Leeds Supertram
Encyclopedia
The Leeds Supertram was a proposed light rail
/tram
system in Leeds
and West Yorkshire
in England
.
All three lines would have met in Leeds city centre
in a loop line running along The Headrow
, Park Row, Boar Lane, Kirkgate and behind Kirkgate Market
.
The three lines were to have been the start of a wider system which included plans for other tram lines from Leeds city centre to Bradford
via Armley
, Bramley
and Stanningley
and to Alwoodley
via Chapeltown
, Chapel Allerton
and Moortown (the latter being mentioned in the draft Leeds Unitary Development Plan).
administration, in 2002 Leeds was successful in acquiring central government funding for the construction of the scheme. Two consortia of Momentis (which included First Group, Bombardier Transportation
, Bouygues
and Jarvis Facilities
) and Airelink (which included Arriva
and Siemens Transportation Systems
) had bid on the construction and operation of Leeds Supertram which was intended to have opened in 2007 or 2008. Preparation work on Leeds Supertram had started in 2003 where preparatory work was done at Leeds City Square
and around the junction of the A61 South Accommodation Road
and A639 Hunslet Road.
said that he would not give the go-ahead for the scheme, despite £40 million having already been spent into the development of the scheme.
are now being discussed, in particular a Bus Rapid Transport (BRT)
system, which the government claim can deliver some of the benefits of Supertram with lower capital costs due to unsegregated routes and greater flexibility but an on long term higher price (due to shorter life expectancy of rolling stock). However, no system of this type has yet been delivered in the UK, which introduces an element of risk, although similar systems in the US have experienced lower ridership than comparable light rail lines. Another possibility currently being investigated by the local transport authority is a tram-train
system. On such a system trams are capable of running onto mainline railways, being either built to handle 25kV AC electrification or being partially diesel-powered (UK trams are electrified at 750V DC).
http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news?articleid=2930736
Light rail
Light rail or light rail transit is a form of urban rail public transportation that generally has a lower capacity and lower speed than heavy rail and metro systems, but higher capacity and higher speed than traditional street-running tram systems...
/tram
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
system in Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
and West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Initial proposals
Proposals for the reinstatement of trams or a light rail system in Leeds which were withdrawn in 1959 have been ongoing since the 1970s with various plans for varying light rail systems including ones which had planned partially or fully underground routes in the city centre. The cancelled plans mentioned in this article had dated back to the early 1990s.Route
The planned system included three lines, which were to have been:- Line 1 (South Line), to StourtonStourton, West YorkshireStourton is a mainly industrial area of the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England.The area is 2 miles to the south east of Leeds city centre and lies between Hunslet, the M1 motorway and Cross Green in the LS10 postcode area....
and TingleyTingleyTingley is a settlement in West Yorkshire, England, forming part of the parish of West Ardsley and of the City of Leeds metropolitan borough.It is situated midway between Leeds, Wakefield and Bradford but is considered part of Morley...
via HunsletHunsletHunslet is an inner-city area in south Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is south east of the city centre and has an industrial past.Hunslet had many engineering companies based in the district, such as John Fowler & Co...
, Belle IsleBelle Isle, LeedsBelle Isle is a large suburb south of Leeds city centre, West Yorkshire, England. It is bounded to the north and east by the M621 motorway.The district lies in the LS10 Leeds postcode area...
and MiddletonMiddleton, LeedsMiddleton is a suburb of Leeds south of Leeds city centre, West Yorkshire, England. It originated as an agricultural and pit village in south Leeds and is mentioned as Mildentone and Mildetone village in the 1086 Domesday Book.... - Line 2 (North Line), to WeetwoodWeetwoodWeetwood is an area between Headingley and Meanwood in north-west Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is bounded on the north by the A6120 , on the west by the A660 , on the east by Meanwood Beck and to the south by Hollin Lane...
via the University of LeedsUniversity of LeedsThe University of Leeds is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England...
, Hyde ParkHyde Park, LeedsHyde Park is an inner-city area of north-west Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, situated between the University of Leeds and Headingley.It is mainly in the Hyde Park & Woodhouse ward, though some areas of what is often considered to be Hyde Park lie within the Headingley Ward . The boundary is...
and HeadingleyHeadingleyHeadingley is a suburb of Leeds in West Yorkshire, England. It is approximately two miles out of the city centre, to the north west along the A660 road... - Line 3 (East Line), to WhinmoorWhinmoorWhinmoor is residential area of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The area is 5 miles to the north east of the city centre, adjacent to Swarcliffe and Seacroft in the LS14 Leeds postcode area...
via St James's HospitalSt James's University Hospital, LeedsSt. James's University Hospital in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, popularly known as Jimmy's, is one of the United Kingdom's most famous hospitals...
, HarehillsHarehillsHarehills is an inner-city area of east Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is approximately north east of Leeds city centre. Harehills is situated between the A58 and the A64 .- Overview :...
and SeacroftSeacroftSeacroft is an outer-city suburb consisting mainly of council estate housing covering an extensive area of east Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is east of Leeds city centre and lies in the LS14 Leeds postcode area....
All three lines would have met in Leeds city centre
Leeds City Centre
Leeds city centre is the central business district of Leeds, England. It is within the Leeds Central parliamentary constituency, represented by Hilary Benn as MP since a by-election in 1999...
in a loop line running along The Headrow
The Headrow
The Headrow is an avenue in Leeds city centre, West Yorkshire, England. It holds many of the city's premier shopping, civic and cultural attractions including Leeds Town Hall, Leeds Central Library, Leeds Art Gallery, The Henry Moore Institute and The Light...
, Park Row, Boar Lane, Kirkgate and behind Kirkgate Market
Leeds Kirkgate Market
Leeds Kirkgate Market is a market in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England located on Vicar Lane. It is the largest covered market in Europe. There are currently 800 stalls which attract over 100,000 visitors a week.-History:...
.
The three lines were to have been the start of a wider system which included plans for other tram lines from Leeds city centre to Bradford
Bradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
via Armley
Armley
Armley is a district in the west of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It starts less than a mile from Leeds city centre. Like much of Leeds, Armley grew in the industrial revolution and had several mills, one of which is now the Armley Mills museum...
, Bramley
Bramley, Leeds
Bramley is a district in west Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is an old industrial area and home to a lot of 19th century architecture alongside 20th century council housing in the east and private suburban housing to the west. It has its own railway station which is on the Caldervale and...
and Stanningley
Stanningley
Stanningley is a district of Pudsey, West Yorkshire, England. It is situated approximately west of Leeds city centre on the original main road from Leeds to Bradford...
and to Alwoodley
Alwoodley
Alwoodley is a civil parish and suburb of Leeds in West Yorkshire, England. It is north of central Leeds. The name Alwoodley is said to be a corruption of 'Aethelwaldley', as it was originally known in the Middle Ages, meaning the woodland clearing , at Aethelwald's farm...
via Chapeltown
Chapeltown, West Yorkshire
Chapeltown is a suburb of north-east Leeds, in West Yorkshire, England, and is the centre of the city's British African-Caribbean community. It is approximately one mile north of Leeds city centre...
, Chapel Allerton
Chapel Allerton
Chapel Allerton is an inner suburb of north-east Leeds, from the city centre, West Yorkshire, England. The Chapel Allerton electoral ward includes areas otherwise referred to as Chapeltown and Potternewton - the suburb is generally considered to be only the northern part of this...
and Moortown (the latter being mentioned in the draft Leeds Unitary Development Plan).
Funding delays
Following long standing delays in attempting to gain funding throughout the 1990s due to rejections by the previous John MajorJohn Major
Sir John Major, is a British Conservative politician, who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1990–1997...
administration, in 2002 Leeds was successful in acquiring central government funding for the construction of the scheme. Two consortia of Momentis (which included First Group, Bombardier Transportation
Bombardier Transportation
Bombardier Transportation is the rail equipment division of the Canadian firm, Bombardier Inc. Bombardier Transportation is one of the world's largest companies in the rail-equipment manufacturing and servicing industry. Its headquarters are in Berlin, Germany....
, Bouygues
Bouygues
Bouygues S.A. is a French industrial group headquartered in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, France. Bouygues is listed on Euronext Paris exchange and is a blue chip in the CAC 40 stock market index. The company was founded in 1952 by Francis Bouygues and since 1989 has been led by his son Martin...
and Jarvis Facilities
Jarvis PLC
Jarvis plc is a British company that provides support services to the British railway industry. It also runs rail freight operations. The most significant feature of the modern firm is its leading share of the UK’s railway maintenance and infrastructure services.-19th and 20th centuries:The...
) and Airelink (which included Arriva
Arriva
Arriva plc is a multinational public transport company owned by Deutsche Bahn and headquartered in Sunderland, United Kingdom. It has bus, coach, train, tram and waterbus operations in 12 countries across Europe, employs more than 47,500 people and services over 1.5 billion passenger journeys each...
and Siemens Transportation Systems
Siemens Transportation Systems
Siemens Mobility is a division of the German Siemens AG conglomerate. The Mobility sub-division brings together Siemens competencies in rail, road, and air traffic solutions....
) had bid on the construction and operation of Leeds Supertram which was intended to have opened in 2007 or 2008. Preparation work on Leeds Supertram had started in 2003 where preparatory work was done at Leeds City Square
Leeds City Square
City Square is a paved open area in Leeds city centre in West Yorkshire, England.In 1897, the Leeds city council of the time wanted to improve the open space near to the Post Office and in 1899 work was completed. The city square was enhanced with the erection of statues, the grandest being the...
and around the junction of the A61 South Accommodation Road
A61 road
The A61 is a major trunk road in England. It runs from Derby to Thirsk in North Yorkshire. From Derby, it heads north via Alfreton, Clay Cross, Chesterfield, Sheffield, Barnsley, Wakefield, Leeds, Harrogate and Ripon...
and A639 Hunslet Road.
Project suspension and cancellation
However work to construct the system that was due to start in earnest in 2004 was suspended because of costs that were originally £500 million had risen far above this level to figures around £1 billion. This had resulted in a cut back to the system that would have seen Line 1 only go from the city centre to the park and ride site at Stourton and this would have saved £250 million from the construction of the scheme and efforts were done to lower development costs along the other planned routes. However despite this in late 2005, Transport Minister Alistair DarlingAlistair Darling
Alistair Maclean Darling is a Scottish Labour Party politician who has been a Member of Parliament since 1987, currently for Edinburgh South West. He served as the Chancellor of the Exchequer from 2007 to 2010...
said that he would not give the go-ahead for the scheme, despite £40 million having already been spent into the development of the scheme.
Future alternatives
Alternatives for the future of transport in LeedsLeeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
are now being discussed, in particular a Bus Rapid Transport (BRT)
Bus rapid transit
Bus rapid transit is a term applied to a variety of public transportation systems using buses to provide faster, more efficient service than an ordinary bus line. Often this is achieved by making improvements to existing infrastructure, vehicles and scheduling...
system, which the government claim can deliver some of the benefits of Supertram with lower capital costs due to unsegregated routes and greater flexibility but an on long term higher price (due to shorter life expectancy of rolling stock). However, no system of this type has yet been delivered in the UK, which introduces an element of risk, although similar systems in the US have experienced lower ridership than comparable light rail lines. Another possibility currently being investigated by the local transport authority is a tram-train
Tram-train
A tram-train is a light-rail public transport system where trams run both on an urban tramway network and on main-line railways to combine the tram's flexibility and availability and the train's greater speed...
system. On such a system trams are capable of running onto mainline railways, being either built to handle 25kV AC electrification or being partially diesel-powered (UK trams are electrified at 750V DC).
http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news?articleid=2930736