Special Report: the route West Yorkshire's tram project could take

Officials are keen to stress that the routes currently being consulted on are the first phase of a much wider project designed to encompass all of the main habitations of West Yorkshire under the system.

If all the branches of the project are completed it will take in Halifax, Huddersfield and Wakefield, as well as heading right out to Castleford, Pontefract and Knottingley, spreading far and wide throughout West Yorkshire.

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But Phase One, which is designed to be the spine of any further arterial routes, will primarily join the two largest cities, Leeds and Bradford.

Phase one will have two lines, the Leeds Line and the Bradford Line.

Three options are being considered for the Bradford Line, all with different advantages and disadvantages which planners have set out.

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For the Leeds Line, four options are being considered north of River Aire at Victoria Bridge and three options for the section south of the river.

The Leeds Line will connect people between St James’s University Hospital and the White Rose Shopping Centre, via Leeds city centre, on a single, continuous route.

For the purpose of the consultation, this line has been split into two parts at the crossing of the River Aire, Victoria Bridge.

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North of the river is referred to as the Leeds city centre section, south of the river is referred to as the South Leeds section.

From the hospital, all four of the northern options go broadly west towards the First Direct Arena.

Option Four, known as L4, diverts south via Regent Street towards the bus station then goes West along the Headrow, before rejoining the others near city square.

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Options L1 and L2 include a loop around the city centre which would take in Leeds Beckett University, while option three proceeds more directly to Victoria Bridge, without a loop.

The three South options are much more varied, although all will terminate at White Rose: Option L5 goes via Dewsbury Road, near Parkshire Industrial Estate; Option L6 goes via Elland Road stadium and Ring Road Beeston, while Option L7 goes Gelderd Road, Lowfields Road, Elland Road Stadium and Old Lane.

There are also three options under consideration for the Bradford line, all of which link with the Leeds Line and all of which terminate in Bradford city centre, at a site yet to be determined.

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Option One, known as B1, goes via Armley and Stanninglry; Option B2 goes near Wortley and Laisterdyke; while B3 goes via Armley and Laisterdyke.

Two of the three options (B2 and B3) pass close to Pudsey, but all would pass close to Bramley, Bramley Train Station, Laisterdyke and Armley.

As is inevitable with an engineering project of this size, there are significant changes to the fundamental infrastructure and road layout associated with all of the options, and these are laid out in detail in the consultation document published by West Yorkshire Combined Authority.

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Option L1, for instance, would involve changes to non-emergency vehicle access to Leeds General Infirmary, as well as the permanent closure of Portland Way to general traffic, and the likely relocation of bus stops on Infirmary Street.

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