Developed by Network Rail and designed by AECOM with local practice Bauman Lyons, the new entrance to the Leeds railway station will allow passengers to access the station via Granary Wharf. The carefully thought curved design of the entrance minimizes its size, while retaining its modern, accessible and attractive look. Irena Bauman, director of Bauman Lyons, said that the entrance will look like a little glistening gold capsule.
Designed to fit into a series of Victorian railway arches at the south end of the station, the dramatic glass and metal structure will be accessed by a bridge over the River Aire. The entrance will provide direct access to the new Granary Wharf development, which is being designed by Allies and Morrison, CZWG and Carey Jones. Richard Lungmuss, the route director for Network Rail, said that the new entrance will not only improve access for those coming into the station from the south but will also help Network Rail manage future demand.
With 90% funds coming from the Department for Transport, the remaining will be provided locally. The new entrance is likely to open in 2012.
Located on New Station Street to the south of City Square, at the bottom of Park Row, Leeds railway station is the mainline railway station serving the city centre of Leeds in West Yorkshire, England, which connects London, Bristol, Plymouth and the South West, Nottingham, Birmingham and the Midlands, Newcastle upon Tyne, Edinburgh and the North East, and Manchester and Liverpool and the North West, to local and regional destinations. It is also the terminus for trains running on the Settle to Carlisle line, as well as the hub of the Metro commuter network.
The station is situated on a hill falling from the south of the city down to the River Aire and the Leeds canal basin; much of it is supported on a huge number of Victorian brick vaulted arches, known as the ‘Dark Arches’.
The station itself has 17 platforms, including both through and terminus. Retail facilities within the station include Starbucks, Wetherspoons, Burger King, McDonalds, two branches of WH Smith, Boots, Upper Crust, and a Marks & Spencer Simply Food store. A British Transport Police police station is situated on the north concourse, housing officers who police the West Yorkshire railway stations.
The station is one of 17 in Great Britain to be managed by Network Rail. It is the busiest English station outside London, and the UK’s second busiest station outside London, after Glasgow Central.
