Rapid Transit System For Leeds and West Yorkshire

[Bigman]

If this mass transit does ever get off the ground, for me it is crucial that they operate a tram-train route from Leeds - Horsforth - Airport - Guiseley - Shipley - Bradford. Easily the best way to get a fixed rail link to the airport.

 

[LBA4EVER]

So the media keeps talking about a mass transit system for leeds, are they refering to the rumoured super tram system or just more fancy buses that will just get stuck in the ever increasing traffic? What would the cost be for such a tram system?
What i can say is 4 or 5 lines coming out of the city centre would hardly make any difference to the existing traffic situation, what leeds needs are trams and mass road expansion ie motorway around the whole city of which we all know on here that wont happen!

 

[Bigman]

More cycle lanes would not surprise me. They have wasted millions on cycle lanes and do you ever see anyone using them??? NO. The one up Stanningley Road has been a total white elephant. I have never seen a single cyclist on it since it was opened. For gods sake rip the bloody things out and put bus lanes in instead, or better still segregated tram lines. On yer bike cyclists!!

 

[LBA4EVER]

Oh yes stanningley road, what a s******* that road looks now with all the cycle lanes. cluttered, narrow and curbs all over the place. Awful!

 

[airforced]

It seems these days you have to have the clout to get money out of the Government. Manchester has shown there is strength in size and numbers. West Yorkshire as a whole needs to do the same and put aside local rivalries. Plus as others have mentioned you need a strong, popular leader who the Government are scared of, like Andy Burnham.

Both Manchester and Sheffield (mentioned in this sort of respect earlier on another thread) both have Labour Mayors. Brabin is also Labour. What is she doing wrong? Rhetorical question only or answers on a BIG postcard please.

 

[Aviador]

Oh yes stanningley road, what a s******* that road looks now with all the cycle lanes. cluttered, narrow and curbs all over the place. Awful!

...and to round it off build a new retail park and constrict the road width so you can't widen it any further. (Head banging)

 

[Bigman]

Maybe Tracy Brabin should be making the case for West Yorkshire to become part of Greater Manchester. They could then convert the Calder Valley line onto trams and extend Metrolink into Bradford and on to Leeds via both Guiseley, Airport, Horsforth, but also New Pudsey. Bingo!!! A mass transit system for West Yorkshire and Manchester pays for it!!

 

[White Heather]

Maybe Tracy Brabin should be making the case for West Yorkshire to become part of Greater Manchester. They could then convert the Calder Valley line onto trams and extend Metrolink into Bradford and on to Leeds via both Guiseley, Airport, Horsforth, but also New Pudsey. Bingo!!! A mass transit system for West Yorkshire and Manchester pays for it!!

If that ever happened, I would be out of here.fast. The very thought of it!

 

[LBA4EVER]

...and to round it off build a new retail park and constrict the road width so you can't widen it any further. (Head banging)

And have you seen the new awful juncs their constructing at the bottom of stanningley rd and ledgard way! You are now unable to go straight ahead from armley town street towards kirkstall which is a primary route for many, i just cant get my head around their thinking!!

 

[JRP]

And have you seen the new awful juncs their constructing at the bottom of stanningley rd and ledgard way! You are now unable to go straight ahead from armley town street towards kirkstall which is a primary route for many, i just cant get my head around their thinking!!

I live in Armley and traffic is already building up onto Town street as branch road has been reduced from 2 to 1 lane
Who ever designs these schemes needs sacking

 

[Aviador]

I live in Armley and traffic is already building up onto Town street as branch road has been reduced from 2 to 1 lane
Who ever designs these schemes needs sacking

It is bonkers because when Leeds is finally dragged out of the stone age the council or government whoever is running the show, will have to compulsory purchase hundreds of extra properties to enable a new rapid transit system.

 

[Sherburnflyer92]

A few lines; where railway doesn't quite hit the spot is needed.

1) We need a Transit line in the North Eastern Region in Leeds. Leeds via St James' Hospital, Harehills - then diverge off. Towards Roundhay etc. And Towards Wetherby.
1i) We need it to go through Headingley/Meanwood and maybe towards Pool/Otley also. There is no railway within this region.
1ii) Bradford for example need multiple transit systems between Bradford and South East/South/South west.
2) We need Bradford - Leeds transit system to try take some relief from the roads, buses. I don't know how this would work given the logistics of the areas.
3) Leeds needs it where there are few train services per hour to take the capacity and ultimately relieve the train line to improve other services. I'm thinking here - Leeds Towards Cas/Pontefract. Leeds Towards Morley/Dewsbury etc. Make it a hybrid, run on the railways to connect the current train stations, but move it onto roads where needed.

My two cents...

 

[HX3]

Bearing in mind the topography of the region, why not bite the bullet and go underground? Yes, it may be more expensive, but it would also be more effective by not impacting other modes of transport. Do a shorter route underground, prove it works and bid for more funding, rather than cramming more in to ever decreasing space. That’s what I would do 🙂

 

[JRP]

Bearing in mind the topography of the region, why not bite the bullet and go underground? Yes, it may be more expensive, but it would also be more effective by not impacting other modes of transport. Do a shorter route underground, prove it works and bid for more funding, rather than cramming more in to ever decreasing space. That’s what I would do 🙂

This is the best idea a underground but the people running the show around here would rather build more bike and bus lanes and make it hard work for a car driver to get anywhere

 

[Sherburnflyer92]

It's not a bad idea at all. It works, will be far more efficient with space and will be good for the region. West Yorkshire Underground service. Have some of it come out of the underground for regions such as Garforth/Wetherby/Rothwell/South East and South West Bradford.

In fact here is the actual service:



View attachment 24827

 

[JENNYJET]

I wonder if Leeds needs to be careful what it wishes for? I understand that Birmingham has suspended trams due to continuing faults with the rolling stock built as I understand in Spain.

Any transit systems need reliability to win over users and if there is none, the money and disruption to build is wasted.

I wish Leeds all the luck but is there a better way?

 

[A400]

A decent transport system here?

 

[TheLocalYokel]

It's ironic that so many British cities, and indeed many around the world, rid themselves of their tram systems before and after World War 2, and that for the past 30-40 years there have been growing calls for their return. Some have returned (Sheffield, Nottingham, Birmingham and Manchester for example in the UK) with other cities such as Leeds looking to get a system.

It's perverse that such things are in, out of, then in favour again at various times in history. The same sort of thing happened to our railways particularly following Beeching in the early 1960s.

Underground systems are very expensive to construct and if Leeds looks in that direction it might well have to look to private investment, at least in part. The single above ground tram route from Edinburgh Airport to the city cost nearly one billion pounds and that was several years ago.

Some cities around the world did not abandon their trams. Melbourne, a city I know well and I have often used their trams, is one - it has one of the largest networks in the world - and it has been adding line capacity to become even larger. Strangely there is no tram or rail connection to Tullamarine Airport although a rail link is now in prospect after previous aborted schemes. Incidentally, all tram rides in Melbourne's extensive central business district are free.

I know that trams are restricted to where the lines go but my Melbourne experience tells me that a major system is an extremely useful facility.

 

[Aviador]

I was reading an article about this a couple of weeks back. Basically there are a number of West Yorkshire councillors who are objecting to the idea of the routes being centred around Leeds claiming the plan is Leeds centric. This is why Leeds needs to go it alone and keep trying for it's own rapid transit system. A West Yorkshire system that perhaps starts in Huddersfield will never succeed without the West Yorkshire powerhouse of Leeds and Bradford as it's main starting point. I would support a first route that connects Leeds and Bradford as both cities would benefit. #LeedsRapidTransitSystem

 

[Sherburnflyer92]

I don't understand these backward thinking councillors. If it starts in the powerhouse that is Leeds then it'll spread to these towns. You build what you need first and expand as they become a success. Yet again shows their lack of experience.