It didn’t long for the first “tram track found during roadworks” story in 2024! First out of the blocks for this year is Leeds – and whilst the usual reminiscences of trams when they used to run in the city have come out with this story its also allowed the “will we get trams back” questions too.
The tracks discovered are on Sovereign Street which is located close to where the Swinegate tram depot was to be found. With that depot remaining in use until the final trams ran in service on 7th November 1959 its likely that these tracks were used up until that date meaning that they have now been buried for over 64 years.
As with many, many places when tramways were abandoned rather than going with the expense of removing them they were simply buried under tarmac waiting for future generations to discover them during works.
They have now been uncovered as there is work underway for the “Connecting Leeds” project. Leeds Civic Trust have suggested it would be nice to see some of the tram track preserved as a historic point of interest in the project.
Proposals for a rapid transit system in Leeds and the surrounding area are apparently on the cards following cash promised by the government after the formal abandonment of the northern part of HS2. However, these are long term plans and there is no guarantee trams would return to Leeds as part of this. It could be that this glimpse into the past of the old tram tracks may be as close as we get to trams back in Leeds.
Leeds rapid transit Mark 4? History shows us otherwise. The 1944 tram subways (never built, scheme abandoned 1953 and the existing tramways closed 1959), Leeds Supertram (cancelled 2007), Leeds New Generation Transport articulated trolleybus system (cancelled 2016) and now another proposal. Eighty years and counting…