£10M TRAIN STATION REVAMP
MAJOR PLAN TO TRANSFORM ‘GATEWAY TO HUDDERSFIELD’ INCLUDES NEW PLATFORM
IT is known as the Gateway to Huddersfield.
And the ambitious multi-million pound plan will regenerate the town’s railway station and rejuvenate its Victorian goods shed.
The first phase of the 21st century Gateway to Huddersfield project, costing just over £10m, aims to transform 19th century Huddersfield Railway Station by adding new entrances to the east, creating a taxi hub and involving nearby parcels of land. It will take two years. But it’s the phases to come that will hopefully achieve what supporters believe to be a turning point for one of West Yorkshire’s key transport hubs. They include:
■ Creating a new station platform.
■ Altering the lay-out of existing platforms, tracks and signalling.
■ Building a multi-storey and surface car park on land occupied by the former goods shed and station goods yard (now St George’s Warehouse).
■ Extending the existing station subway with a new western entrance that links the station with the warehouse site.
■ Installing stairs/lift tower that will connect the parking area to the town centre.
Just under half of the forecasted £10.55m budget required by the project has already been allocated by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, a group of leading councillors and officers from West Yorkshire councils, plus York, that works on major infrastructure projects. They oversee a Transport Fund that leads on major transport projects.
The final portion of phase 1 funding - £5.05m - has now been approved. Kirklees Council will contribute £500,000. Previously the project received £50,000 development funding. It is set to get a further £115,000 to drive it forward.
Building work on the eastern entrances, the St George’s Square taxi hub and the re-modelling of land is expected to begin next summer with a completion date of March 2021.
A spokesman for the project said it boded well for the future of Huddersfield.
He said: “A significant amount of work has already been undertaken and while there are benefits to be realised from improvements to the rail station and highway arrangements, the regeneration benefits are to be realised under later phases, with phase 1 laying the groundwork.”
Karl Battersby, Strategic Director for Economy and Infrastructure, said the approval of the Huddersfield Gateway was “excellent news”.
He added: “The gateway project is around a £5m bid, looking at what can be delivered early around the station area to help our wider regeneration of
the warehouse and the land next to it. Now that we have this initial funding, work can carry on at pace.
“This is an early intervention to begin some of the works and is not the complete package. We will now continue to work with the landowners, continue our dialogue with the rail company and the station to work this plan through.”