CALLS are being made to increase bus services to one of the city’s most popular stations to try and reduce traffic and congestion in the area.

Councillors in Eccleshill and Idle & Thackley are pressing West Yorkshire Combined Authority to look at improving bus links to Apperley Bridge rail station.

The station, which was rebuilt after being shut for 50 years in 2015, has proved popular since its reopening, and is earmarked for a new car park extension.

Councillor Geoff Reid (Lib Dem, Eccleshill) is now leading calls to increase the number of buses which visit the station from Eccleshill and Idle each day, which currently stands at three during rush hour.

The six Councillors - Geoff Reid, Brendan Stubbs, Nicola Pollard, Jeanette Sunderland, Alun Griffiths and Dominic Fear - have now asked for a meeting with Ben Still, WYCA managing director, to discuss the matter, and asked the WYCA head of transport operations Neale Wallace to approach First Buses to discuss the matter.

Cllr Reid said the preferred option is for the First 645 service from Buttershaw to Greengates to be extended to the station.

He said: “We believe that more effort ought to be put into encouraging people to use alternative modes of travelling to this very popular station.

“This could mean replacing car park extension with other measures or at the very least supplementing the current proposals with additional support for buses serving the station.

“We believe that the time is ripe for a reconsideration of the diversion of other existing bus services.

“The station turning circle and its bus shelter constitute grossly underused purpose built resources - ironically the largest vehicles currently using this facility are rail replacement coaches.

“The traffic lights at the end of Station Approach mean that buses have no problem turning left or right at the junction.”

A spokesman for First Buses confirmed the company had been approached about extending its service.

She said: “We can confirm that we have received a request to extend the 645 service to Apperley Bride Station and we will consider this request during our next network review.”

Cllr Reid added that historically, bus services were extended to Apperley Bridge in 1932, when the station was known as Apperley Bridge and Rawdon.

He said in recent years, due to the amount of traffic that passes through Greengates extending bus services to the station would have been “unthinkable”, but the new station and the proposed re-modelling of the Harrogate Road/New Line junction has “transformed the situation”.

“The new station has provided a purpose built terminus at Apperley Bridge with easy access onto Apperley Lane.

“The re-modelling of the Greengates junction would improve traffic flow for buses running up to the station.

“We strongly recommend that these issues are looked at again before the construction of any extension to the station car park begins.”

A spokesman for the West Yorkshire Combined Authority said: “As requested we have been in touch with bus operator First who are going to consider the councillors’ request to extend the hourly service 645 during their next network review.

“Although our monitoring showed that despite the station’s huge popularity, barely anyone was using the daytime services that initially served the station.

"However, as the councillors rightly point out, the Combined Authority continues to provide financial support for the peak-time bus journeys that call there.

“And we can confirm that as part of our work to reduce congestion, there are plans to increase the size of the station’s car park adding to the 3,000-plus park and ride spaces that already exist at West Yorkshire’s rail stations.”