Hackney carriages can pick up on a new rank on Bishopgate Street at Leeds City Station, as well as at the current rank on Princes Square at the rear of the station. Leeds City Council's opening announcement records that the Leeds Station Sustainable Travel Gateway fully opened on Monday 9 November 2026.
The council delivered the £46.1 million scheme on behalf of Network Rail, in partnership with the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, which funded it. The work ran alongside essential maintenance to the underground structure that supports the station. Enabling works began in 2022 and the physical engineering started in May 2023. Combining the projects gave value for money and reduced long-term disruption compared with delivering them separately, on the council's account.
Final safety hoardings and barriers came down on 9 November after required testing of the passenger lifts between New Station Street and Bishopgate Street. The steps between the two streets opened the same day. Public realm improvements on New Station Street and the pavement along Bishopgate Street had already opened in recent weeks. The council's image captions describe two large passenger lifts giving step-free access between the pedestrianised space on New Station Street and the taxi rank on Bishopgate Street.
The rank
On 3 September the council expected the lifts to open in mid-October, and with them a move of the taxi rank from Princes Square to Bishopgate Street. The public realm and the steps could open in early to mid-October if partners agreed to open some parts before the scheme was finished, according to that September update. The 9 November announcement keeps pick-ups at Princes Square as well as on Bishopgate Street. It does not mention the cycle hub lifts, which the September update had expected in late October.
Passengers
Councillor James Lewis, leader of the council, said the station handles more than 27 million passengers a year, with footfall inside the station up six per cent year on year and now busier than before Covid. "It is vital that our station gateway is a safer and more accessible environment for everyone who uses it. We have worked in close partnership with groups from across our city to ensure that these new facilities provide a much-improved experience which is more pedestrian-friendly and allows people to board taxis much more safely."