Inside the new £2,500,000,000 Leeds tram system with airport connection

A CGI visual of what the new £2.5 billion tram could look like in Leeds (Picture: West Yorkshire Combined Authority)

A new super-tram network in Leeds and West Yorkshire is one step closer to becoming a reality.

The Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced yesterday that the mass transit system will receive £2.1 billion in funding to get it off the ground within a decade.

The cross-city tram network will connect Leeds and Bradford with dozens of towns and key landmarks in the two cities.

The Leeds line will run from St James’s University Hospital through the city centre to the White Rose Centre,while the Bradford Line will connect Bradford and Leeds city centres.

The tram project would also improve walking and cycling (Picture: West Yorkshire Mass Transit)

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Start your day informed with Metro's News Updates newsletter or get Breaking News alerts the moment it happens.It is one of eight regions to get the money as part of the government’s move to build ‘strong transport links within cities and towns around them’ to unlock the ‘potential’ outside London.

Where will the tram run?

Phase one of the project will connect towns between Leeds and Bradford,and connect south Leeds communities with the city centre.However,future sections of the network could use light rail or express buses.Where the first section of the tram will run between Leeds and Bradford. You can click to zoom (Picture: West Yorkshire Mass Transit)A detailed map showing the proposed tram lines in Leeds (Picture: West Yorkshire Mass Transit)The first leg will link Leeds with Bradford,and south Leeds with St James’ Hospital,with stops in White Rose,Elland Road,Bradford Foster Square station and Leeds train station.

When will the Leeds tram open?

Despite the positive news for people in the area,it will take years until trams are trundling through Leeds.According to the council,construction will start in 2028 with the first trams operating by the mid-2030s.The tram is estimated to cost around £2.5 billion,with money coming from the government and the regional West Yorkshire Combined Authority.The creation of the new tram system is a significant step for Leeds.Leeds,with a population of over 800,000 people,is the biggest city in western Europe without a mass transit system.Places like Krakow,Florence,Frankfurt,Riga,Basel and Edinburgh – all cities with fewer people than Leeds – have a tram system.Tracy Brabin,the mayor of West Yorkshire,said: ‘It is time for trams – today is a huge moment for our region.‘The Chancellor’s backing means we now have the investment needed to bring trams back to the streets of Leeds and Bradford – improving public transport connections and boosting growth.‘We will also be able to take forward other vital projects,including new bus stations for Bradford and Wakefield,which will help us create a better-connected region that works for all.’

The history of trams in West Yorkshire

This won’t be the first time West Yorkshire and Leeds have had a tram.

The first electric tramways – similar to the early London tram buses – ran in towns and cities like Bradford,Keighley,Shipley,Halifax,Huddersfield,Dewsbury,Wakefield and Castleford at the start of the 20th century.

Leeds once had a tram before they disappeared. Here’s a tram pictured at Halton in April 1956 (Picture: Alamy Stock Photo)

Leeds tramways operated until 1959 before the demise of many UK’s electric trams as people switched to petrol-guzzling cars.

Bradford’s tram operated from 1882 until 1950,along with trolleybuses,which disappeared in 1972.

There have been several attempts to revive the tram in Leeds in recent years,most recently in 2001,but all have failed.

The electric Bradford trolleybus pictured in the city centre in 1962 (Picture: Alamy Stock Photo)

The most recent project was axed in 2004 after estimated costs had ballooned to £487 million.

But the flopped tram plans mean there are doubts whether the latest mass transit proposal will come to fruition.

One person commented after the £2.1 billion announcement yesterday: ‘I still remember 2001 when Labour announced all those exciting new light rail systems and development began and money invested and then bang everything cancelled. Quite sinister. Let’s hope Labour does not repeat history.’

Another person said: ‘I have heard that those older than me have heard this before and given up on the whole project to finally have trams back in Leeds.’