New delay to rail station entrance work completion

The completion of a multimillion-pound project to transform the entrance to Leeds railway station has been delayed again.

Work on the revamp of the New Station Street entrance got under way in 2022, with work initially due to be completed in autumn last year, before being pushed back to summer this year and then again to September.

While the pavement along Bishopgate Street and sections of New Station Street had been opened, a problem with one of the lifts connecting the two had delayed "essential" safety testing, a Leeds City Council spokesperson said.

"We are working to resolve this as soon as possible so we can open the final parts of the scheme imminently," they said.

The £46.1m Leeds Station Sustainable Travel Gateway has been carried out in an effort to create more pedestrian-friendly streets, a new taxi rank and better facilities for storing bikes.

Jayne Hornby, who uses a wheelchair, said the delay has been "horrendous" for those with access needs.

"It's really difficult negotiating all the different changes - there isn't always safe places to cross," she said.

"I need to go the long way round under the bridge to see my daughter because they still haven't finished the lift - it makes life so much more difficult."

Alex, 44, said his office overlooked the site, which he described as a "fascinating construction process - but which seems like it started in the late Eighties".

"It seems like the impetus and the work has dried up," he added.

The works have been carried out at the same time as a Network Rail project to reinforce the underground structure below New Station Street, which supports much of the station above it.

A council spokesperson previously said that combining the works had been "a significant feat of engineering which has ensured value for money and reduced disruption for passengers and the city compared to delivering two schemes separately and at different times".

It was revealed last week that the station was to receive an extra £200m for major improvements aimed at reducing overcrowding, improving journeys and laying the foundations for broader public transport plans for Yorkshire.

That work is set to be completed by 2030, and is expected to include a new central overbridge, three additional entrances, expanded concourses and an extension to Platform 14.

The funding was announced alongside the budget, bringing the overall investment in the station to more than £300m.

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