Northern has announced that passengers travelling from Kirkstall Forge, in Yorkshire, to Leeds and Bradford will benefit from 2 trains an hour from May 2018.
This means that the service has doubled from 1 to 2 trains an hour, this comes as Northern announces a new network-wide timetable, which is due to be introduced from Sunday 20th May 2018.
Kirkstall Forge is one of the newest stations on the Northern Network, only opening in 2015.
The success it has had since the opening is now being recognised with more trains to help the local community.
20,200 journeys were forecasted for the stations the first year of operation, wherein point of fact, 21,400 journeys were recorded in just the first 5 months.
What did the officials say?
Paul Barnfield, Regional Director at Northern, said: “We are really pleased to be able to work with CEG, the developers of Kirkstall Forge, as we were when the station opened.
“We have been talking to partners for some time regarding putting a better service into this increasingly important hub. This wasn't easy, however, due to the sheer volume of rail traffic that goes in and out of the west end of Leeds station.
“We are delighted to say that our combined efforts have prevailed and we will now be able to supply the station with two trains an hour in either direction from May this year. This is terrific news and will help the site, and indeed the whole area, to reach its full potential.”
Rachel Reeves, MP for Leeds West said: “It's fantastic news that more trains will be stopping at Kirkstall Forge. I've campaigned for this for months and I am delighted that Northern will soon be operating a new half-hourly service.
“The extra trains will make it easier for thousands of people to get around the city and help unlock the full potential of Kirkstall Forge.”
Jon Kenny, Development Director at CEG, said: “Kirkstall Forge is one of the most significant regeneration projects underway in the north of England. The dedicated railway station connects the site to Leeds station in just six minutes and Bradford in around 15 minutes.
“The half-hourly service is welcome news, not only for the 15,000 people who live nearby but also the 10,000 people who will live, work and enjoy the site over the next decade.
“The businesses which are looking to locate here demand urban levels of transport connectivity, alongside the award-winning digital communications offered by this exceptionally high-quality development and this is a great step towards achieving that.”
Paul added: “This project has been a really good example of partnership working in quite challenging circumstances to quickly deliver an outcome that will link more people with opportunities right across our region.”
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