Plans to bring trams to West Yorkshire have the support of more than two thirds of those who responded to the initial consultation into the construction of a Mass Transit scheme linking Leeds and Bradford. Support has come not just from the public but also from leaders in business and education.
The consultation ran in summer and autumn 2024 and was looking at possible route options linking the two cities. There were 4,845 responses to the survey and of those who answered over two thirds supported the plans with more than three quarters supporting a line from St James’s Hospital to the White Rose.
Amongst the reason for supporting the plans respondents said that improving connections with residential areas, reducing traffic congestion and providing quick journey times were the most important outcomes for a mass transit network in the region.
No decisions have yet been taken as to proposed routes – this will come later in 2025 before another consultation in 2026 which will look in detail at the proposed routes – but the feedback received will be crucial in deciding this.
But what this consultation has shown is that line L1 which would run between St James’s Hospital and Leeds City Centre was the most supported. This would run via the First Direct Arena, Leeds Beckett University, Millennium Square, East Parade and Infirmary Street, before going via City Square and Leeds Railway Station towards Victoria Bridge. This was closely followed by the L2 line, which runs via East Parade and Park Row.
Route L6 was the most supported south Leeds route – travelling via Holbeck, Elland Road Stadium and Beeston Ring Road before terminating at White Rose. It was closely followed by L7, which runs via Gelderd Road, Lowfield Road, Elland Road Stadium and Old Lane.
At the Bradford end of the route there was no clear favourite with all three options seeing similar levels of support. This includes B1 (Leeds City Centre to Bradford via Armley, Stanningley, Thornbury and Laisterdyke), B2 (via Laisterdyke and Wortley) and B3 (via Laisterdyle and Arm;ey).
Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, said: “The public has emphatically told us: ‘we want mass transit! This is our region’s biggest infrastructure project in decades and will help us deliver on the growth mission to put more money in people’s pockets. It is time to deliver a tram for the people of West Yorkshire and get spades in the ground by 2028.”
Over the coming months the West Yorkshire Combined Authority will continue to undertake environmental and technical assessments and continue to engaged with local stakeholders. This will include landowners, communities, local authorities and the Department for Transport.
It should be noted that Bradford City Council preferably want a route that runs further down from Leeds Road, so either B2 or B3
Electrification of the current rail line from Bradford to Leeds would achieve much the same effect but they can’t even get that together.
Complete fantasy to believe the funding will ever be made available for any LRT in this part of the world.