A NEW parkway rail station connecting to Leeds Bradford Airport has been announced as part of a £270 million transport package.

Leeds City Council is planning to create the parkway as well as two other new stations and other improvements to the rail network. The proposals are the first details to be revealed ahead of a new transport strategy for the city being released tomorrow (Tuesday, December 6).

The strategy is in response to the findings of the biggest-ever transport consultation held with residents, businesses, stakeholders and visitors in the city which included more than 8,000 people taking part in a survey.

The council says the new parkway station would be built on the existing Leeds to Harrogate line, connecting to the wider rail network and supporting the development of the airport which is used by 3.5million passengers a year and contributes £100m annually to the city region economy.

The new station is expected to bring jobs and employment and will also act as a park and ride station for Leeds and Harrogate. It is also expected to takes cars off the road, reducing congestion in the north of the city and improving air quality.

Two other new stations are also proposed at White Rose Shopping Centre and Office Park and at Thorpe Park.

The new stations would be part-funded from the £173.5million of Department of Transport funding secured following the decision not to proceed with the New Generation Transport trolleybus in May. Support from West Yorkshire Combined Authority and private sector stakeholders increases the funding available to more than £270m.

The new strategy has been hailed as "transformational" by the Leader of Leeds City Council Councillor Judith Blake.

She said: "These plans announced today and the full proposals and strategy to be released tomorrow represent a transformational step change for public transport in Leeds. Through the transport conversation we have been given a clear message that people want improvements to be made to benefit all areas of the city as soon as possible, not in another 10 or 15 years’ time but now. I am very pleased to say that everything we are putting forward in this plan is deliverable in the short to medium term.

"Providing a connection by rail to the airport has long been an ambition for the city and this plan will deliver it in a cost-effective way, along with two other new stations at the White Rose Shopping Centre and Thorpe Park to help drive forward job creation, productivity and economic growth."

She added: "Options for a mass transit scheme are still very much under consideration, but it needs to be right for the whole city and the reality is such a scheme would need a lot more investment and would take a lot longer to deliver, whereas there is a clear priority need to deliver changes now in order to get Leeds moving."

John Parkin, Leeds Bradford Airport Chief Executive, said: "This announcement is fantastic news for the millions of passengers who travel to and from Leeds Bradford Airport each year. As one of the country’s fastest growing regional airports, it is vital that we give passengers more choice about how they are able to get here. Investing in the public transport network in this way will enable people to travel to and from the airport easily, as well as create jobs and help to ease road congestion in the area.

Other proposals include improved access at Horsforth station and a car park expansion at New Pudsey to increase its park and ride capacity. These upgrades will complement improved rail services to Leeds which will see increases in capacity through longer trains and more frequent services, especially at peak times. The outdated pacer units will also be withdrawn by 2020.

Work will also progress in the coming months on preparing the city for high-speed HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail (formerly HS3), with the masterplan for the remodelled Leeds Station being developed by a world-renowned team including Hiro Aso, the lead architect behind the acclaimed redevelopment of King’s Cross in London.

The proposals and strategy released tomorrow will be considered by senior councillors at an executive board meeting at Civic Hall on Wednesday, December 14. If approved they will go to the Department of Transport for consideration.