WR station will be just the other side of Elland Road, so 600m away from the current Cottingley station. Looking at the housing nearby, it will be less convenient for some, but more convenient for others. Either way, it's a relatively minor change. By contrast WR station would be over 2km from Morley station. If the current Morley station is inconveniently located for Morley, how much more inconvenient would WR be?
Well that's the trick, isn't it? I don't follow the logic. We already have a segregated public transport route running right by the site, but you think it makes more sense to build something on a new alignment, at what cost? Bear in mind the new station cost will be in the order of £10-20m. You won't get the first metre of tram line built for that.
If that's the planned location, it isn't that close to the centre it takes the name of.
The reason I object to a WRC station is that the conveniently adjacent rail line is full. Local services are subject to delays and cancellations at short notice due to the high frequency of quasi-InterCity services which themselves are frequently overcrowded.
Leeds is apparently the largest city in the EU (for now...) without a metro/tram/light-rail system. It deserves one and needs one. See my response to
@AndyHudds below.
Isn’t the track geometry non-compliant with current new station standards too, and only likely to get worse if there are any efforts to speed up the curve?
I believe it’s simply a fop to the White Rose Centre as it lies within what Leeds City Council wants to be a general clean air/congestion charge zone, which will surely follow the commercial vehicle Clean Air Zone if it’s not a total disaster. Notably the initial plans were to use the M62 as the rough southern boundary rather than the M621 as it will now do. “We build a new station, you don’t kick up a fuss if we start charging motorists or deliveries to visit, ok?”
Anyway, I think that’s something for another thread, rather than one about Leeds station.
Leeds City Council were given money for public transport that had previously been allocated to the shelved trolleybus scheme. I think it's a case of "use it or lose it" and White Rose is as you say a convenient sop.
As you say I've gone off-topic, I hadn't intended such a diversion! This will be my last post on this subject.
You have 3 big locations on that route that are big selling points for any mass rapid transit system Elland Road, Park & Ride and WRC to get it off the ground to help build a strong case.
Precisely. Leeds needs a fixed, permanent solution to congestion and a well-designed tram/light-rail system would go a long way. It needs to go to the right places and WRC via Elland Road would be an obvious route option. So it's silly to spend £20m (which is probably an optimistic estimate given the capacity improvements required) on a station that will either become redundant, or more likely destroy any business case for light-rail.
Back to Leeds station improvements, any light-rail system would possibly be able to serve as a link between the HS2 platforms and the existing station for those who might struggle with the walk.
EDIT: I've created a thread in the Speculative Ideas section for discussion of a Leeds tramway.