Top politicians in Leeds are expected to call for the reopening of a railway station in the city centre which was closed more than 60 years ago.
The calls come as Leeds City Council’s Labour-run administration is set to finalise its budget for the forthcoming year at a full council meeting this week.
But amendments put forward by the opposition Liberal Democrats group call for studies to look into new rail stations at Methley, Woodside Quarry and Marsh Lane, claiming the extra facilities would “expand capacity” on the rail lines.
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Marsh Lane was the first rail station to open in Leeds back during the industrial revolution. It sat to the east of the city centre, near the current site of BBC Leeds. It closed in 1958, but has seen repeated calls for its resurrection from councillors concerned at Leeds Station’s capacity struggles.
The amendment, set to be presented by Leeds Liberal Democrats leader Coun Stewart Golton, states: “These are proposals to expand capacity on key rail routes and some of the most congested services into the city. Marsh Lane in particular would increase capacity for Leeds City Station.”
Leeds City Council’s City Plans Panel, a group of councillors which rules on important planning applications in the city, wrote to regional transport chiefs in late 2019 asking for them to look into the possibility of opening a new station in Marsh Lane to accommodate the growing number of housing developments in the area.
Speaking the following February, Conservatives group leader Coun Andrew Carter said: “ Leeds has over 30 million passengers moving in and out of the city station each year, it is a hugely important piece of rail infrastructure not just for the north but nationally.
“Most other major cities have a central station supported by other centrally located commuter stations, one only has to think of Manchester Oxford Road and Victoria stations that support the main Manchester Piccadilly site.
“To increase capacity in Leeds and improve services for commuters, serious consideration should be given to the Marsh Lane site.”
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Leeds City Council’s budget plans confirm that, although spending is set to increase by £86.7m on last year, around £16.5m of cuts still needed to be made to services due to spiralling costs.
According to latest proposals, the authority will have to shed 19 full time equivalent job posts, but will create 211 new FTE jobs.
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There are no known plans either from Network Rail, Leeds City Council or West Yorkshire Combined Authority to reopen a rail station in Marsh Lane.
The old Marsh Lane Railway Station was first built in 1840, before being closed in 1850 to accommodate new railway construction. It was then redeveloped and reopened as a goods station in 1863.
In 1869, a new link rail line to the Leeds New Station was built, and a passenger station was added to the site. Marsh Lane was closed for the final time in 1958.
The full council budget meeting of Leeds City Council will take place on Wednesday, February 23.
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