A new super-tram network in Leeds and West Yorkshire is one step closer to becoming a reality.

The Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced yesterday that the mass transit system will receive £2.1 billion in funding to get it off the ground within a decade.

The cross-city tram network will connect Leeds and Bradford with dozens of towns and key landmarks in the two cities.

The Leeds line will run from St James’s University Hospital through the city centre to the White Rose Centre, while the Bradford Line will connect Bradford and Leeds city centres.

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It is one of eight regions to get the money as part of the government’s move to build ‘strong transport links within cities and towns around them’ to unlock the ‘potential’ outside London.

Where will the tram run?

Phase one of the project will connect towns between Leeds and Bradford, and connect south Leeds communities with the city centre.

However, future sections of the network could use light rail or express buses.

The first leg will link Leeds with Bradford, and south Leeds with St James’ Hospital, with stops in White Rose, Elland Road, Bradford Foster Square station and Leeds train station.

When will the Leeds tram open?

Despite the positive news for people in the area, it will take years until trams are trundling through Leeds.

According to the council, construction will start in 2028 with the first trams operating by the mid-2030s.

The tram is estimated to cost around £2.5 billion, with money coming from the government and the regional West Yorkshire Combined Authority.

The creation of the new tram system is a significant step for Leeds.

Leeds, with a population of over 800,000 people, is the biggest city in western Europe without a mass transit system.

Places like Krakow, Florence, Frankfurt, Riga, Basel and Edinburgh – all cities with fewer people than Leeds – have a tram system.

Tracy Brabin, the mayor of West Yorkshire, said: ‘It is time for trams – today is a huge moment for our region.

‘The Chancellor’s backing means we now have the investment needed to bring trams back to the streets of Leeds and Bradford – improving public transport connections and boosting growth.

‘We will also be able to take forward other vital projects, including new bus stations for Bradford and Wakefield, which will help us create a better-connected region that works for all.’

The history of trams in West Yorkshire

This won’t be the first time West Yorkshire and Leeds have had a tram.

The first electric tramways – similar to the early London tram buses – ran in towns and cities like Bradford, Keighley, Shipley, Halifax, Huddersfield, Dewsbury, Wakefield and Castleford at the start of the 20th century.

Leeds tramways operated until 1959 before the demise of many UK’s electric trams as people switched to petrol-guzzling cars.

Bradford’s tram operated from 1882 until 1950, along with trolleybuses, which disappeared in 1972.

There have been several attempts to revive the tram in Leeds in recent years, most recently in 2001, but all have failed.

The most recent project was axed in 2004 after estimated costs had ballooned to £487 million.

But the flopped tram plans mean there are doubts whether the latest mass transit proposal will come to fruition.

One person commented after the £2.1 billion announcement yesterday: ‘I still remember 2001 when Labour announced all those exciting new light rail systems and development began and money invested and then bang everything cancelled. Quite sinister. Let’s hope Labour does not repeat history.’

A project to bring trams back to West Yorkshire has received a major funding boost from the government.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has announced that £2.1bn of local transport funding would be allocated to the county.

According to West Yorkshire Combined Authority, the grant would mean "spades in the ground" by 2028, with the first trams operating before the mid-2030s.

Following the announcement, Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, said: "It is time for trams. Today is a huge moment for our region."

The first phase of the £2.5bn mass transit programme is expected to see the creation of two tram lines.

A Leeds line will run from St James's University Hospital through the city centre to the White Rose Centre, while a Bradford Line will connect Bradford and Leeds city centres.

Brabin said the funding meant that "other vital projects" could also go ahead, such as new bus stations for Bradford and Wakefield.

That would "help us create a better-connected region that works for all", she said.

The combined authority is expected to publish its preferred route options for the tram system later this year, with a full public consultation planned for 2026.

According to the authority, the scheme would improve local transport for 675,000 people and benefit West Yorkshire's most deprived communities.

James Lewis, leader of Leeds City Council, said: "Delivering a tram system will transform connectivity across our city, and between Leeds and Bradford, bringing jobs and opportunities within easier reach of thousands of local people."

Analysis: Spencer Stokes, BBC Yorkshire business and transport correspondent

Today's announcement is a big leap forward for those who have long campaigned for trams to return to West Yorkshire's streets.

But political leaders will understand voters' scepticism after the failure of two previous schemes.

The proposed Supertram network was given the go ahead by Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott in 2001.

Early building work got under way, but the project was cancelled by Transport Secretary Alastair Darling in 2005 due to rising costs.

A proposed electric bus system with overhead wires, known as New Generation Transport, was then promised - before it was also axed after a planning inspector ruled it was "not in the public interest".

The new tram network – being called a mass transit scheme - is a region-wide proposal serving Leeds and Bradford initially, with the ambition to extend it to other towns and cities in West Yorkshire.

The money pledged by government today will allow work to start.

But with an estimated cost of at least £2.5bn, additional finance will be needed.

Listen: Henri Murison, Chief Executive of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, explains what the changes mean for South Yorkshire and further afield

Meanwhile, the government has also allocated £1.5bn of local transport funding to South Yorkshire.

About £530m of the money is expected to go towards renewing the county's tram network, providing a fleet of new vehicles and modernising tram stops.

A £350m cash injection is also expected to see the reform of bus services, with franchised buses operating in Sheffield, Doncaster and Rotherham by 2027, and across the whole of South Yorkshire by 2029.

South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard called the investment "game-changing" for communities.

"It will mean new and better buses, new electric vehicles, integrated ticketing and better information," he said.

"It will mean new trams and better tram stops and lays the foundation for extending the tram network.

"It will mean that our young people will be able to get to jobs and opportunities; that we can all access services, see friends and family, or go for a day, or a night out, without worrying how to get home."

A TRAM line between Bradford city centre and Leeds and a new bus station in the city are among the transport projects that will benefit from £2.1 BILLION of funding being announced today.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has announced the huge funding allocation for West Yorkshire, and the cash will enable work on the long planned tram project to begin in 2028.

Other projects to benefit include a new bus station to replace the ageing Bradford Interchange and new measures to make the A641, which runs from Wyke to Brighouse, safer for pedestrians and cyclists, as well as increasing bus lanes on the route.

Speaking ahead of next week's Spending Review, the Chancellor will join West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin at a bus depot in Huddersfield where she will unveil West Yorkshire's 'transport for city regions' funding for 2027-2032.

The funding will also support other transport infrastructure projects across the region including a new bus station in Wakefield and access improvements to unlock regeneration across six key neighbourhoods bordering on Leeds City Centre.

The first phase of West Yorkshire's Mass Transit network will create two tram lines – a Bradford Line that will connect Bradford and Leeds city centres and a Leeds Line, running from St James’s University Hospital through the city centre to the White Rose Shopping Centre.

Each line will include regular stops, and the Bradford line is expected to link the city centre’s two rail stations.

Few details of the planned new bus station for Bradford have been revealed.

However, last year a report into the future of Bradford Interchange said that although the bus station was safe to re-open after a long period of closure, it was reaching the end of its lifespan.

Structural engineers recommended the Authority develop plans for a new bus station in the city centre that could replace the 50-year-old Interchange in the coming years.

West Yorkshire Mayor mentioned plans for a new station at a meeting of Bradford Council’s Executive on Tuesday. She said: “We all know (the Interchange) is at the end of its life, which is why we are looking at new plans.”

She said it was too early to disclose where the new station might be.

On the Government’s funding announcement, Ms Brabin said today: "It is time for trams - today is a huge moment for our region.

"The Chancellor's backing means we now have the investment needed to bring trams back to the streets of Leeds and Bradford - improving public transport connections and boosting growth.

"We will also be able to take forward other vital projects, including new bus stations for Bradford and Wakefield, which will help us create a better-connected region that works for all."

Mark Casci, Head of Policy and Representation at West and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce, said: “This commitment to fund mass transit in West Yorkshire can be a game changer for the region.

“West Yorkshire is home to a world-class business community, but the region is held back by poor connectivity which impacts upon our productivity.

“By delivering this much needed infrastructure upgrade to the region, West Yorkshire can finally punch its weight and deliver enhanced returns for UK PLC.”

In a speech today Ms Reeves is expected to say: “A Britain that is better off cannot rely on a handful of places forging ahead of the rest of the country. The result of such thinking has been growth created in too few places, felt by too few people and wide gaps between regions, and between our cities and towns.”

The Combined Authority will publish its preferred route options later this year, with a full public consultation planned during 2026.

The £2.5bn mass transit programme will have spades in the ground by 2028, with the intention for the first trams to be operating before the mid-2030s.

Last year, the Combined Authority asked for the public’s views on different route options, with 4,845 individuals and organisations in total having their say.

More than two thirds of those surveyed in West Yorkshire backed the Bradford Line plans, while more than three quarters supported the proposed Leeds Line.

However, just 14 per cent of those who responded to the survey were from Bradford.

It'll be on display at Cartwright Hall until August as part of UK City of Culture.

Author: Chris Young, Local Democracy Reporting ServicePublished 2nd Jun 2025

AN exhibition bringing together some of the best artists from across the Middle East and South Asia has opened at a Bradford art gallery.

The work from the Victoria and Albert Museum’s triennial Jameel Prize exhibition will be on display at Cartwright Hall until August for Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture.

The exhibition opened shortly after the gallery was visited by King Charles during his trip to Bradford.

Jameel Prize: Moving Images is the seventh edition of the V&A’s award for contemporary art and design inspired by Islamic art, culture, history, society and ideas.

This year’s award focuses on moving image and digital media work.

The exhibition was originally on display at V&A South Kensington in London and Bradford is the first stop on its tour – the only other place in the UK that people will be able to view the artwork.

The seventh Jameel Prize was won by Indian artist Khandakar Ohida, for her film and installation work Dream Your Museum in 2022.

The film is a portrait of her uncle, Khandakar Selim, whose story is told through his extraordinary collection of objects and memorabilia amassed over the last 50 years.

The film is accompanied by an installation of objects from Selim’s collection.

The other shortlisted artists featured in Jameel Prize: Moving Images are Sadik Kwaish Alfraji, Jawa El Khash, Alia Farid, Zahra Malkani, Marrim Akashi Sani, and Ramin Haerizadeh, Rokni Haerizadeh and Hesam Rahmanian.

Spanning film, sculpture, photography, installation, sound, performance, and VR, the finalists’ works engage with issues relating to water, ecology, and spirituality, and the ways in which extractive industries shape the environmental and social fabric of the Middle East and South Asia. The works span the personal and the political, telling stories around themes of migration, community and resistance.

Councillor Sarah Ferriby Bradford Council’s executive member for healthy people and places said: “I’m thrilled that this prestigious exhibition is coming to the Bradford district and that this powerful artwork can be enjoyed by people from across the district and beyond without having to travel to London.”

Antonia Carver, director, Art Jameel said: “At Art Jameel, our guiding principles are that the arts are fundamental to life and (should be) accessible for all, and to see such compelling works by some of the most innovative international artists of our times, here in one of the UK’s most diverse and dynamic cities, is a source of hope and positivity in these troubled times.”

The owners of Horton House have applied to change the use of the building - blaming falling student numbers

Horton House in Bradford

Author: Chris Young, Local Democracy Reporting ServicePublished 2nd Jun 2025

A HUGE student flats block in Bradford can now also be used by graduates, key workers, and people attending conferences in the city.

Horton House on Great Horton Road is an accommodation building that has space for more than 500 students.

When it was built in 2005, it was under the condition that the flats could only be used by students.

But earlier this year, Man Co applied to Bradford Council for permission to change the use of the building.

The company said student numbers in the city were falling and this included a drop in international students, one of the main groups that used Horton House.

In the application, the company said it now planned to allow recently graduated students and key workers to stay in the building’s many flats. They also want to be able to let out the flats during periods where there are no students, such as summer breaks.

In the change of use application, the company also said: “We would also like to be able to offer the accommodation for use during vacations by delegates attending conferences, exhibitions, courses, training, graduations and other events which are taking place at a recognised educational establishment.”

Referring to the drop in the number of students requiring accommodation, the application said: “The climate of increased cost of living that means more students are local and living at home to study. There has been a reduction in foreign students and Horton House historically had a large number of foreign student residents therefore this has had a major impact on tenancy.

“The current tenancy rate is, and has been, below the requirements to be able to keep operating the residence and Man Co face the decision to open the building to similar types of resident to allow the building to stay open, or the building and company will not be able to continue into the future and the building will lie empty.

“Horton House office receives large numbers of enquiries for accommodation from graduates and young professionals seeking well managed, cost effective housing. At present the management team have to turn down these enquires despite the low occupancy rates and this is jeopardising the future of the residency.”

Planning officers at Bradford Council have now approved the changes.

They said: “This change aims to ensure the continued viability of the building, particularly during low demand periods, such as summer vacation, and also to address the declining number of student occupancy at the site.

“Expanding the demographic of residents is considered necessary to support the ongoing use and function of the building, as such, the principle of development is supported.”