Leeds Supertram
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Locale | Leeds |
| Transit type | Electrified tramway |
| Number of lines | 3 |
| Number of stations | 50 |
| Operation | |
| Operator(s) | Metro |
| Technical | |
| System length | 28 km (17 mi) |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge |
The Leeds Supertram was a proposed light rail/tram system in Leeds and West Yorkshire in England.
Proposals for the reinstatement of trams or a light rail system in Leeds which were withdrawn in 1959 have been ongoing since the 1970s with various plans for varying light rail systems including ones which had planned partially or fully underground routes in the city centre. The cancelled plans mentioned in this article had dated back to the early 1990s.
The planned system included three lines, which were to have been:
All three lines would have met in Leeds city centre in a loop line running along The Headrow, Park Row, Boar Lane, Kirkgate and behind Kirkgate Market.
The three lines were to have been the start of a wider system which included plans for other tram lines from Leeds city centre to Bradford via Armley, Bramley and Stanningley and to Alwoodley via Chapeltown, Chapel Allerton and Moortown (the latter being mentioned in the draft Leeds Unitary Development Plan).
Following long standing delays in attempting to gain funding throughout the 1990s due to rejections by the previous John Major administration, in 2002 Leeds was successful in acquiring central government funding for the construction of the scheme. Two consortia of Momentis (which included FirstGroup, Bombardier Transportation, Bouygues and Jarvis Facilities) and Airelink (which included Arriva and Siemens Transportation Systems) had bid on the construction and operation of Leeds Supertram which was intended to have opened in 2007 or 2008. Preparation work on Leeds Supertram had started in 2003 where preparatory work was done at Leeds City Square and around the junction of the A61 South Accommodation Road and A639 Hunslet Road.
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