64-587: 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 westward stretch through Mirfield , where it runs on the ex-L&YR section, it continues south-west through Huddersfield, using the Colne Valley to its headwaters. The long Standedge Tunnel , just after Marsden , crosses under
128-406: A Great Tradition" vehicles and were in those liveries until the late 1990s. Deregulation occurred on 26 October 1986. The WYPTE bus division was renamed Yorkshire Rider and with it a new livery of dark olive green and cream and a stylised "YR" emblem. Five double-decker buses were operated in each of the municipal council's colours (already included were the two Huddersfield buses), with words on
192-551: A centre consisting of cafés, restaurants, shops and exhibition spaces called Granary Wharf , 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
256-418: 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
320-483: A proposal to upgrade the track between Huddersfield and Dewsbury from two tracks to four; at the same time, they also stated their intent to electrify the line between Huddersfield and Leeds. The plans were being put out for public consultation. In July 2020, the then Transport Minister, Grant Shapps , announced a £589 million upgrade to the line, including the reinstatement of an extra two tracks between Huddersfield and Thornhill Junction, to provide four tracks between
384-583: Is also the terminus for trains running on the scenic Settle & Carlisle line . Leeds is a major hub for local and regional destinations across Yorkshire such as to Harrogate , York , Scarborough , Hull , Doncaster and Sheffield . The station lies at the heart of the West Yorkshire Metro commuter network for West Yorkshire providing services to Bradford , Wakefield , Dewsbury , Huddersfield and Halifax . With 24 million passenger entries and exits between April 2022 and March 2023, Leeds
448-735: Is an element of the Integrated Rail Plan for the North and Midlands that was announced in November 2021. This proposal includes full electrification of the Huddersfield line and, as well as the track quadrupling between Huddersfield and Westtown (Dewsbury), a grade-separated junction at Thornhill L.N.W. Junction, close to Ravensthorpe. Metro (West Yorkshire) pre-paid tickets and concessionary fares are available between Leeds and Marsden. Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) fares are available for
512-700: 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. 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
576-607: Is the busiest railway station in the North of England , overtaking Manchester Piccadilly , and the second-busiest railway station in the United Kingdom outside London, after Birmingham New Street . 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
640-803: Is the hub of the Metro network in West Yorkshire . The typical off-peak service in trains per hour (tph) and trains per day (tpd) is London North Eastern Railway CrossCountry TransPennine Express Northern Trains East Midlands Railway (EMR) and its predecessors operated a number of services to and from London St Pancras via the Midland Main Line until May 2022. Two evening northbound and two morning southbound services operated primarily to cycle InterCity 125 sets through Neville Hill TMD . After EMR withdrew its last InterCity 125 sets in May 2021,
704-461: Is the second-busiest railway station outside London in the United Kingdom, 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 expansion might link the station to the proposed High Speed 2 network. In October 2017, it was proposed that the station could be remodelled for the proposed HS2 scheme. The proposal includes new platforms on
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#1732851213677768-477: The Integrated Rail Plan for the North and Midlands that was announced in November 2021. At the time of the 1923 Grouping , most of the route followed by the line was over London and North Western Railway (LNWR) metals; the exception was a short stretch around Mirfield, which was the property of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (L&YR). The first section of the line, between Huddersfield and Stalybridge ,
832-761: The Local Government Act 1972 , the Executive had to operate within the policy guidelines of the County Council Public Transport Committee, coordinating the operation of all public transport in the county. The Executive inherited approximately 1,500 buses along with 6,000 staff and the associated garages and street furniture. The Executive relinquished ownership of local buses following the Transport Act 1985 , creating arms-length operating companies. It continued to coordinate public transport as
896-557: The Local Transport Act 2008 . The Metro brand was adopted in 1988. Buses are operated by private companies, with early morning, late evening, Sunday and rural services often supported by Metro. There is a special rural bus section, which promotes a combination of minor local links and major long-distance routes. On 1 April 1974, the West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive was created by merging
960-480: The London and North Eastern Railway (LNER). 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
1024-559: 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 (LNWR). The railway station became owned jointly by
1088-858: The National Bus Company (NBC) formed a new integrated transport system known as the "Metro-National Transport Company Limited". All PTE and NBC buses began to appear with a new emblem, which consisted of the MetroBus WY's in one box and the NBC "double N" or "N-blem" appearing in another to the right of the PTE emblem, and slightly lower. The boxes were linked to show the integration. They also appeared with MetroBus fleetnames with " The easy way from here to there in West Yorkshire ". The new "Metrobus" fleetname being applied not only to PTE owned vehicles on which WYPTE lettering
1152-687: The "Metrocoach" banner, with brown added for "Metrocoach Executive". Later Bingley's depot received double-deckers transferred from the Leeds District. In early 1981 a reorganisation of operating districts was implemented with the East District becoming responsible for the Leeds depots and United Services, whilst the West District took control of Bradford , Halifax , Todmorden and Huddersfield . Three new Leyland National 2s were acquired for United Services, in blue livery. In July 1981, MetroBus and
1216-804: The 158 and 321s which were leased to the Northern franchise holder. There are 12 commuter railway lines serving West Yorkshire: Airedale , Calder Valley Line , Dearne Valley , Hallam , Harrogate , Huddersfield , Leeds-Bradford , Penistone , Pontefract , Wakefield , Wharfedale and York & Selby . The majority of these lines run into Leeds and most continue into neighbouring areas, serving towns and cities such as Barnsley , Blackpool , Doncaster , Harrogate , Liverpool , Manchester , Nottingham , Preston , Sheffield and York . Some lines overlap each other, which means that stations such as Castleford, Huddersfield and Wakefield Westgate are served by more than one line. Most lines have frequent services, but
1280-524: 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
1344-529: The City South station, the former LNWR/NER 'New' station, and called simply Leeds from this time. 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. 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,
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#17328512136771408-577: The Greenfield-Manchester section. Several of the intermediate stations listed were closed in the 1960s, as a result of the Beeching Axe , including many of those between Huddersfield and Manchester. All stations that are still open are in bold : TransPennine Express (TPE) operate the majority of the passenger services over the line, as it is the core line linking the North West with Yorkshire and
1472-725: The Huddersfield line between Stalybridge in Greater Manchester and Leeds: An ale trail has become popular along the route owing to a large number of easily accessed and nationally acclaimed pubs along the route; this includes pubs on the station platforms at Dewsbury, Huddersfield and Stalybridge. The following are of particular interest: The trail featured on the BBC 's Oz and James Drink to Britain programme and consequently became very popular for drinkers in Manchester and Leeds. This has prompted some concerns over anti-social behaviour in
1536-633: 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
1600-590: The North East. Since privatisation in the 1990s, local services on the route have been operated by the Northern franchise ( Arriva Trains Northern , Northern Rail , Arriva Rail North and, since 2020, Northern Trains ). The first incarnation, Arriva Trains Northern, also operated the express services between Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, York, Middlesbrough and Newcastle before the Strategic Rail Authority spun
1664-431: The PTE acquired the old-established Kinsley based United Services from WR & P Bingley. As well as providing the PTE with more coaching operations, this took it into an area of West Yorkshire where it had previously had no presence. United Services was maintained as a separate subsidiary and retained its distinctive blue livery, whilst a new livery of red & ivory was adopted for the PTE's coaches, which operated under
1728-477: The PTEs verona cream and buttermilk livery so as to present a corporate image. From this date the "WY" logo on the front of buses was replaced by the "Metro-National" emblem in mid-1983, to celebrate 100 years of public transport in Huddersfield, MetroBus paint two vehicles in old liveries: Leyland Atlanteans carried Huddersfield Corporation red livery and Huddersfield Corporation Tramways livery. They became "Building on
1792-734: The Queens Hotel were built at this time. 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 damage and an unknown number of casualties, and
1856-684: The TPE services diverted away from the Guide Bridge to Manchester Piccadilly corridor, so that through trains could use the newly opened Ordsall Chord . However, Northern still operate local services from Huddersfield to Sheffield, Leeds (via Bradford Interchange ) and Wakefield. Due to the change of line on the through Manchester services, the Liverpool trains no longer run on the line through Warrington Central , but travel via Newton-le-Willows instead. Six trains per hour provided by TPE in both directions run on
1920-610: The West Yorkshire Integrated Transport Authority on 1 April 2014. The West Yorkshire County Council was the transport authority from 1 April 1974 until 1 April 1986. It was replaced by the West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Authority that was made up of elected councillors from the districts of West Yorkshire. The West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Authority was renamed the West Yorkshire Integrated Transport Authority following
1984-542: The West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Authority when the metropolitan county was abolished in 1986. New buses were purchased in large numbers at the outset. In 1976 Baddeley Brothers of Holmfirth was purchased providing the PTE with additional coaching and stage-carriage duties. In 1980 the Baddeley Brothers business was also disposed of, although the Metrocoach operation was retained. In 1976 modifications were made to
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2048-513: The barriers at peak times. Platform usage varies depending on operational circumstances but is generally: Leeds Interchange, located at the New Station Street exit, provides onward transport connections from the station. There are five bus stands serving Arriva Yorkshire , First West Yorkshire and Flyer routes 1, 4, 4F, 5, 14, 16, 16A, 19, 19A, 40, 444, 446, 870, A1 and DalesBus services 874 and 875. A 24-hour taxi rank also operates at
2112-447: 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
2176-399: The current My bus contractors were City Travel, First Student UK ( First Calderdale & Huddersfield , First Leeds ), HCT Group , Keighley Bus Company , Rollinson Safeway, Tiger Blue and TLC Travel . As of 2012 the following companies are owned by WYPTE, subject to Metro conditions and ticketing: [REDACTED] Local and inter-urban rail services within West Yorkshire and
2240-457: The eastern leg of HS2 would be cancelled, terminating at East Midlands Parkway instead of going all the way to Leeds. Eventually, the leg reaching East Midlands Parkway was scrapped too, with no new track north of Birmingham Curzon Street . The railway station is served by long-distance services operated by CrossCountry , London North Eastern Railway and TransPennine Express , as well as local and regional services operated by Northern . It
2304-513: 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
2368-413: The express train services off into a separate franchise operated by First TransPennine Express and, since 2016, by TransPennine Express. At the May 2018 timetable change, the Northern services calling at the smaller stations on the section between Greater Manchester and Huddersfield were transferred to TPE; they were combined into an hourly Manchester Piccadilly to Leeds service. This also saw many of
2432-401: 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. A £17.3 million southern entrance to allow for easier access from
2496-464: The intended Transpennine north railway upgrade . The electrification was to have been curtailed in parts and, as such, the sections between Stalybridge and Huddersfield, with a further section of 12 miles (19 km) east of Leeds, was not to have been electrified. Emphasis was placed on the bi-modal power of the new trains using the line; this necessitated using diesel engines on the unelectrified sections of track. In August 2019, Network Rail announced
2560-459: 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. 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
2624-501: The line between Manchester Victoria and Holbeck Junction at Leeds is 49 miles (79 km), though the Transpennine upgrade work covers the additional section to York which accounts for 76 miles (122 km). From spring 2019, the whole route is being upgraded over the course of three control periods extending beyond 2029. Network Rail state that this will include doubling the track in some places and upgrading stations as well as some of
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2688-423: The livery. Originally there were three stripes at the sides of the destination box, which wrapped round to the sides and swept down. This took time to apply, and a trial was made with one thin line. In 1977 the lines were removed and the green area at the skirting of was raised up, so there was slightly more green. The other change was the fleet name to MetroBus in 1976, removing the district names. On 25 April 1977,
2752-673: The municipal bus fleets of Bradford City Transport , Leeds City Transport , Huddersfield Corporation Passenger Transport and Halifax Joint Omnibus Committee , which earlier in the 1970s swallowed up Todmorden Joint Omnibus Committee. The operation was divided into four districts and a new livery of cream and verona green replaced the Bradford light blue & cream, Huddersfield red & cream, Leeds two-tone green and Halifax & Calderdale orange, green & cream. Created following
2816-619: The new entrance. 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. Leeds railway station
2880-476: 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. 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
2944-560: The outset and, since the formal abolition of the WYPTE on 1 April 2014, it has remained the brand name of public transport in the region, overseen by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority , which is also responsible for the delivery of transport policies. Metro is a public transport brand of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority which is, through its transport committee, the transport authority for West Yorkshire . It replaced
3008-562: 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. In 2008, automated ticket gates were installed in place of
3072-531: The service was reduced to a single northbound service operated by a Class 222 . It was withdrawn in May 2022. Metro (West Yorkshire) 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 Yorkshire. The Metro brand has been used from
3136-965: The sides between the decks saying "Building on a Great Tradition". The bus services and fare/bus pass/timetables division was renamed Metro. My bus is a school bus service provided by West Yorkshire Metro with certain features which set it apart from normal school transport services in the United Kingdom : The service, using buses painted yellow with coordinated My bus branding gained significant mode shift: 64% of primary school users were previously driven by car. Under this scheme, these buses were not allowed to be used for non-school purposes. West Yorkshire Metro claims benefits from 'My bus' ranging from reductions in car use, traffic congestion , air pollution , traffic accidents , social exclusion , truancy and late student arrivals and improvements to education , safety for pedestrians and cyclists, integration of people with special needs and children's experiences of public transport . As of August 2009
3200-525: 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. The original plans for High Speed 2 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
3264-434: 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
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#17328512136773328-419: 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
3392-403: 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 staffed ticket barriers through the 1990s until 2008, when they were replaced by automatic barriers by Northern Rail to reduce congestion around
3456-541: The station) and is an important stop on the Cross Country Route between Scotland , the Midlands and South West England connecting to major towns and cities such as Glasgow , Edinburgh , Derby , Birmingham , 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
3520-610: The surrounding areas, part funded by Metro, were advertised under the MetroTrain brand. In the 1990s, some Class 141 , 144 , 155 , 158 , 308 , 321 and 333s were painted in Metro livery. The Class 333 was painted in Metro livery when built. All apart from the 333s were later repainted in Northern Rail livery. Some of the 144s and 155s were originally purchased by the WYPTE but were later sold to Porterbrook . Metro retained ownership of
3584-537: The two points. These plans were submitted in April 2021 with the expectation of a decision on whether to proceed in 2023. In March 2022, the first step in the Transpennine Route Upgrade programme was taken. A Transport and Works Act Order to begin works for electrification, track doubling in sections and station upgrades between Dewsbury and Huddersfield was submitted; approval was expected in early 2023. The TRU
3648-438: The villages along the trail. Leeds railway station Leeds railway station (also known as Leeds City railway station ) is the mainline railway station serving the city centre of Leeds in West Yorkshire, England. It is located on New Station Street to the south of City Square , at the foot of Park Row, behind the landmark Queens Hotel . It is one of 20 stations managed by Network Rail . As of December 2023, it
3712-461: The watershed; the majority of the run down to Manchester is in the Tame Valley . From Manchester, some services continue to Manchester Airport and others to Liverpool . In November 2011, the Government announced that this route would be electrified, to be completed by 2022; however, there have been multiple delays. It is currently subject to the Transpennine Route Upgrade , which is an element of
3776-495: Was built partially on a bridge over the River Aire , 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 and Scottish Railway (LMS) and
3840-450: Was carried beneath the fleet name, but also buses of NBC subsidiaries West Yorkshire Road Car Company , West Riding Automobile Company , Yorkshire Woollen Transport Company and Yorkshire Traction , carrying "West Yorkshire", "West Riding", "Yorkshire" and "Yorkshire Traction" names below the Metrobus name. Some years later some of those buses (excluding Yorkshire Traction) were repainted into
3904-433: 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. In 1967, further remodelling of the site took place and trains using Central Railway Station were diverted into
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#17328512136773968-704: 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. British Railways came into existence as the business name of the Railway Executive of the British Transport Commission (BTC) on 1 January 1948. 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
4032-501: Was opened by the Manchester, Stockport and Leeds Railway on 1 August 1849. The line became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway after 1923. The route was furnished with an additional two tracks in 1894, thus giving four tracks between Stalybridge and Leeds. The loss of traffic through the second half of the 20th century saw these cut back to just two lines and the closure of the Micklehurst (Friezland) loop . The length of
4096-692: Was the busiest station in West Yorkshire , as well as in Yorkshire & the Humber , and the entirety of Northern England. It is the second busiest station in the UK outside of London, after Birmingham New Street . 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
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