The second busiest outside of London, to be exact.
The Office for Rail and Road has found a staggering number of entries and exits have taken place at train stations across Britain - and up here in the North, we're home to some of the busiest stations around.
Whilst we may not think of Leeds as having the biggest stations, when looking at the number of platforms you'll find in cities like Manchester or Birmingham, it has been confirmed that we're still one of the busiest around.
Outside of London, Birmingham New Street was named as the station with the most entries and exits, with 30.7 million recorded between April 2022 and March 2023, with Leeds taking a respectable second place with 24 million entries and exits during this time.
Image: Wikipedia
Manchester Piccadilly was found to be the third busiest station with 23.6 million whilst Glasgow Central saw 20.8 million and Cardiff Central hit 10.2 million in fifth.
These numbers are almost incomparable to the number of entries and exits in London, where Liverpool Street station alone saw 80.4 million during this time. The opening of the Elizabeth Line has been said to have a significant increase on these stats, with Paddington Station noting a whopping 59.2 million entries and exits and 57.8 million at Waterloo.
HS2 was scrapped for Leeds back in November 2021, when the then-Prime-Minister Boris Johnson announced plans for the 'Northern Powerhouse Rail, the new rail improvement programme, will cut the journey from Leeds to Manchester to just 33 minutes and double train capacities.'
It wasn't until October of this year that current PM Rishi Sunak announced the northern leg of HS2 would be scrapped altogether BUT in a surprise twist, Mr Sunak then announced details of a ‘Network North’ scheme that would improve the infrastructure between and around northern cities.
Image: Network Rail
The areas around Leeds Train Station are still undergoing signifiant developments since March 2023, whilst won't have had a major impact on the current ORR statistics, but potentially could be making a difference to busyness of the station, and therefore the number of entries and exits counted for next year's review.
The plans form part of the the Leeds Station Sustainable Travel Gateway scheme, with a whopping £39.5 million investment dedicated to giving a refurb of the areas surrounding the station.
Initially it was reported that the work is expected to be completed in its entirety in early 2024, however Leeds City Council has now reported that work is due to be complete by September 2025.
The facelift will see the space outside the train station transition into a pedestrian-friendly space with additional cycle lanes and relocation of the taxi rank.
According to Leeds City Council, the new work on Leeds train station will include the following changes:
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.
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.
You can read more about what Leeds Train Station will look like in 2025 here.
The Wombats aren’t just still going strong - they’re getting better. And honestly? Long may they reign.
The Wombats absolutely tore the roof off the First Direct Arena in Leeds last night, Wednesday 26 March and what a night it was.
From the second they hit the stage it wasn’t just a gig, it was a full-blown indie-pop spectacle, packed with infectious energy, nostalgia, and a whole lot of dancing.
They kicked things off with “Moving to New York,” and honestly? The crowd was in from the first note.
Image: The Hoot Leeds
Matthew Murphy’s unmistakable vocals rang through the arena and suddenly, thousands of people were screaming every lyric like it was 2007 all over again. It was one of those moments where you could just feel how much this band still means to people.
Despite the massive venue, The Wombats somehow made it feel intimate. The lights? Pure chaos in the best way - vibrant, colourful, and totally in sync with the band’s wild, bouncy sound.
Murphy’s cheeky banter between songs made it feel less like a polished arena show and more like a jam session with a few thousand of your closest mates.
Setlist-wise, they nailed it. “Let’s Dance to Joy Division” and “Greek Tragedy” had the whole place losing it, while the stripped-down version of “Techno Fan” gave everyone a minute to breathe (and maybe get a little emotional).
Image: The Hoot Leeds
Those quieter moments just made the high-energy choruses hit even harder. It was a rollercoaster - in the best way possible.
Then came the encore. If you thought the crowd was loud before, “Kill the Director” took things to another level. Pure, chaotic indie bliss. The kind of moment you don’t want to end.
Here’s the thing about The Wombats: some might say their older songs hit harder than their newer stuff, but is that just nostalgia talking? Or maybe it’s a generational thing?
Either way, they proved they’re still one of the most exciting live bands out there. They’ve still got the hooks, the humour, and the ability to turn a massive arena into a sweaty, euphoric singalong.
Get Baked’s viral ‘Bertha’ cake has a sister on the way – and she sounds just as cheeky
Danny Jones
She's big, she's green and she's ready to ruin your figure.
A lot of you will have seen the viral ‘Bertha’ cake by Leeds born beloved sweet treat specialists Get Baked.
They recently opened another site in Manchester's Northern Quarter, where queues literally formed round the block of hungry punters wanting to get their hands on the infamous sugary treats.
And now it's going to happen all over again, as they've recently unveiled their newest flavour which is sure to go down a storm.
We’ll give you a hint: it’s a current food and drink trend that’s about as big as Bertha herself – it’s not matcha, it’s not hot honey (duh), and it’s not Guinness…
Images: Get Baked
Yes—scratch that; HELL YES!Get Baked is set to welcome Bertha’s equally beautiful twin sister, and she’s officially a pistachio girlie.
Having started out life simply as ‘Bruce’, after taking inspiration from the iconic scene from Matilda, this thing has become a phenomenon in its own right, and who doesn’t like more flavours of a good thing?
Probably one of the biggest foodie crazes going at the minute, thanks to the popularity of pistachio cream, cookies, lattes and the similar social media sensation that is the ‘Dubai Pistachio Bar' people are rather fittingly going nuts for this particular flavour of almost absolutely anything.
With that in mind, the Leeds-born bakery and dessert shop – founded by Rich Myers over in Headingley back in 2011 – have shown no hesitation in hopping on the bandwagon and creating a new twist on their own viral menu item.
Teasing the full details in a post on their Instagram this week, they wrote: “What’s big, green, and is going to destroy your life in a couple of weeks’ time? Pistachio Bertha. Strictly limited to 5,000 slices. Coming oh so soon. GB.”
In case you were wondering just how mad those with a sweet tooth could possibly go for a slice of cake, just look at the recent queues when they finally launched in Manchester city centre:
Speaking on the grand opening here on our turf and his partner Amy’s hometown, Myers said simply: “Manchester, what a launch. Thanks for much for the warm welcome. Stay baked.”
Sophie Smith -
19th December 2023 
