Work starts on £161m Leeds railway station revamp

The station's main concourse will get a new transparent roof

Work has started on a £161m redevelopment of Leeds railway station.

The building will get a new transparent roof over its main concourse, a new platform and alterations to some existing platforms and tracks.

The street outside the front of the station will be altered, with part of the road pedestrianised and a number of bus stops moved.

Network Rail said the roof was expected to be finished by next summer with the rest of the work completed by 2021.

As part of the changes the station's long-stay car parks would be gradually closed, it said.

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Toby Higgins from Network Rail said the changes were aimed to increase the station's capacity.

"The station will have a new platform and that really does just show the success and the boom of the rail industry," he said.

"More people want to travel by rail than they have in the last 20 years. The new platform is basically a way to cater for that demand."

The revamp is part of a proposed £500m masterplan to transform the area around the station.

The surrounding area would see roads remodelled and more than three million sq ft of shops, offices and restaurants built.