This comes up every few years. The first plan was for East Leeds Parkway near Micklefield, handy for the A1(M). Then there's the station at Thorpe Park to serve businesses and the new housing on the old Barnbow site, which might not come until electrification happens. But then one of Garforth or East Garforth might have to close, or they'd need to four-track. So who knows? Marsh Lane as a station has no business case; but as a turnback facility it might (although you'd hold everything up while units re-cross the tracks, unless you built a dive-under or flyover)...
No it wasn't. The first plan was in 1989 with four new stations between Leeds and Cross Gates (two each side of Neville Hill) and reinstating part of the Wetherby line to a P&R station on the A64 York-Leeds road operated by Pacers on the BradfordFS/Skipton/Ilkley corridors extended across-city.
The study showed that the line would have to be requadrupled to Cross Gates as four new stations would clog up the system on two tracks. The study gave the approval for reopening stations at Penda's Way, Scholes and P&R station.
Approval of Leeds NW electrification killed the project as beyond Neville Hill would have to be electrified at the expense of Leeds Metro who were not prepared to finance it. As a result, Leeds withdrew trackbed protection of this part of the Wetherby line in 2001 and now houses will obliterate the trackbed. That's logical thinking for you.
East Leeds Parkway at Micklefield was the next best thing as it is the last/first station in West Yorkshire and that is now replaced by Thorpe Park Parkway which is connected to Leeds East Development of 7,000 houses by a 4-mile £100m road instead of a station or stations bang in the middle of these houses.
Leeds City Council could not plan a party in a brewery successfully.
