Leeds to get UK's first trolleybus system in major transport shake-up - VIDEO

Commuters in the north and south of the city will be able to travel into work on a network of modern, electrically-driven buses powered by a network of overhead cables. The system is modelled on those in Athens and Lyon.

Ministers also approved 13.7m to build a new entrance to Leeds City Station. This scheme will allow passengers to enter and exit the station from both sides of the River Aire around Granary Wharf.

York will also benefit from a new park and ride scheme under today's package, announced by Transport Minister Sadiq Khan.

The trolleybus announcement follows years of disappointment at the rejection of the Leeds proposed Supertram system.

Mr Khan said the Department for Transport would contribute 235m towards the 254m cost. Leeds City Council and Metro, the West Yorkshire public transport coordinator, will pick up the remaining 19m.

The northern route will run from the city centre to Hyde Park Corner, then to Headingley, West Park, a park-and-ride at Bodington and then along a 2.5 mile extension to Holt Park. A southern route goes to a new park-and-ride site at Stourton, via Clarence Dock and Hunslet.

Officials rejected plans for an eastern route connecting the city centre to St James's Hospital via Beckett Street and Burmantofts Street and for a city centre loop.

Metro and the council today said they were "determined" that these should both still go ahead and will investigate ways to find the 15m needed.

Today's announcement allows the project to move to the legal, planning and highway powers stage.

A public inquiry could be held early next year and if the project gets full approval, work would start late 2013 or early 2014 with the first trolleybuses running by 2016.

Mr Khan said: "This is fantastic news for Leeds. Today's announcement seeks to tackle congestion in the city at peak times, while presenting sustainable and practical alternatives to the car."

Like trams, trolleybuses are powered by overhead electric cables. But they require no tracks in the road, using instead ordinary car wheels and tyres.

They would have segregated routes and be given priority at junctions.

Trolleybuses were first introduced in 1911 - again in Leeds - and the last ones were taken out of service in Bradford, in 1972.

The York scheme would mean there is a park and ride service along each major road into York - providing greater encouragement for locals, commuters and tourists to not take their car into the city centre.

The project - called Access York – would increase the number of park and ride parking spaces in the city from 3750 to 5350, Mr Khan said.