving 20+ minutes' journey time) and extended to/from Bradford Interchange. There will also be new direct services to Lincoln via Barnsley and Worksop.[31] These new routes will be marketed under the "Northern Connect" brand and use new DMUs.

HS2 platforms
A graphical mockup showing how new HS2 platforms (blue) will be joined to the existing Leeds station platforms (pink).

The original plans for HS2 proposed a separate new station in Leeds to the south of the River Aire at New Lane.[32][33] However, a later review in November 2015 instead recommends that HS2 platforms be added to the existing station.[34] 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.[35][36]

Services

The railway station is served by train operators, London North Eastern Railway, CrossCountry, TransPennine Express, Northern and East Midlands Railway. It is also the hub of the MetroTrain network in West Yorkshire, being the terminus of the following lines:

  • The Leeds branch of the East Coast Main Line to London King's Cross
  • Midland Main Line to London St Pancras
  • Airedale Line to Keighley/Skipton/Heysham Port/Morcambe/Carlisle
  • Caldervale Line to Manchester Oxford Road /Blackpool North/Huddersfield
  • Hallam Line to Castleford/Wakefield/Barnsley/Sheffield
  • Harrogate Line to Harrogate/Knaresborough/York
  • Huddersfield Line 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
Preceding station National Rail Following station
CrossCountry
Wakefield Westgate   London North Eastern Railway
London-Leeds		   Terminus
Horsforth
(Limited service)		   London North Eastern Railway
Harrogate to London		   Wakefield Westgate
Harrogate
    
Wakefield Westgate   London North Eastern Railway
London-Bradford/Skipton
(Limited service)		   Shipley
Terminus   London North Eastern Railway
Leeds-Aberdeen
(Limited service)		   York
East Midlands Railway
Midland Main Line
(Limited service)
Terminus
TransPennine Express
North TransPennine
Terminus
TerminusNorthern
Airedale Line
TerminusNorthern
Leeds-Bradford Line
TerminusNorthern
Settle-Carlisle Line
TerminusNorthern
Leeds-Morecambe Line
TerminusNorthern
Harrogate Line
TerminusNorthern
Wharfedale Line
Northern
York-Blackpool North Line
Bramley
Northern
Selby-Wakefield Westgate via Halifax & Huddersfield
Bramley
Northern
Calder Valley Line
Terminus
Northern
Hallam Line
Terminus
Northern
Pontefract Line
Terminus
Northern
Wakefield Line
Terminus
Northern
Leeds-Nottingham
Terminus
Northern
Leeds-Lincoln
Terminus
  Future services  
Sheffield Midland   TBA
High Speed 2		   Terminus
East Midlands Hub   TBA
High Speed 2		   Terminus
Sheffield Midland   TBA
High Speed 2		   York
or Hull Paragon
Bradford Interchange   TBA
Northern Powerhouse Rail		   Hull Paragon
or York
Sheffield    
Leeds Lines
Past, Present and Future
to Ilkley
York and Selby Lines
to Church Fenton
ROF Thorp Arch
York and Selby Lines
to Church Fenton
Thorp Arch
Circular Railway
Thorp Arch
Harrogate Line
to Harrogate
York and Selby Lines
to Selby
Otley
Micklefield
Pool
Wetherby Racecourse
Harrogate Line
to Harrogate
Wetherby (York Road)
Menston
Lakefield Lines
to Castleford
Arthington
Ledston
Golden Acre Park Rly
Wetherby
High Royds
Hospital Railway
East Leeds Parkway
/Roman Road
to Shipley
Bowers Halt
to Shipley
Collingham Bridge
Apperley Bridge
Kippax
Guiseley
Bardsey
Calverley & Rodley
East Garforth
Yeadon
Thorner
Leeds Bradford Airport
(proposed)
Aberford
Newlay and Horsforth
Garforth
Horsforth
HS2 to York
Kirkstall Forge
Scholes
Horsforth Woodside
Barnbow ROF
Kirkstall Abbey
Manston
(1851–1869)
Headingley
HS2 to Methley
Kirkstall Bridge Road
Penda's Way
Kirkstall
Cross Gates
Burley Park
Halton Dial
(1851–1864)
Armley Mills Museum
Osmondthorpe
Royal Gardens
(Summer 1857)
Cardigan Lane Goods
Armley Canal Road
Hunslet Goods
(NER)
Montague's Field
Marsh Lane
Wellington Street Goods
Hunslet Goods
(GNR)
Leeds Central
Leeds Wellington
Holbeck
Leeds (New Station)
Whitehall Junction
New Lane
(HS2)
Holbeck Junction
Hunslet Swing Bridge
Leeds Whitehall
Farnley Viaduct
Whitehall Road Goods
Cassons Close
(MR)
Copley Hill
Kidacre Street
(MR)
Wortley West Curve
Hunslet Lane
Armley & Wortley
Middleton Old Run
Farnley & Wortley
Hunslet
Bramley
Moor Road
Beeston
Balm Road Sidings
Stanningley
GNR Hunslet Goods Branch
Pudsey Lowtown
Middleton River Branch
ca. 1755–1809
New Pudsey
Park Halt
Pudsey Greenside
Leeds Freightliner terminal
to Bradford via Laisterdyke
Jane Pit
(MR)
to Shipley via Idle
Stourton Junction
Tingley
Ardsley
to Dudley Hill
Rothwell
Farnley Branch
Robin Hood
to Bradford via Laisterdyke
Woodkirk
Cottingley
to Newmarket Colliery
Churwell
to Batley'
Gildersome East
Woodlesford
Morley Low
Outwood
Morley Top
HS2 to Garforth
Gildersome West
Methley
to Huddersfield
to Wakefield
to Batley
HS2 to Crofton
Drighlington & Adwalton
Methley Junction
to Batley
Methley South
Wakefield Lines
to Normanton via Altofts
Wakefield Lines
to Castleford Cutsyke
to Dudley Hill
Wakefield Lines
to Castleford
The rail network in Leeds
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References
  1. "Leeds Station". Network Rail Virtual Archive. Network Rail. 7 March 2012. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
  2. "Leeds Railway Station". Railway-Technology. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
  3. "Automatic ticket gates at Leeds City Station".
  4. "leedsliveitloveit". leedsliveitloveit. Archived from the original on 2 November 2014. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
  5. "Commercial information". Our Stations. London: Network Rail. April 2014. Archived from the original on 10 April 2014. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
  6. Yonge, John (September 2006) [1994]. Jacobs, Gerald (ed.). Railway Track Diagrams 2: Eastern (3rd ed.). Bradford on Avon: Trackmaps. map 37A. ISBN 0-9549866-2-8.
  7. "Travel Tools – Automatic ticket gates". Northern Rail. Archived from the original on 3 May 2014. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
  8. "Bicycle hire and storage scheme opens at Leeds Station". BBC Leeds and West Yorkshire. 27 September 2010. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
  9. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 June 2010. Retrieved 27 January 2010.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  10. Her Majesty's Government (1947). "Transport Act 1947". The Railways Archive. (originally published by Her Majesty's Stationery Office). Archived from the original on 13 April 2012. Retrieved 25 November 2006.
  11. East Coast Main Line Rail Route Upgrading, United Kingdom
  12. "Barriers accept wrong tickets". BBC News. 18 November 2008. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
  13. "Your Views: The problems with Leeds railway station's new ticket barrier". Yorkshire Evening Post. 30 October 2008. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
  14. "New station entrance given approval" (Press release). 31 October 2013. Archived from the original on 6 November 2013. Retrieved 6 November 2013.
  15. "Leeds Rail Station - new southern entrance (LSSE)".
  16. Eversheds LLP, on behalf of Network Rail and West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive. "THE LEEDS RAILWAY STATION (SOUTHERN ENTRANCE)ORDER Concise Statement of Aims" (PDF). Retrieved 17 June 2012.
  17. "Have your say on Leeds Station Southern Entrance plans" (Press release). 2 December 2011. Archived from the original on 9 February 2013. Retrieved 17 June 2012.
  19. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/our-chaos-strategy-is-working-says-ira-1267868.html
  20. "Station usage 2013–14 infographic" (PDF). Office of Rail Regulation. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
  21. "Network Rail unveils plans for Leeds station | Global Rail News". Rail.co. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
  24. "Brand new Platform Zero to be built at Leeds train station as hundreds of car parking spaces disappear" Johnson, K Leeds Live news article 16 November 2018; Retrieved 31 January 2020
  25. "City House" (PDF). Bruntwood. p. 10. Retrieved 17 June 2012.
  26. "GNWR granted access to West Coast main line". Global Rail News.
  27. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 July 2014. Retrieved 12 June 2014.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  28. "Consortium to buy East Coast trains announced". ITV News. 27 November 2014. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
  29. "Rail industry confirms new summer 2019 timetable". 7 March 2019. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
  30. "Northern franchise improvements". p. Chester to Leeds. Archived from the original on 24 July 2019. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
  31. £1.2 billion upgrade for North as Arriva wins Northern and First retains TransPennine Express Clinnick, Richard; Rail Magazine article 9 December 2015; Retrieved 17 December 2015
  32. "Phase Two: Leeds". HS2. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
  33. https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/69036/hs2-arp-lr0-dr-rt-55222_3-0.pdf
  34. "The Yorkshire Hub" (PDF). Department for Transport. p. 10. Retrieved 30 November 2015.

Further reading
  • Haigh, Phil (25 February – 10 March 1998). "A station for the 21st century...". RAIL. No. 325. EMAP Apex Publications. pp. 20–24. ISSN 0953-4563. OCLC 49953699.
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