Leeds

Bus and train travel in the Leeds area is coordinated and developed by West Yorkshire Metro, [87] with service information provided by Leeds City Council [88] and West Yorkshire Metro.

The primary means of public transportation in Leeds are the bus services. The main provider is First Leeds, with Arriva Yorkshire serving routes to the south of the city. The bus network is highly developed with several guided busways operating on radial routes, as well as an extensive network of bus lanes and bus priority systems. A zero-fare bus service, the FreeCityBus, connects Leeds City Bus Station, Leeds City Station, the Universities, and Leeds General Infirmary via the public transport box (the roads surrounding the core shopping area limited to public transport) every 6 minutes from Monday to Saturday.

All cross-city services use bus stops on and around the Public Transport Box and interchanges at Leeds City Station, Boar Lane and Infirmary Street. Leeds City Bus Station is used by many routes serving destinations outside the city and a minority of First Leeds buses.

From Leeds City station at New Station Street, MetroTrains operated by Northern Rail run to many of Leeds' suburbs and onwards to all parts of Leeds City Region. The MetroTrain network has been expanding since the 1980s, although overcrowding has resulted in expansion slowing in recent years with the last station opening at Glasshoughton in 2005. All of Leeds' suburbs sit within Metrocard Zones 1 and 2.

Leeds's former tram system was closed down in 1959, at around the same time that most other cities in the UK also abandoned tramways. [89] The central tram sheds were converted into Queens Hall, a concert hall, which was later demolished in 1989. The Bramley tram sheds were demolished in 1969. [90] Former tram buildings still exist on Abbey Road in Kirkstall, while tram poles still stand in Roundhay.

The city had plans in the 1990s and 2000s for a tram network known as Supertram. [91] However the government axed the scheme due to an unwillingness to pay for any costs over budget, and the Department for Transport's apparent preference for a bus-based rapid transport scheme rather than a tram-based scheme. [92] [93] A sub-surface tramway system which could double as a public air-raid shelter facility was proposed in the 1930s by Leeds City Council, with Central Government funding.[citation needed] The plans were axed as the Second World War commenced and funds were diverted to the war effort. Leeds remains the largest city in Europe without a mass transit system. [94]

A business case for a new Leeds Trolleybus [95] system in the region was submitted to the Department for Transport towards the end of 2007.If all goes smoothly, construction work could start on the first phase of the scheme by 2011. [96] This system would broadly follow the route of the abandoned Supertram project.

Roads

There is an Inner Ring Road with part motorway status and an Outer Ring Road. Part of the city centre [97] is pedestrianised, and is encircled by the clockwise-only 'Loop Road'.

Recent developments to east Leeds have seen phase 7 of the M621 which involves completion of the Inner Ring Road scheme originally started in 1971, and construction of a bridge running from the A64 near South Accommodation Road, straight to the M621. This new road link will help in taking a percentage of traffic away from the city centre and roads exiting to south Leeds and the motorways.

Another project which will begin construction in late 2008 is the long awaited link to (and the opening of) Junction 45 on the M1. Slip roads, markings and roundabouts were all included during the construction of the motorway, in anticipation of a possible link road, but for many years, the un-signposted slip-roads have remained blocked off. Now, a dual carriageway (the East Leeds Link Road) is being constructed from Junction 45 directly to Leeds via Cross Green and Hunslet. This is part of Leeds City Council's aim to re-develop and encourage investment into the east Leeds area, which has huge areas of unused and derelict land.

Leeds City Council is supporting the "carsharing club" WhizzGo, a car-hire organisation which requires a £50 per annum membership fee, in a battle to reduce congestion and carbon emissions in the city centre and surroundings. The scheme offers local residents and businesses to save money by not having to own cars yet having access to a fleet of low-emission vehicles whenever they need. As a result, car club members tend to drive less and swap car journeys for walking, cycling or public transport. Over 30 cars are sited across the city and available to members for hire by the hour (approximately £6 per hour in August 2008). Access to cars is by using a smart card and PIN.

National and regional

Rail

Two railway lines offer direct services to London. The principal route is along the East Coast Main Line, with trains departing for London King's Cross half hourly for most of the day. East Midlands Trains offers an infrequent and much slower alternative route via Sheffield, Derby and Leicester along the Midland Main Line to London St Pancras International with connections to the Eurostar international services. The East Midlands services are restricted to three or four early morning services from Leeds and three or four evening services from London.

Buses

Leeds has a large, modern bus and coach station at Dyer Street. One area is for National Express coach services; the rest is used by bus services to many towns and cities in Yorkshire, plus a small number of local services. Buses out of the city are mainly provided by FirstBus and Arriva Yorkshire. Harrogate & District provides a service to Harrogate and Ripon. Keighley & District provides a service to Shipley, Bingley and Keighley. The Yorkshire Coastliner service runs from Leeds to Bridlington, Filey, Pickering, Scarborough, Thornton-le-Dale, and Whitby via Tadcaster, York and Malton. Stagecoach provides a service to Hull via Goole.

Road Network

Leeds is the focus of the A58, A61, A62, A63, A64, A65 and A660 roads, and was promoted on franked post as Motorway City of the Seventies by Leeds City Council. [100] Nowadays, with the M1 and M62 intersecting just to its south and the A1(M) passing just to its east, it is one of the principal hubs of the northern motorway network.

Air

There is a direct rail service from Leeds to Manchester Airport, with trains running hourly during the day and every 2–3 hours through the night. The journey time is just under 1½ hours. Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield is 40 miles (64 km) south-east of Leeds.

Sea

Leeds has connections by road, rail and coach to Hull, only an hour away, from where it is possible to travel to Rotterdam and Zeebrugge by ferry services run by P&O Ferries.