Exclusive:Opening of redesigned Leeds station entrance delayed by further month as contractors in race to finish
The entrance was originally due to open in September 2025
The opening of Leeds City Station’s highly-anticipated new entrance has been hit by a further delay.
Work to the New Station Street entrance at Leeds railway station, has been delayed by a further month to a September 2026 opening - the Yorkshire Evening Post can exclusively confirm.
The £46.1 million improvement scheme was originally due to be completed by September 2025, but has faced delays as a result of a series of complex works, including critical maintenance to the station’s, Mill Goit, underground structure.
First delayed until February 2026, the opening was later pushed to Spring 2026, and then again to Summer 2026.
A Leeds City Council spokesperson said: “The Leeds Station Gateway is expected to fully open in September once the remaining works, including the lifts, have been installed and commissioned.
“Delivering these improvements alongside the essential maintenance to the Mill Goit has combined two extremely complex schemes, minimising longer-term disruption and achieving best value for money.
“The scheme will provide a more attractive, accessible, and welcoming gateway to the city, with improved public spaces and better connections between the station and the wider city centre. We thank people for their patience as we move towards completion.”
Contractors have been hard at work in recent months with the installation of the station’s new front steps, and two 21-passenger lifts from Bishopgate Street.
The entrance’s 'Welcome to Leeds' clocktower centrepiece has been the focus of much online debate in recent months, after a few eagle-eyed residents spotted a potential lettering error and alignment fault. Leeds City Council remain in discussions with contractors over a potential fix.
Underway since May 2022, work to the new entrance is being delivered by City Council, on behalf of Network Rail as the landowner, in partnership with West Yorkshire Combined Authority.
A segregated cycling infrastructure, set be installed on Neville Street, Dark Neville Street and Bishopgate, plus environmental improvements, including enhanced lighting and road surface treatments, will also take place.