Leeds- Bradford airport tunnel

[hat]

i seem to remember reading that LBA had been created to fly out completed WW2 planes that were assembled nearby & the runway had never been designed to accomodate landings, only takeoffs. i've no idea whether this is true or not

[KeithW]

i seem to remember reading that LBA had been created to fly out completed WW2 planes that were assembled nearby & the runway had never been designed to accomodate landings, only takeoffs. i've no idea whether this is true or not

Its not entirely accurate but there are some true bits in there.

Yeadon Aerodrome was opened in the 1930's and operated commercial flights to London Heston, Liverpool Speke and Necastle. In 1936 it was one stop on a route that ran from London/Doncaster/Yeadon/Newcastle/Edinburgh and terminated at Aberdeen Dyce.

During WW2 Avro opened a large shadow factory near the airfield which was lengthened to handle the larger aircraft being produced such as the Lancaster, York and Lincoln. It was never really the case that the field handled takeoffs only as test flights were flown before aircraft were cleared for service. They would then be flown by mostly female pilots of the Air Transport Auxillary to the front line airfield. That said it was probably visual flight rules only with few navaids beyond the Mk 1 Eyeball.

This web page is based on test flying at Longbridge but the routine was pretty much the same.
http://www.austinmemories.com/styled-21/index.html

[Chris5156]

Another curtailed project that interestingly was to start at Southport and continue over the Pennines.

Do you have any information on this?

I do believe this was mentioned years ago on CBRD.

I don't remember that! The M65 was certainly planned to go a bit further west and form the whole of a Preston Southern Bypass, and talks were held between Lancashire and Yorkshire CCs in the 1970s about pushing it across the Pennines to Leeds, but I don't think it was going to go to Southport at any stage. Happy to be corrected if evidence to the contrary comes to light.

[Bryn666]

Definitely never a proposal for a motorway between Southport and Leeds. Even in 1949: http://www.cbrd.co.uk/sites/default/fil ... 49rpfl.jpg

The M59 was never designed to go to Southport, and the M57, to the best of our knowledge, got as far as the Formby Bypass. The proposal to improve the A59 from Liverpool to "the Yorkshire Boundary" existed, but that isn't what is being hinted at here.

[FleetlinePhil]

It doesn't seem that long ago that there was a proposal for a new station on the Leeds - Harrogate line and some form of dedicated bus link. I seem to recall it was a new bit of road rather than an actual busway, but I can't seem to be able to spot anything on Metro's website about it, so presumably it isn't being progressed. Anybody have a clearer memory than mine?

[wrinkly]

It doesn't seem that long ago that there was a proposal for a new station on the Leeds - Harrogate line and some form of dedicated bus link. I seem to recall it was a new bit of road rather than an actual busway, but I can't seem to be able to spot anything on Metro's website about it, so presumably it isn't being progressed. Anybody have a clearer memory than mine?

It was quite recent, I don't think it's safe to assume it isn't being progressed. There was also a proposed station at the White Rose Centre, which people on the Rail UK Forums have been scathing about.

[stu531]

There's definite talk of the airport station being progressed, but it seems like it'll be on the existing Harrogate-Leeds line, near Horsforth, and not in any particularly useful location.

So I only live ten miles from the airport, and it really makes it 'Harrogate International' - it's quicker to catch a flight from here than the centre of Leeds or Bradford. As has been mentioned countless times, an airport to the SE of Leeds would've made the most sense. If HS2 is going to run that way, it makes even more sense in future. Church Fenton/Leeds East Airport would've made sense, but I think it's been remodelled as TV Studios - it's where Victoria was filmed.

But yes, connections wise, the area to the east of Leeds has/will get some great connectivity, with the A1/M1 being in the area, and HS2 going there (and more hopefully, links from HS3). So I've always thought somewhere in the M62/M1/A1(M) triangle would've been better, or even Wakefield way to pick up South & West Yorkshire travellers.

Another thing I’ve noticed (more about West Yorkshire in general), there is very little in terms of dual carriageway, apart from the major routes.

Absolutely - to the north of Leeds & Bradford city centres, the road systems are very poor with hardly any grade separation (if you forget about Bingley Bypass). Growing up in the area, I didn't know what fast urban roads looked like!