Thorpe Park Rail Station Plans Out for Consultation

A proposed station serving east Leeds and its 7,500-employee business park would put the city centre within 10-12 minutes, with construction earmarked for 2027

Plans for a new Thorpe Park rail station in east Leeds have been published for public consultation, promising faster links between a major business park and the city centre. The proposed station, between Cross Gates and Garforth on the Leeds-to-York line, would sit next to Thorpe Park Business Park and The Springs retail and leisure destination, and put Leeds Station within 10 to 12 minutes. Delivered by Network Rail with the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, it is part of the Weaver Network plan to join up the region’s transport. Feedback is open until 15 September.

Why This Matters For Leeds

East Leeds is one of the city’s biggest growth areas and connectivity is what makes that growth work for business; Thorpe Park already employs around 7,500 people. A station gives those firms, and those weighing a move there, a genuine alternative to the city centre. Better links also support the thousands of new homes planned nearby and widen the talent pool employers can draw on. It is the kind of infrastructure that quietly makes a business location more competitive and reinforces east Leeds as a place to invest.

What the Thorpe Park Rail Station Plans Include

The proposed station would have two platforms, allowing at least two trains an hour in each direction on the Leeds-to-York and Leeds-to-Hull routes. Plans include a lift and footbridge for step-free access, ticket machines, cycle parking, and a 300-space car park with electric-vehicle charging, disabled bays and a drop-off point. That park-and-ride provision is also intended to ease pressure on the car park at nearby Garforth station which is full. The scheme would be delivered by Network Rail in partnership with the Combined Authority and in consultation with Leeds City Council, which has framed it as a major boost for east Leeds and its access to jobs, shops and leisure. The full business case is due to be submitted later this year and considered at a future Combined Authority meeting.

“Our brand-new station will deliver faster commutes, boost our economy and reduce congestion on our roads.”

— Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire

A Boost for East Leeds Growth

The plans have drawn support from the developers investing in the area. Scarborough Group International, which is behind much of Thorpe Park, called it a transformational opportunity that would connect an established business community of 7,500 employees, a retail and leisure destination and a growing residential population to the city centre. Housebuilder Redrow, which has delivered homes at Thorpe Park and Centurion Fields and has plans for up to 649 more at Red Hall Lane and Manston Lane, said improved rail links would benefit current and future residents. The Combined Authority points to a track record of new stations at Low Moor, Kirkstall Forge and Apperley Bridge, part of £111m invested in ten new or upgraded stations. If the business case is approved, construction on the Thorpe Park rail station is earmarked to begin in 2027.