Leeds trams: Mayor launches mass transit consultation and pledges routes between city centre and Elland Road
Mayor Tracy Brabin has officially launched a public consultation over plans to bring a tram system to West Yorkshire.
Detailed proposed routes for the first of a West Yorkshire mass transit system were confirmed as part of an event held in Leeds city centre this morning.
Phase one of the mass transit network aims to connect St James’ Hospital with south Leeds, with another line running between Bradford and Leeds city centres.
People are being invited to have their say on a choice of proposed route options as part of a public consultation, launching today and running until September 30.
Speaking to the Yorkshire Evening Post, Mayor Brabin said: “Today is pretty epic. We’re at a point where we’ve been working for three years and now we’re at the point of the consultation.
“We’re on our way and this shows the direction of travel for our region.”
Leeds and Bradford have been chosen as the hubs from which the West Yorkshire mass transit network can grow.
All potential phase one options for the Leeds line run close to the White Rose Centre, with two route options also running close to Elland Road.
Coun James Lewis, Leader of Leeds City Council, said: “This time is different because we know a lot of our infrastructure is absolutely up to capacity.
“The tram will give us a faster, more frequent mode of transport and we have the full support of Mayor Brabin.”
Today marks the start of a public consultation in which people will be asked for their views on a series of possible route options across the Leeds Line and the Bradford Line.
The region's plans for Mass Transit form a key part of Mayor Brabin's growth plan and she reiterated her pledge to have spades in the ground by 2028.
She added: “We’re going to have spades in the ground by 28 and that’s going to be fast, I’m asking a lot of my team but I’m on a mission to deliver, deliver, deliver.”
Plans for a new tram system in Leeds were first proposed in 1991 – more than three decades after the city's original tramway was scrapped.
The Leeds Supertram and Leeds Trolleybus schemes were among a host of proposed schemes that never came to fruition.