Leeds City Region - Transport

Transport

The city region is served directly by Leeds Bradford International Airport, although Manchester Airport is easily accessed by train and road from parts of the City Region, while Doncaster, Durham Tees Valley and Humberside airports are also easily accessible. The Humber ports are also within easy reach.

The north-south A1(M) and M62 motorways intersect close to Leeds, near the terminus of the M1 from London. A series of motorway spurs enable traffic to reach the centres of Leeds and Bradford quickly. There is a comprehensive secondary road network based on Leeds, Bradford, Huddersfield and York. The A1, A64 and A650 are important trunk routes.

Leeds railway station is the hub of the region's extensive commuter rail network. The West Coast Main Line (WCML) passes through the far northwest of the regional area, but the primary link to London is on the East Coast Main Line (ECML), which principally serves Leeds railway station, Wakefield Westgate and York railway station. There are regional semi-fast services on the Transpennine line that serve Huddersfield, Dewsbury, Leeds, Garforth, York and Northallerton. The West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive (Metro), coordinates rail services in the West Yorkshire part of this area, but not in Craven and Harrogate which are under the auspices of North Yorkshire County Council.

Despite this, the regional transport network is strained thanks to low levels of transport investment from Central Government. As a result there is overcrowding on the rail network and significant connectivity issues within the city region and between other city regions such as Manchester and Sheffield as well as London.

The Leeds and Liverpool Canal and Aire and Calder Navigation run through the region, though today they are only used for leisure purposes.