Exclusive:Developer offers insight into 'hard and difficult process' as work set to restart on White Rose station

Announced by Mayor of West Yorkshire Tracy Brabin yesterday (Tuesday, January 13), work is now set to resume on the construction of highways and access works to enable the project’s completion.

Subject to the approval of the Combined Authority next week, Network Rail will deliver the station on its behalf. Work on the site has been paused since March 2024 due to a number of on-site challenges, and an “unforeseen increase in project costs.”

Speaking exclusively to the Yorkshire Evening Post, David Aspin, CEO of Munroe K, owner of White Rose Business Park, spoke of the “hard and difficult process” to get the project back on track.

“There’s been a lot of hard work from all the partners to get to a conclusion so it’s great news for south Leeds and West Yorkshire. It’s been a hard and difficult process to get over some of the issues but now we’ve got through them all,” Aspin declared.

“It’s all been about costs. Building a railway station is always challenging with a lot of moving parts, and the station itself is on a 12-metre embankment, which makes it a difficult and costly exercise. A lot more costly than originally thought.”

Up until now, the project has been delivered in partnership, with Aspin’s Munroe K its promoter and joint funder, the West Yorkshire Combined Authority a joint promoter and part funder, and Spencer Rail the principal contractor.

Situated on the Leeds to Huddersfield line between Morley and Cottingley, the brand-new station is being built next to the White Rose Business Park and a short walk from the White Rose Shopping Centre.

Next Thursday (January 22), Combined Authority members will be asked to approve £1.4 million of development funding and enter an agreement with Network Rail, closing out the legacy issues and clearing the way for remobilising the project.

Mr Aspin added: “The station will be accessible by bus, by car, by foot and will be a genuine asset to south Leeds. It will be the nearest station to the football club, plus the business park, shopping centre next door and the near 1,500 pupils at Elliott Hudson school.

“Complex challenges take time to solve, but they do get solved and I think some can be sceptical about people’s ability to solve complicated issues, but we have proven that we can solve them.”

An update on full costs associated with completing the scheme, an estimated completion date and information on appointing contractors will be brought to a future Combined Authority meeting.

Key areas still to complete at the station itself include external cladding, internal fit out, mechanical and electrical works including the installation of the lifts, external works, and operational railway works including signalling and customer information systems. Highways and access work around the site will also need to be completed.

Upon completion, the station is expected to have 19 services running throughout the day, and serve approximately 340,000 people per year.

Coun Terry Grayshon, of Morley Town Council, said: “It’s really positive news and long overdue. Work now needs to start as soon as possible and the train station finished and be made operational. This has the potential to be a huge economic generator for Morley, Churwell, and the entirety of south Leeds.

“It’s a modern, purpose built structure, it will boost the local economy and I am as confident as I can be that this will now be completed. And if it isn’t, and we go backwards rather than forwards, than someone needs to be asking questions and someone needs to be held accountable.”

Installation of both station platforms, including canopies and construction of the lift / stair buildings have already taken place at the site, which is assessed as being approximately 70 per cent complete.

Both link bridges have also been lifted into position, as showcased in new pictures taken the YEP. Works on the access road and finalisation of the station's footpath design were also understood to have been underway, prior to the pause.

Speaking in May 2025, a spokesperson for the Combined Authority indicated that subject to quick decision making and mobilisation, the station could be open by January 2027 - three years after its initial opening date.