Extended railway car park sites could help get county onto trains
A DOZEN commuter railway stations around West Yorkshire have been identified as having potential for car park extensions as part of efforts to get more people onto trains in the county.
West Yorkshire Combined Authority has not yet revealed the identity of the 12 proposed sites, which form part of the second phase of its Rail Park & Ride Programme.
It hopes to develop the sites, which could provide about 2,500 extra spaces, by March 2021, but says they all require the purchase of third-party land and “some may be identified as undeliverable”.
If the £33.6 million scheme goes ahead it will be funded from Combined Authority’s West Yorkshire Plus Transport Fund and Leeds Public Transport Investment Programme.
West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s investment committee has agreed to progress the scheme so that work can start on an outline business case for individual developments, cost of £2m.
Among the benefits the authority hopes to achieve are improved access to the local rail network and “increased rail user patronage through better station accessibility”.
It is also hoped that the plans will cut highways congestion and improve the local environment by reducing the amount of on-street parking. at a
Earlier this month, the combined authority bid for a share of £840 million as part of the Government’s Transforming Cities Fund, with plans that include upgrading connections to eight railway stations.
Leeds City Council leader Judith Blake said: “Our Transforming Cities Fund bid builds on the improvements we are already making, including through the Connecting Leeds programme delivering new rail stations, more reliable bus services and reduced congestion.
“To achieve the better standard of living and inclusive growth we want for all our communities and to maximise the benefits of HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail, we need investment on a truly transformational scale and that is the ambition set out in our bid.”
Half of the £1.7bn Transforming Cities fund has already been handed out to areas with metro-mayors and devolution deals, meaning West Yorkshire is not eligible.