Work stalls on new south Leeds rail station due to ‘cost overrun’

Work on a new £26m rail station in south Leeds remains paused since construction was halted in March.

The project was put on hold due to “an unforeseen increase in project costs”, according to a joint statement issued by West Yorkshire Combined Authority, Network Rail, development firm Munroe K and contractors Spencer Group.

They said the break in construction would enable “a thorough evaluation of future funding sources to ensure the project’s successful conclusion”.

Since March, there has been no announcement of when construction might restart.

Work began in March 2022, with the White Rose rail station was scheduled to open in late 2023. The project received £5m from the Leeds Public Transport Investment Programme, £5m from the Government’s New Stations Fund and up to £12m from the Leeds City Region Transforming Cities Fund and £4m from Munroe K, owners of White Rose Park.

Industry commentator Roger French said: “The cost increases must be quite substantial to justify such a dramatic recourse of pausing all work until further notice.”