Harrogate Borough Council has welcomed proposals to create a new railway station at Leeds Bradford Airport.
The proposal forms part of an ambitious new Leeds Transport Strategy, which has been produced by Leeds City Council, with the support of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority and the new Leeds transport advisory panel.
The new parkway station would be built on the existing Leeds to Harrogate line, connecting to the wider rail network and serving and supporting the development of one of the fastest growing regional airports in the UK, which is used by 3.5 million passengers a year.
The new station would also act as a park and ride facility to be used by commuters to reduce congestion in Harrogate and Leeds.
Councillor Rebecca Burnett, Harrogate Borough Council’s Cabinet member for Planning and Sustainable Transport said: We are delighted to see that the Leeds Bradford Airport Parkway Station proposal has been recommended to be part of the Leeds Public Transport Investment Programme. We have long been a supporter of this idea as it is clear that the development has many advantages for the district.
The station would provide residents of Pannal, Harrogate, Starbeck and Knaresborough, as well as villages in the east of our district, with direct access by train to the airport. It would also have a positive impact on the local economy by improving transport links to our district for tourists and people visiting the area for business.
We have been working hard to encourage investment in the Leeds-Harrogate-York line and our efforts are starting to pay off. Rail provision in the district is set to improve in the future with the introduction of two-hourly services to London with the new East Coast franchise and we will get new carriages, free wi-fi and better and more frequent services with the new Northern Rail franchise.
The announcement of the proposed new station would enhance public transport provision in our area, have a positive impact for businesses and tourism, and strengthen the opportunities on the Harrogate line.
I hope that the Department of Transport will recognise the benefits that the station will bring to the region, so that the proposal can become reality.
