Train stations in Leeds

Leeds station on New Station Street is the city's main station, and every long-distance and local train to Leeds arrives there. The shops, Kirkgate Market and the Town Hall are about 10 minutes away on foot.

Which station to use

Use Leeds station. LNER, TransPennine Express, CrossCountry and Northern all call here, so it is the one for London, Manchester, York, Newcastle, Sheffield and Harrogate. The ticket office opens 04:45 to 23:59 Monday to Saturday and 06:45 to 22:30 on Sunday, and ticket gates mean you need your ticket for the platforms. Lifts give step-free access to every platform. The south entrance, reached by lifts from the west footbridge, opens towards Granary Wharf, where the Leeds Dock water taxi leaves.

Small suburban stations such as Burley Park, Headingley and Bramley only matter if you are staying out that way. The rebuilt New Station Street entrance and the lifts down to Bishopgate Street are opening in stages from mid-October 2026. Taxis then move from Princes Square, at the back of the station, to Bishopgate Street.

Into the city centre

Most of the city centre is within a 20 minute walk of the station. Kirkgate Market, past the Corn Exchange, is about 10 minutes on foot through the shopping streets, and the Town Hall and Art Gallery on The Headrow are about 10 minutes too. The Royal Armouries at Leeds Dock is a 20 to 25 minute walk, or about 15 minutes by water taxi from Granary Wharf.

Leeds Citybus route 5 runs every 15 minutes in the daytime Monday to Saturday from stop B at the station to The Headrow and the university. A First West Yorkshire single costs £2.00 to £2.50, and a FirstDay ticket is £6.00. The MCard DaySaver, also £6.00, works on any West Yorkshire bus operator.

Trains from Leeds

Times are for the timetable until 12 December 2026.

• London King's Cross: LNER, about every 30 minutes through the day, in around 2 hours 15 minutes.
• Manchester Piccadilly: TransPennine Express, fastest trains 1 hour 2 minutes.
• York: TransPennine Express, fastest trains 24 minutes.
• Newcastle: TransPennine Express, fastest trains 1 hour 29 minutes. CrossCountry also runs to Newcastle in about 1 hour 30 minutes and on to Edinburgh in about 3 hours.
• Liverpool Lime Street: TransPennine Express, fastest trains 1 hour 31 minutes.
• Sheffield: Northern's Yorkshire Flyer, 47 minutes, hourly from 06:00 to 22:00 Monday to Saturday and 08:00 to 22:00 on Sunday.
• Birmingham New Street, Bristol Temple Meads and Plymouth: CrossCountry, in about 2 hours to Birmingham, 3 hours 30 minutes to Bristol and about 5 hours 40 minutes to Plymouth.
• Skipton and Carlisle: Northern. Carlisle trains run on the Settle to Carlisle line about every two hours Monday to Saturday and six times on Sundays, in about 2 hours 45 minutes. Settle takes about an hour.

Northern also runs the Harrogate, Ilkley and Bradford Forster Square lines.

Works and Christmas

On Saturday 31 October and Sunday 1 November no trains run between Leeds and York or Northallerton. Buses replace TransPennine Express trains between Leeds and York, and CrossCountry runs buses direct from Leeds to Darlington, so allow extra time. On Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 November, trains between York or Selby and Leeds are diverted via Castleford with buses to the stations in between, and trains between Manchester, Huddersfield and Leeds change too. Those trains change again on Sunday 13 and 20 December. From Friday 25 December 2026 to Sunday 31 January 2027, a 38 day closure at Huddersfield changes trains between Manchester, Huddersfield and Leeds.

There are no trains on Christmas Day, and on Saturday 26 December neither LNER nor TransPennine Express runs. On Thursday 24 December there are no LNER trains between Retford and Leeds or York, so London to Leeds on LNER does not run. Buses run between Doncaster, Wakefield Westgate and Leeds, and LNER's through trains to Harrogate, Bradford Forster Square, Skipton and Hull do not run. From Thursday 24 to Monday 28 December no trains call at Birmingham New Street. CrossCountry trains between Edinburgh and Plymouth still run, and buses link nearby stations with New Street. On Sunday 27 December an extra LNER train leaves Leeds for London King's Cross at 08:04. On New Year's Eve the last LNER train from Leeds to London King's Cross leaves at 18:10.

Leeds Bradford Airport

The Flyer A1 bus runs from Leeds station stop B to the airport about every 30 minutes through the day, with services usually from 06:00 to 22:00. A single costs no more than £2.50 in West Yorkshire.

Tickets

Advance fares are the cheapest, saving up to 60% on Northern, and are valid only on the train you book. A railcard takes up to a third off. Leeds is a PlusBus area, so you can add city bus travel to a train ticket.

Buy before you board. A penalty fare is £100 plus the full single fare.

Rail passes and reservations

As of October 2026, an Interrail pass is valid on LNER, TransPennine Express, CrossCountry and Northern. LNER trains need no reservation, but seat reservations on LNER are free with a pass and must match the class of your pass, so book one for busy London trains. A reservation is recommended on CrossCountry but not required. Northern and TransPennine Express trains need none.