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28
Sept
Mayor backs £42 million Leeds Bradford Airport interchange on Harrogate line despite affordability review
The Mayor of York and North Yorkshire has reiterated his support for a £42 million plan to build a rail station on the Harrogate line that would connect with Leeds Bradford Airport despite it being reviewed for affordability reasons.
Called Leeds Bradford Airport Parkway, the project is being led by West Yorkshire Combined Authority and was first unveiled in January 2021.
The station would be built between Horsforth station and Bramhope tunnel and enable people to catch the train on the Harrogate line and then transfer to the airport. There would also be a 350-space park and ride facility.
However, as previously reported by the Stray Ferret, the West Yorkshire Combined Authority is now assessing the scheme’s “deliverability and affordability”.
The proposed site for the new station for Leeds Bradford Airport Parkway. Picture: West Yorkshire Combined Authority.
David Skaith, Labour Mayor of York and North Yorkshire, previously backed the proposal in September 2024.
Now, Mr Skaith has told the Stray Ferret that he still supports the scheme as it was part of a wider White Rose rail agreement reached with Tracy Brabin, Labour Mayor of West Yorkshire, and Oliver Coppard, Labour Mayor of South Yorkshire, in March this year.
He said:
The potential of that supporting Harrogate is very great and the potential of jobs and growing the economy in that area could create jobs for folks in Harrogate going over there. That’s why we are working collectively as a three on that wider piece of rail work because we know it is so important and integrated across the entire area.
We know that people go from Harrogate to Leeds a lot and Harrogate to York. It’s really important that we have those cross border links.
The new station was included in a £14 billion plan for rail services in Yorkshire, which was drawn up by Lord Blunkett and published in May this year.
The 60-page review included Leeds Bradford Airport Parkway in a list of proposed stations alongside Haxby, Elland, White Rose, Thorpe Park, Rotherham Gateway, Waverley and Dearne Valley Parkway.
A planning application was due to be submitted for the project at the end of 2024, according to the West Yorkshire Combined Authority website.
However, according to a recent update, the combined authority is now reviewing the scheme "in response to rising costs for project delivery".
It said:
The scheme is at present going through an assessment of deliverability and affordability, in response to rising costs for project delivery. We will have a clearer understanding of the timeline for our next steps upon completion of this activity.
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