Northern England’s second-busiest train station is getting a vast £300 million makeover

With more than 33 million people crossing its concourse every year, Leeds railway station is the UK’s third-largest outside of London (after Birmingham New Street and Manchester Piccadilly). Passenger numbers are only going up, and are projected to increase by as much as 12 million by 2043. If it wants to handle all those extra people, Leeds is going to need a major upgrade. And a major upgrade it’ll get. 

In last week’s government budget, the Department for Transport confirmed that it would be putting an extra £200m towards improvements at Leeds station over the next five years. It brings the overall investment to a grand total of £303 million. 

So, what’s planned for the hub? Firstly, the ticket barriers will be moved and the main concourse will be opened up to reduce bottlenecks and the number of ticket barriers will be increased by nearly 40 percent. Three new entrances will be installed to improve access to the city centre; a new walkway over the tracks will help passengers get to platforms more easily and platform 14 will be extended so that it can handle more people. There’ll also be new toilets and a new first-class lounge. 

Work is set to begin later this year and it’s hoped that all will be completed by 2030. As with any major construction project, there will be disruption to services to and from Leeds station every now and again, so be sure to check the Network Rail site to see if your journey’s affected. 

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said: ‘Leeds station is the gateway to West Yorkshire, and this extra £200 million investment will turn it into a station this city can be proud of: modern, welcoming and built for the people who rely on it every single day.

‘The great cities of the North deserve better transport and that’s exactly what we’re delivering. We’re paving the way for Northern Powerhouse Rail, forging stronger connections across the region and backing the infrastructure that creates jobs, builds homes and puts passengers first as we work to set up Great British Railways.’

ICYMI: Check out the tiny 153-year-old train station that was just crowned the best in Britain. 

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