A NEW station in Leeds will form part of the high-speed rail links to cities in the north of England.

Details of the link, including Sheffield and Leeds, have been unveiled this morning.

Extending the already-planned London to Birmingham HS2 line as far as Manchester and Leeds is designed to cut journey times, ease overcrowding and boost regional business. Officials say the £32.7 billion project will create at least 100,000 jobs.

But the Government is braced for a fresh backlash from rural communities through which the line will pass and some controversy over the chosen location of stations. The Department for Transport said there would be five stops on the 211-mile Y-shaped extension northwards from Birmingham - scheduled to be completed in 2032, six years after the first phase.

They are:
:: Manchester - alongside the existing Piccadilly station;
:: Manchester Airport - interchange by the M56 between Warburton Green and Davenport Green;
:: East Midlands - at Toton, between Nottingham and Derby and one mile from the M1;
:: Sheffield - at Meadowhall shopping centre;
:: Leeds - at New Lane in the South bank area connected to the main station by walkway.

Kirklees Council leader, Clr  Mehboob Khan, says the HS2 will  have a positive impact on Huddersfield and its residents.
Clr Khan said: “First of all we’ve  go to push through rapidly with the  electrification of the Trans Pennines line. There’s no point having  London to Leeds in 80 minutes  without improving the links into  Leeds, connectivity is an important  issue.

“We will also benefit because  we’re part of the Leeds City  Region, the economy will be boosted by the HS2 – we can attract  business, growth and jobs.

“And that will affect the people  of Kirklees too because 18,000  people from Kirklees work in  Leeds, it will positively benefit us  all.”

Clr Khan also says the  high-speed rail line will boost Huddersfield Railway Station in the  long-term, adding: “Huddersfield  is the second busiest railway station in West Yorkshire.
“It will bring transport investment, frequency of trains, reliability and quality. of service.”

Long-term plans for a platform  9 at Huddersfield Railway Station  were being discussed.

The 225mph passenger train is  one of the coalition’s priority projects as it seeks to kick-start economic growth.