Rail infrastructure specialist Spencer Group has installed two new link bridges at the £26.5 million new White Rose Rail Station in south Leeds, connecting the main station buildings to platform level at the new station next to the White Rose Park on the main trans-Pennine route to Manchester via Huddersfield.
The scheme is being delivered in partnership by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, Munroe K, Leeds City Council, Network Rail and the Department for Transport.
The two link bridges were installed overnight over the course of two weekends with the help of a 1,200-tonne crane built on site. It had to be transported in sections and took a week to assemble with more than 25 lorry deliveries of components.
The east link bridge, which had to be built in two halves and welded together on site, is 40m long and weighs 84 tonnes. The west link bridge is 20m long and weighs 46 tonnes.
Anna Weeks, Principal Programme Sponsor at Network Rail, said: “It’s always special to reach milestones such as this in the large-scale infrastructure projects that Network Rail supports alongside its partners. We’re proud to be playing our part in delivering a new accessible railway station for local residents and the wider public, offering them more sustainable ways to travel into Leeds city centre and beyond.”
Joe Bennett, Operations Director at Spencer Group, said: “The installation of the two link bridges represents a major milestone in the project.
“We had to work around external obstacles with the bridge lifts, including gas main renewals on the main road, but it went very well. The station is now really beginning to take shape.”
Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, said: “We’re determined to create a better-connected region where everyone has the same opportunity to get on in life.
“Investing in transport schemes that support economic growth, like the White Rose Rail Station, has a key role to play in that.
“This investment will bring new opportunities for people in nearby communities by boosting transport links, regeneration and jobs.”
