Station revamp to receive £1m in funding

The seven-figure project will see a major re-design and extension of New Pudsey station’s car park to create an extra 176 spaces to help cope with the demand for rail passengers travelling into Leeds.

Improvements are also expected to be made to the junction of Bradford Road, which connects to the station, to help the route into Leeds deal with the additional capacity. The £1m scheme has been led by Metro along with contributions from Leeds City Council and the Station Commercial Project Facility.

The news comes after the Yorkshire Post revealed yesterday that train fare rises triggered by a shock increase in inflation will hit passengers in West Yorkshire harder than their counterparts elsewhere in England. A surprise inflation rate jump earlier this week left rail users nationwide bracing themselves for a 6.2 per cent hike in average fares at the start of 2013.

But, under the terms of a funding agreement for extra train carriages, ticket prices in West Yorkshire are set to rise even further – by an average of 8.2 per cent.

The improvement to New Pudsey Station are expected to be completed by June next year. There will continue to be no charge to use the car park and plans are also being discussed for a major revamp inside the station. Commuters in the market town received a boost two years ago following the completion of a £2.5m Pudsey Bus Station in the town centre.