Leeds station: Council planning application confirms new details for Bishopgate Street taxi rank office

Work on a £46.1m revamp at the front of Leeds central station got underway in November and is expected to be completed by the summer of 2024. Part of the Leeds Station Sustainable Travel Gateway scheme, the redesign is intended to create a more people-friendly environment which can accommodate growing rail passenger numbers and ensure people can enter and exit the station safely.

Plans include relocating relocating the existing station taxi rank to Bishopgate Street, where there will be a large and well-lit shelter and room for six vehicles. There will also be kerb-side boarding to help people with wheelchairs or assistance dogs.

New details of the plans, which have previously faced criticism from disabled groups and cab drivers, have been confirmed in an open letter penned by Senior Project Manager, Chloe Dummer, including those to create a taxi marshal’s office on Swinegate.

She said: “A taxi marshal will be used in line with the current system. The marshal will be located in an office in the archway at the top of Swinegate, allowing the marshal sight of both the rear of the pick-up taxi rank on Bishopgate Street and the front of the primary feeder rank on Swinegate, and will be in radio contact with drivers.

"The shelter will have an electrical connection to allow for lighting and heating and an additional aerial will be provided to enhance radio signal. A CCTV link of the rear of the Swinegate feeder rank will feed to the marshal’s office which officers will be able to view from a dedicated seated workspace."

The marshal will be able to call taxis from other taxi feeder ranks (including Sovereign Street) to join the queue on Swinegate. The new taxi rank will consist of six taxi bays, a purpose-built waiting shelter and kerb-side boarding to help people with wheelchairs or assistance dogs.

A high quality cycle hub, which will include electric charging points and storage for all types of cycles, will also be erected at the station, alongside new high-quality cycle infrastructure on Bishopgate Street and Neville Street, plus improvements to surrounding communities.