Boring question alert - drive or train to meeting in Leeds city centre?

Where’s the office you are going to? There’s a car park next to the station, but navigating round the City centre is a nightmare at the moment with redevelopment.

Edit, re read, if you are next to the station, I’d get the train in.

Specifically where your meeting is, carnage at the moment due to roadworks. But there’s lots of parking just outside the centre which is a short walk to the station.
RM.

Personally I'd drive, it's often cheaper, more reliable unless you drive a banger, it's on your own terms time wise and you don't have to worry about strike action. Some of the city can be a bit of a walk from the station too depending where the office is.

Where you driving from ?

IMO cars and Leeds = hours of queuing

Train every time for me (but to be fair I haven't lived/worked there for 4-5 years)

Leeds centre, particularly around the station, is an absolute **** to drive round currently, so it does depend very much on the direction your coming from and where, specifically, you need to be.

Where you coming in from - North, A1, M1, M62?

Op has already said he is in an office next to the station....

Train, every time.

park and ride ?

elland road just off the m62

stourton just off the m1 busses drop off near the station

At 11AM, if you leave plenty of time, you'd be fine to drive in, but if the office is next to station, it does seem like a no brainier?

If at all possible I'd take the train- for me its not wasted time as instead of being stressed out in my car with all the other idiots hurtling around, Im sat in a comfy seat with a table and can get some work done on my laptop.

Train then pop to Northern monk & get a bundobust on way back to station, arrive home late bemoaning trains to wife/partner.

Train every time for me. I have meetings adjacent to the station once a month and during the week I’d never look to drive. Only time I’d consider getting in the car in to the city centre is on a Sunday.

Thanks all, I'm coming in from the SW via Whitehall Rd, which looks like a fairly straightforward run in. My main issue with getting the train in is getting into Manchester to get it - that alone is about 45 mins each way by public transport, and if I drive it leaves me trying to get out of Manchester around rush hour on the return leg!

I assume you are meeting in Platform then? There is a car park (Trinity Leeds) that's quite easy to get to, but it is a bugger if you miss the turn to it and have to go right back around the loop (especially with all the works going on around the station).

A full day is about £25 to park, but it is just a couple of minutes walk to Platform. I get the train (I work in the same building and commute in every day).

Where are you coming from ie where do you live? Have you not heard about the M62 car park ?

I take it the other side of the Pennines?

Don’t forget that sitting on the train allows you to read a book or paper, listen to music (yes I know you can do that in a car) eat your lunch and go on this forum, all things you’d struggle to do well on the M62.

We're meeting at The Office Group - No. 1 Aire Street. Yeah, the M62 can be crap coming from Manchester, but on the other hand I'd need to travel Bury New Road driving into/out of Manchester which is almost as bad.

I would say train, but if getting to the train in the first place is a faff then drive to one of the park and rides. Elland Road would probably be best from your direction.

Driving into the centre of Leeds is a mare as others have said due to road works, and theres loads of bus gate now which you can easily miss if you don't know the area and then you end up with a fine.

From the SW the NCP at Wellington place is just 5 min walk to the station.

alternatively, temple green park and ride on the M1 drops you just a few mins walk from the station (second stop - trinity L)

You can get the trans pennine train from other stations other than central Manchester.

Again depending on where you live..... you could get a train to Bradford and then Leeds, but its hard work not knowing where you are starting 🙂

Sorry, I'm in Prestwich - so basically in Manchester

I think there's swinegate before trinity? There's even the station multi storey. I'd basically google maps it if set on driving which shouldn't be too bad at 11:00 (things still quieter than pre covid). But given this is a cycling website and the meeting's basically in the station, why not just cycle into manc and get the train?

Whenever I go to Leeds City centre for work, I use Stourton park and ride.  Buses every 15 mins and stops near the train station.

I'd say train personally.

Sorry, I’m in Prestwich – so basically in Manchester

Tram to Manchester and train to Leeds?

Train all the way, but if you insist on a drive, drive to mine in Pudsey, park on the drive, 15 walk to train and go in and out? I'm away so can brief the neighbours to expect a strange car on the drive.

drive to mine in Pudsey

Waves!

Avoid driving in Leeds or to Leeds. Its at least £15/day to park in the city centre too.

Can you claim expenses? Might make a difference! 😉 😄

Leeds is our closest city, at 11am I’d be driving in. Traffic will be fine, I hate trains with a passion so I’m biased. No I don’t want to listen to other peoples tinny music in a tin can of all their odours….

As had been said, Trinity car park right next to the station, very likely you’ll need to go to the very top but you get the joy of visiting Trinity Market for food on the top floor while you’re there. Great little food area (actually it’s big)

Trinity though brings you out to the station and just down the road, if you want…. You have a Pieminister too… what can I say I’m a foodie!

Trinity Market? Have I missed something here? Surely you mean Kirkgate Market (which is great) but it’s nowhere near Trinity and it doesn’t have a car park.

train from manchester is a ****ing mare at present.  goes round the houses via calderdale.

i would drive and park under the dark arches, under the station.  Q park granary wharfe.

city is pretty quiet after 9.30 on a morning nowadays.   you may see some retirees cycling in for coffee.

Waves!

Manchester to Leeds?

11:00 am meeting near the Leeds city centre railway station?

I see your dilemma.

Easiest seems to be tram to Victoria, train to Leeds.

I’d check the train schedule to be sure it’ll be convenient.

Going to Leeds for that time on a morning in a car will be a lottery. I went over last Saturday. ‘Only’ took 90 minutes from south manchester to Alwoodley. The return journey took over 2 hours.

If you like driving in cities then Leeds is just another one. Despite the various construction work there’s a fair amount of parking around and road speeds are a crawl.

For those that live in the SE, this thread is a perfect example of how much we have been screwed over we have been in northern England re public transport. Two MAJOR cities, 40 miles apart, weekday travel, the train should be a no brainer, right…? Think again. The lack of public transport investment compared to the SE is a joke. I live midway between both cities and the Trans Pennine train crossing is laughable.

Trinity Market? Have I missed something here?

Think he means Trinity Kitchen food hall.

Think he means Trinity Kitchen food hall.

ahh right - that’s just full of chains though. The food hall at Kirkgate Market is far, far superior.

I like both but do agree.

TRAIN IT! The city centre, M621,M62 all sh1t at the mo, and probably never going to get better. Parking will cost more than the train, and as said above, somewhere on here, pop round the corner to Bundobust for a long lunch.

Ahh sorry I did mean the food hall, not tried Kirkgate before. I have had alot of food at “Almost Famous” before though. Another great Leeds food place as well as Reds True BBQ!

Almost Famous… that place that has well established roots in Manchester? 😉

Thanks all, it's a client meeting so work are paying and it means cycling in is a no go - will be in a suit (plus leaving a bike in Manchester all day doesn't appeal).

I think I'm leaning towards driving, been looking at Google a bit more and public transport means at least a 3 h round trip with the possibility of it being longer if there are delays (which seem inevitable at the moment). If I drive it's between a 1.5h and 2h 20 min round trip and I'll park up at Trinity.

I think the point of the city centre being ‘shit’ at the moment, is with the primary goal of reducing the number of cars and reducing pollution. As a pedestrian and cyclist I think it’s great

I wouldn’t drive in at all (even though the Uni is the right side of town for me).

Op, train for me every time - though I’m biased and do it 2-3 times a week and only have to walk 15 mins to the station. Sounds like getting to Manchester for you is a PITA. If you are parking in Trinity, I can HIGHLY recommend you get there a bit early and go to Laynes for coffee.

It’s tricky having to get into Manchester then back out.

How about driving over the M62 to J25, 10 mins off the motorway drive to Mirfield, free parking at the station and a 30 min train to Leeds?
RM.