Track remodelling and a new platform as part of Leeds upgrade

Passengers at Leeds will see a new platform built in 2021 to ease congestion at the station that was last completely remodelled two decades ago in Railtrack’s Leeds 1st project ( RAIL 361, 365).

As part of a £161 million upgrade, the new 204-metre Platform 0 will be built on land currently used for long-stay car parking, although work will begin this month when the number of long-stay parking spaces is reduced. This will be carried out in phases until May.

There will also be track remodelling for Platforms 1-6 (see diagram), while signalling will be upgraded across the entire station. Network Rail plans to shorten Platform 1 from 305m to 274m and keep Platforms 2-6 at their current length.

West Yorkshire Combined Authority is funding the partial pedestrianisation of New Station Street, which is designed to ease congestion and improve the flow at the entrance of the station. This will start from next autumn.

The station’s wooden ceiling panels in the south concourse will also be replaced by a transparent plastic roof. The existing roof will start to be removed from Christmas.

The £161m project will be carried out in three phases. The first will be transfer of signalling control from York IECC to York Rail Operating Centre this Christmas, followed by the signalling upgrade around Leeds. The third phase is the construction of Platform 0 and the remodelling of the track layout for Platforms 1-6.

Network Rail Route Managing Director Rob McIntosh said: “Together, this trio of projects is the biggest investment in the station since Leeds 1st in the early 2000s. I am delighted that they will start delivering benefits for passengers and the city as early as next autumn.”