Exclusive:When redesign of Leeds station entrance will be completed as further delays announced
Council leaders have announced a new completion date for works to revamp the entrance to Leeds City Station - after further delays.
The £46.1 million scheme, which aims to significantly improve the main entrance of Leeds City Station, is now set to be completed by the Spring of 2026 - the Yorkshire Evening Post can exclusively confirm.
Originally due to be completed by September 2025, before being delayed to February 2026, the completion date has now been set back by further.
New pictures taken by the YEP this week, show that the concrete steps leading up to the main entrance have now been installed, while the main clock tower and lift shafts are also beginning to take shape.
A spokesperson for Leeds City Council said: “The Leeds Station Sustainable Travel Gateway scheme is estimated to be completed in Spring 2026.
“Works are progressing on New Station Street and the surrounding area, and it is hoped that the route between New Station Street and City Square will be opened late October.”
Underway since May 2022, the redesign is being carried out in tandem with essential Network Rail-led maintenance work on an underground structure - known as the Mill Goit - which sits below New Station Street and supports much of the station above it.
Works, which are designed to meet rising capacity demands, will see the pedestrianisation of New Station Street, the relocation of the existing taxi rank to Bishopgate Street, and the installation of two 21-passenger lifts from Bishopgate street-level to the main station entrance.
A segregated cycling infrastructure is also set to beinstalled on Neville Street, Dark Neville Street and Bishopgate - aimed at improving cycling links to surrounding communities. The cycle hub will include electric charging points and storage for all types of bikes.
An authority spokesperson added: “The construction of the new cycle hub on Bishopgate Street is also well underway, alongside Network Rail's essential maintenance to the Mill Goit structure underneath New Station Street.
“We thank people for their patience as we deliver two extremely complex schemes in tandem, which will minimise longer-term disruption and also achieve best value for money.”
Environmental improvements are expected to take place along Neville Street and Dark Neville Street, including enhanced lighting, road surface and pavement and elevation treatments.
The work is being delivered by Leeds City Council - on behalf of Network Rail as the landowner - in partnership with West Yorkshire Combined Authority.
The decision to carry out both the entrance ravamp and Mill Goit works at the same time has been designed to minimise longer-term disruption while also obtaining the best possible value for money.