A new £20m partnership between Metro, Yorkshire Forward and train operator Northern means there will be six extra carriages for travellers usually forced to stand on the busiest services from York and Harrogate via Horsforth and from Halifax and Bradford on the Caldervale Line. Additional seats will also be provided for those on services in and out of Leeds from Huddersfield, Knottingley, Selby and Sheffield.

Tom Riordan, chief executive of Yorkshire Forward, said it was great news for commuters but he hoped it was "only the start" of better transport across the region.

He said: "What we are looking for from the Government next year is much more investment coming into Leeds.

"We need a better deal and this is our way of symbolising what we can do if people let us get on with it."

He said the project should have a "double win" by taking people off the roads – reducing congestion and pollution at the same time.

There will be 246 extra seats available in the morning and 283 extra seats in the evening between Leeds, Bradford and Halifax, on the Caldervale Line.

And there will be 358 additional seats in the morning and evening between Leeds, Horsforth and Harrogate.

The news will come as a relief to many of the 84,000 people that now pass through Leeds railway station every day – around the same number that use Gatwick Airport.

Yorkshire Forward has contributed £8.7m towards the project.

Mr Riordan said: "We are confident that the additional seats will encourage more people to make public transport their first choice when travelling to work."

The £20m covers the lease of the six extra carriages for the rest of Northern's franchise period – six years, nine months.

The rest of the cash will come from Northern's fares increases and an increase in the cost of MetroCard. Platform extensions in North Yorkshire to cope with the longer trains are being funded by North Yorkshire County Council, and delivered by Network Rail.

The improved rail services start on Monday, a day after the new national rail timetable is introduced.
Train timetables can be downloaded at www.wymetro.com and are available from Metro Travel Centres and staffed rail stations.

See also:

Rail expansion will ease local congestion

The Huddersfield Daily Examiner: Dec 6 2006

AN EXTRA 700 seats will be made available to commuters using West Yorkshire's busy rail network, it has been revealed - and it will ease congestion at Huddersfield.

Six extra trains will soon be travelling in and out of Leeds station in a £20 million partnership between transport firm Metro, Northern Rail and regional development agency Yorkshire Forward.

From Monday, peak-time services from York and Harrogate via Horsforth and from Halifax and Bradford on the Caldervale line will be boosted.

Extra carriages will also be added to trains from Huddersfield, Knottingley, Selby and Sheffield.

Metro chairman Clr Stanley King said: "Metro remains committed to putting the passenger first, and by pooling our resources with Yorkshire Forward we have enabled Northern to provide services more suited to the needs of commuters, while still providing extra seats on busy routes during the rest of the day."

Tom Riordan, chief executive of Yorkshire Forward said: "We are confident that the additional seats will encourage more people to make public transport their first choice when travelling to work."

Northern Rail managing director Heidi Mottram said: "We are delighted that the partnership with Metro and Yorkshire Forward has enabled us to provide more capacity for our passengers.

"We hope that this partnership will be the first of many that help us to address the growing demand for local train travel."

North Yorkshire County Council is currently funding work to extend platforms at stations in its area to accommodate the new, longer trains.