The West & North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce welcomes the recommendations made by Sir David Higgins to develop a single station incorporating HS2 and future Trans-North rail (HS3) services. The Chamber is a longstanding supporter of high speed rail but always felt that bringing it into Leeds into a second unconnected station would not realise maximum benefits to the region. The announcement comes after lobbying by the Chamber to encourage a single station capable of accommodating forecast growth in existing rail usage as well as providing seamless connectivity on to new high speed services.
Leeds Chamber president Gerald Jennings, said, “We are delighted that the Chamber’s message has been heard by Sir David Higgins and his colleagues. This truly is a once in a hundred year opportunity and we have to be ambitious. A single station will not only benefit Leeds but the entire region and provide the integration and connectivity which will maximise economic benefit.
“Clearly there is still much work to do but there is now a huge opportunity to think about creating breath-taking sense of arrival and make more of the waterfront around a new and improved central station. This major new development in Leeds city centre will also bring significant inward investment opportunities, as companies regularly list transport connectivity and access to labour markets as key influences in location decisions.”
Yorkshire Hub: an interim on the redevelopment of Leeds station.
