Work on the next stage to transform Leeds City Rail Station's main entrance and surrounding area is to commence in March.

The Leeds Station Sustainable Travel Gateway scheme will create an improved and more people-friendly environment which can accommodate growing rail passenger numbers, and ensure people can enter and exit the station safely.

A total of £46.1 million is being invested in the scheme, which is being delivered by Leeds City Council on behalf of Network Rail as the landowner, and in partnership with the West Yorkshire Combined Authority.

Advance works and preparations have been underway since last May, and major improvement work from early March will include:

• Pedestrianising New Station Street, including the section which meets Boar Lane, with outdoor seating and rest areas, and landscaping.

• Relocating the existing taxi rank to Bishopgate Street where there will be a large and well-lit shelter and room for six vehicles, also allowing for kerb-side boarding which will help people with wheelchairs or assistance dogs to board more easily.

• Two 21-passenger lifts from Bishopgate Street to the station entrance on New Station Street, providing step-free access between the two streets.

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• A high quality cycle hub at the station, which will include electric charging points and storage for all types of cycles.

• Environmental improvements to Neville Street and Dark Neville Street including enhanced lighting, road surface and pavement and elevation treatments.

• Installing high quality cycle infrastructure on Bishopgate Street and Neville Street, and improvements to cycling infrastructure in surrounding communities.

Since securing planning permission for the scheme, Leeds City Council and Network Rail have been working together to combine the Sustainable Travel Gateway scheme with a separate project which will see Network Rail reinforce the underground structure below New Station Street which supports much of the station above it.

Delivering the two schemes in tandem will mean less disruption in the long-term and also reduces the need to revisit the Sustainable Travel Gateway scheme at a later date if further works are required as part of Network Rail’s scheme.

In May, as part of Network Rail’s scheme the taxi rank will be moving to Princes Square. Network Rail are currently liaising with private hire and hackney carriage services with details of the arrangements.

May will also see the northern section of New Station Street from the station’s main entrance towards City Square will be closed to vehicles (except service vehicles and emergency services) and pedestrians to allow paving works to be carried out. Pedestrians will still be able to walk towards Boar Lane from the main entrance, or use the station’s northern entrance.

The full programme of improvements including the Sustainable Travel Gateway Scheme and the Network Rail works is due to be completed by September 2025.

Cllr James Lewis, Leader of Leeds City Council, said: "We are delighted to begin these improvements in earnest, creating a gateway to our city that meets the current and future needs of everyone who uses the station.

"Our railway station plays a key role in the North of England’s rail connectivity, so it is vital that we provide a much better experience and capacity for station users as we prepare to welcome further investment in our region's rail network including the Transpennine Route Upgrade and Northern Powerhouse Rail."