Work will start this summer on the new rail station at Apperley Bridge following a government grant of almost £10 million towards the project.

The station is one of two planned on the line between Bradford and Leeds as part of the £16 million Leeds Rail Growth scheme.

This morning’s announcement of the £9.5 million cash injection, by Transport Secretary Patrick, grants full approval to the scheme which is promoted by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, allowing work to begin.

The new stations, at Apperley Bridge and the Kirkstall Forge site, aim to improve transport links and kick-start regeneration.

Mr McLoughlin said: “These stations represent a major regeneration project for West Yorkshire and provide new transport links for the wider community. They will unlock growth and help create many hundreds of new jobs.

“The £9.5 million we are putting into this project shows that the coalition government is serious about investing in the infrastructure the country needs to drive economic growth, both locally and nationally.”

The Apperley Bridge Station will include a park and ride site to serve both Leeds and Bradford whilst the Kirkstall Forge Station will kick start over £400m of mixed-use development at the Old Forge site, including around 1,000 new homes and extensive commercial buildings. It is expected to support 300 jobs during construction. On completion it will create an estimated 1,800 jobs directly linked to the development and 300 more across the wider area.

The main works are due to start in July with completion of the scheme in August 2015.

The Department will provide a maximum of £9.573m towards the full scheme cost of £15.9m.