Welcoming the news that the approval of the Leeds City Region Rail Growth Package had been announced by the Chancellor in today's autumn statement, Metro Chairman Cllr James Lewis said, "Metro has pushed for the building of these two new stations which will support new jobs, reduce traffic on busy routes between Leeds and Bradford and ease congestion in Leeds city centre.

"A new rail station with 125 car parking spaces is a key element of the Kirkstall Forge development site, which will support 2,400 new jobs and lever £350m of new investment into the area," he said.

"Two trains per hour each way from the station will provide a forecast 400,000 passengers each year with a six -minute link to Leeds city centre and a 18-minute link to Bradford Forster Square. It will complement the current work on the A65 Quality Bus Lane.

"Designed with a 300-space car park - the largest at a West Yorkshire station after Wakefield Westgate - the new station at Apperley Bridge will be used by around ¼ million passengers each year and will remove 200,000 car journeys from busy local roads annually. With a new station at Low Moor going ahead as well this means two new rail stations for the Bradford District. Journey times to Leeds and Bradford Forster Square will be about 12 minutes.

"Around 40% of the overall £17m cost of the new stations has been raised locally including a contribution of over £5m from the Kirkstall Forge site developer Commercial Estates Group (CEG) and £1.3m of Metro's recent sale of rolling stock," continued Cllr Lewis.

"The local funding means we can now push ahead with the detailed design work for these new stations," he added. "Construction could start in the summer of 2013 and both stations could be operational by the end of 2014."

Rachel Reeves MP in whose Leeds West constituency Kirkstall Forge station will be built said, "I am pleased that the government has finally listened to my calls, and given the green light to this crucial project, which will build over 1,000 homes and create 2,400 jobs in our community."

Bradford East MP David Ward who has campaigned for a station at Apperley Bridge said, "I am delighted that this station will now go ahead."

Metro is still awaiting a decision on its bids to the DfT for the planned NGT trolleybus network and important refurbishment work on the Leeds Inner Ring Road. Announcements are expected in December.

More about the NGT trolleybus network