FAQs

There is a statutory requirement to consult with members of the public on the possible closure of a rail station. An application has to be submitted to the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) for appraisal. They will then have up to 12 months to review the closure application and make a decision on the future of Cottingley station.

No. The public consultation took place for 12 weeks from Monday 12 July 2021 to Monday 4 October 2021. We have since analysed all the feedback received and put forward a recommendation to the ORR.

It is not possible for trains to stop at both Cottingley and White Rose as the stations are so close together. Therefore, the options for the existing station at Cottingley are as follows:

• Replace the existing station at Cottingley with a new station at White Rose. This option is preferred because of the low usage and lack of step-free access at Cottingley.
• Construct the new station at White Rose and run in addition to the existing station at Cottingley. This option would involve a very infrequent service at Cottingley and the low usage of the station may encourage anti-social behaviour. Keeping Cottingley Rail Station in service could also weaken the case to fund an extensive walking and cycling plan, which is part of the White Rose Rail Station development.

For these reasons, the preferred option is to replace the existing station at Cottingley with a new station at White Rose, with extensive walking and cycling routes linking Cottingley to the station.

The proposed new station at White Rose would be located on the northwest boundary of the Millshaw Park Industrial Estate between Churwell viaduct to the north and Walkers Bridge to the south on the Leeds to Dewsbury section of the main Trans-Pennine railway line in south Leeds (Huddersfield Line).

The objectives of the station are to:

• Provide an accessible station for all users
• Serve the local communities and better serve local demand (with potential for a bus / rail interchange at White Rose Shopping Centre) (WRSC)
• Connecting employees, customers, students and visitors to the White Rose Shopping Centre, White Rose Office Park, Millshaw Industrial Estate and Elliott Hudson Academy
• Connect people to jobs, education and training opportunities at existing and new developments in the area
• Provide a springboard for regeneration, housing growth, economic activity and jobs in the surrounding area.

Further information is available via www.yourvoice.westyorks-ca.gov.uk/whiteroserailstation.

Previously considered options were not taken forward for the following reasons:

• Keep the existing station at Cottingley and not provide an additional station at White Rose. This option has not been taken forward because Cottingley station does not meet current accessibility standards.
• Upgrade the existing station at Cottingley and not provide an additional station at White Rose. This option was not taken forward for a variety of reasons. Firstly, Cottingley is situated further from businesses, education opportunities and the nearby shopping centre. Secondly, White Rose is being progressed with a combination of public and private funding which would not have been available for Cottingley.

Thorough consideration has been given to the location of the station. The shopping centre was discounted for several reasons, one of which is the curvature of the track. The chosen location of the station is at the White Rose Office Park on a straight section of track. It is important to note that the intention of the station is not solely to serve the shopping centre, however, walking and cycling routes to the shopping centre will be upgraded as part of the scheme. The station at its chosen location connects people to employment and education and unlocks housing sites in the area, providing a more attractive place to live. The location will connect the local communities of Cottingley, Churwell and Millshaw. 

White Rose is one of the biggest employment hubs in South Leeds and a dedicated station will enable more significant, and deeper, regeneration and growth.

The new station will be located on the Huddersfield line and trains will call at the same stations as the services that currently call at Cottingley. This is displayed by the orange route on the image below:

The construction for the new station at White Rose began in March 2022.

The White Rose Station will be funded with a mixture of public money and private sector funding. The scheme is being developed in partnership by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, Leeds City Council, Munroe K and Network Rail.  It will receive £5 million from the Leeds Public Transport Investment Programme (LPTIP), £5 million from New Stations Funding (NSF), and up to £12 million from the Leeds City Region Transforming Cities Fund - a major new programme of transport infrastructure investment secured as part of the West Yorkshire devolution deal – as well as contributions from Munroe K.  

Depending on exactly where you live, the walk to the new station will take around eight minutes longer than the walk to Cottingley Station. Walking and cycling routes will be upgraded as part of the new station.

The station has been designed in accordance with ‘Design Standards for Accessible Railway Stations: A Code of Practice by the Department for Transport and Transport Scotland.” There will be 2 lifts on either side of the station in addition to stairs, sheltered seating, tactile paving, ramps and hand rails where required. The station will have disabled parking bays.

We hope that the new station will encourage more users to travel by rail than by car, reducing emissions. This would make the local environment safer, cleaner and easier to navigate.

Ticket data shows that there is a very small increase in station usage at Cottingley on football match days, which suggests the station is not widely used to access Elland Road stadium. For this reason, we are not anticipating a large number of football fans using the new station to access the football ground.

We are aware of the current impact COVID-19 is having on levels of public transport usage, however we expect public transport usage to recover in the medium to long term. We also believe that investment in new public transport infrastructure will play an important role in the region’s recovery.

The rail line will still be required, however the station will be decommissioned. The footbridge will remain open as a public right of way.

The survey will be provided via door-to-door letter drop around the area. Hardcopies of the consultation materials including Easy Read documents are available and can be requested using the MetroLine telephone number 0113 245 7676.

Following the consultation period, we reviewed the proposed decision to close the station in light of the responses received. We have published an Engagement Report which will contains all the responses received in the consultation.

A station closure application has been submitted to the Office of Rail and Road for appraisal. They now have up to 12 months to review the closure application and make a decision on the future of Cottingley station.

We know Cottingley residents would like to have a better bus service and we are in discussion with bus operators to seek improvements to local bus services which we aim to have delivered at a similar pace to the rail station works. The Council and Combined Authority are currently improving passenger facilities at bus stops in the area.