Leeds train station’s new £20m south entrance opens to passengers

The new entrance at Leeds railway station officially opened to the public this past weekend.

Thousands of commuters will now be able to benefit from the city centre station’s £20m Southern Entrance, which offers a direct link to the regenerated south bank area of Leeds.

The state-of-the-art entrance will also save around 20% of the station’s 100,000 daily passengers close to an hour of travelling time every week.

The £20m scheme is a joint venture between West Yorkshire Combined Authority, Leeds City Council, the Department for Transport and Network Rail, which will operate the entrance was work is complete.

Leeds’ South Bank has undergone a transformation in recent years and now houses major developments such as the Holbeck Urban Village, Leeds Dock, as well as office spaces such as Bridgewater Place and ASDA’s UK headquarters.

As well as the new entrance, Leeds train station is also being consideredto be redeveloped into an integrated high-speed transport hub for the city and the Yorkshire region.

The plans, recommended by Sir David Higgins, the chair of HS2 Ltd, will see HS2 platforms approaching from the south and joining directly to the existing station building. A common concourse will be created, offering easy connections between classic rail and high-speed services under one roof and good pedestrian access to both the city centre to the north, and the regeneration area of South Bank.

The new station will enable interchanges between HS2 trains, the proposed Northern Powerhouse Rail services, and local and regional trains. This will spread the benefits of HS2 and, along with the improvements proposed to the local rail network, will provide faster and better rail journeys for the three million people who live in Leeds City Region. Its location in the South Bank should be a catalyst for substantial economic growth and regeneration.

Leeds Station is the busiest rail station in the north of England, used by 27.8 million people a year which is similar to figures for King’s Cross in London. This figure is projected to rise by 114% over the next 30 years, with passenger flows at Leeds Station anticipated to match those of Gatwick Airport.

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