West Yorkshire Metro and Leeds

[Bartsimho]

After seeing this video pop into my recommended

I know Leeds had a great history with trams and many even at the time said it was short-sighted to close them.
Leeds is also the largest city in Western Europe without a rail based local transit system.

So I got the crayons out and I invite everyone else to do so as well.

While the 500,000 people of Leeds proper isn't that many the West Yorkshire region has 3 million people and so it's probably better to look at it in this context.



This is very Crayonista but I have also tried to be sensible with the geography of the area and use existing alignments and old alignments where it makes sense

 

[Bayum]

The A58 and A660 corridors are no goes immediately due to the lack of space or, for Headingley, rail/road separation to achieve the benefit of a tram/rail-based mode of transport.

 

[30907]

There is a WY Combined Authority plan already:
https://www.westyorks-ca.gov.uk/improving-transport/connectivity/

It might be a better starting point for the discussion - and I'm sure Rishi has said there is money for it

 

[bluenoxid]

For all of the routes in Leeds, there would be a need for some very difficult conversations about traffic and what routes people expect to be able to drive a car on.

 

[JKF]

Leeds - Pudsey proper would be an easy(ish) start, mostly using the space where another pair of tracks used to be adjacent to the current Leeds-Bradford Interchange line. Have that for trams, with stops in Wortley, Armley, Bramley then try to rebuild an alignment into Pudsey proper (New Pudsey is nowhere near the town).

If a suitable cross-city route can be found, have it run out to a park and ride stop at Thorpe Park on the other side of the city, there may be space alongside the heavy rail route in places.

Forget Headingley, the nimbys will never allow it, and nowhere on that route requires the regenerative effect of a new metro line, use it to lift up the poorer areas of the city to the east, west and south. I think this is where they’ve come unstuck in the past, trying to push a line out that way where there is a lot of opposition and a few geographical challenges.

Wider than the city, places like Cleckheaton could do with a more direct route into Leeds. Not sure any of the old two routes were particularly direct so may need new alignment.

 

[YorksLad12]

Leeds-Wetherby is a non-starter - nimbys. It was an aspiration in the 1990s when Leeds Supertram plans were being developed, and a route out that way was considered, using part of the former alignment. Of course, by now most of those nimbys will have died off...

 

[JKF]

Leeds-Wetherby is a non-starter - nimbys. It was an aspiration in the 1990s when Leeds Supertram plans were being developed, and a route out that way was considered, using part of the former alignment. Of course, by now most of those nimbys will have died off...

It’s a bit sparse when you’re out of the city anyway, but the A58 corridor serves a lot of dense areas within Leeds so something could go out that way, maybe terminate at the edge of the city with a P&R for traffic from further out. I think some of that route used to have tram reservations so might be some decent alignments possible - at the expense of road space, but better than Headingley where building demolitions were required to squeeze it through.

 

[Mr. SW]

I did this diagram ages ago as a sort of ideal West Yorkshire network, had wiser counsel prevailed over closures and reorganisation. There are things on that I would probably change my mind about, though. I know Bradford quite well and I have a connection to Leeds but haven't been there for years.

 

[YorkRailFan]

I do agree with the Wakefield-Dewsbury-Bradford section, as it would be much faster for those going from Wakefield-Bradford (currently with GC or with Northern via Leeds) and Dewsbury-Bradford would be much faster. May I propose a Huddersfield-Wakefield service.

 

[Bartsimho]

I was thinking this along the lines of probably light rail as the distances covered means it has to go faster to be useful.

So Grade Separation would be needed. Sharing current tracks would be the preferred method if there isn't space for dedicated tracks.

You could extend from Keighley to Oxenhope taking over the heritage railway and that would allow you dedicated space to terminate and turn round although that section would need some double tracking/passing loops

 

[yorksrob]

I did this diagram ages ago as a sort of ideal West Yorkshire network, had wiser counsel prevailed over closures and reorganisation. There are things on that I would probably change my mind about, though. I know Bradford quite well and I have a connection to Leeds but haven't been there for years.View attachment 146777

This would have been a marvellous network.

 

[deltic08]

I did this diagram ages ago as a sort of ideal West Yorkshire network, had wiser counsel prevailed over closures and reorganisation. There are things on that I would probably change my mind about, though. I know Bradford quite well and I have a connection to Leeds but haven't been there for years.View attachment 146777

Good proposal but I would join Wetherby and Harrogate as there are traffic problems into/out of Harrogate in the peaks on the A661 Wetherby-Harrogate road.

 

[JKF]

I did this diagram ages ago as a sort of ideal West Yorkshire network, had wiser counsel prevailed over closures and reorganisation. There are things on that I would probably change my mind about, though. I know Bradford quite well and I have a connection to Leeds but haven't been there for years.View attachment 146777

Nice map, but as a former Armley resident, I’m disappointed neither of the two stations that once served this fine borough are reinstated on your plan!

I’d also want to put a station in Kirkstall proper (where the old one was) as forge is poorly sited for residential areas. ’Old’ Pudsey would be nice to have back, but likely not as a through station as I suspect they have got round to filling in the tunnel at Greenside by now, which had been threatened for a long time (it would at least make a nice cycle route). There would be a similar problem on the Leeds New Line which you‘ve shown reinstated as a third of the long Gildersome Tunnel is filled with colliery spoil.

It’s also BurlEY park, and Cottingley is closing soon as the new White Rose stn is very close to it.

 

[Mr. SW]

It’s also BurlEY park

Aaargh! That's unforgivable. My Grandfather was born in nearby Chapel Allerton and had relatives in Headingley. A slip of the finger.

Cottingley is closing soon as the new White Rose stn is very close to it.

Diagram overtaken by subsequent developments.