Revealed: Leeds United plan Elland Road revamp with New York-style ‘High Line’ walkway – MIKE KEEGAN uncovers full details and what revolutionary project will look like

Manhattan’s iconic High Line could be recreated at Leeds United under ambitious plans to bring a version of the famous New York City landmark to West Yorkshire – and finally provide a link between Elland Road and Leeds city centre.

The High Line is a 1.45-mile elevated park and rail trail which was created on a former New York Central Railroad. With stunning views of the famous Manhattan skyline, it has quickly become a staple for tourists in the Big Apple since it was opened in 2009 and attracts around eight million visitors a year.

Daily Mail Sport understands plans are progressing on a project launched to recreate a similar walkway on a Leeds railway line that has not been used since 1987.

The aim is to deliver a ‘sky park’ from the city centre to South Leeds – and Elland Road – on the Holbeck Viaduct.

Built in 1882 for the old London to Leeds line, the viaduct has now not been used for decades.

What has been described as ‘significant funding’ is already in place and the plans have the backing of the club, Leeds City Council and Network Rail.

With stunning views of the Manhattan skyline, the High Line has become a staple for tourists in the Big Apple since it was opened in 2009 and attracts around eight million visitors a year

Sources have disclosed that a project launched to recreate a similar walkway on a Leeds railway line that has not been used since 1987 is now gathering steam

A public consultation has also been paid for, which will be followed by a formal planning application to bring what is a breathtaking project to life.

The aim is for the sky park to resemble a ‘Wembley Way’ on matchdays for thousands to walk down, with a revamped Elland Road visible in the distance. Should the plans get the green light, Leeds’s version of the High Line would also help reconnect South Leeds with the city centre following decades of isolation.

When the M621 was built in the 1970s, a knock-on effect was that it cut off the area which houses the club’s historic home from the heart of the city.

While the sky park’s arrival would provide a much needed link on matchdays for fans who currently have to either rely on public transport or brave a busy dual carriageway, it would also serve at the heart of a wider regeneration project.

No name has yet been chosen, although Leeds High Line, Holbeck High Line, Walkway and Sky Park are all contenders.

New York’s High Line, which was born on the back of a similar project in Paris, has inspired redevelopments across the US.

With an initial cost of around £152million, funded by state, local government and donors, it has also led to significant real estate development and increased values along its West Side route, which takes in some of the city’s most famous landmarks.

The viaduct runs from Tower Works, close to the centre of Leeds, through Holbeck and finishes at Gelderd Road, around the corner from Elland Road. A community campaign named the Holbeck Viaduct Project, aimed at bringing the area to life, was initially launched in 2023.

The viaduct runs from Tower Works, close to the centre of Leeds, through Holbeck and finishes at Gelderd Road, around the corner from Elland Road

While the ‘sky park’ would provide a much needed link on matchdays for fans who have to either rely on public transport or brave a busy dual carriageway, it would also be part of a wider regeneration project

The New York version has also led to significant real estate development and increased values along its West Side route, which takes in some of the city’s most famous landmarks

In January, Leeds, under the ownership of California-based 49ers Enterprises, secured planning permission to lift the capacity of Elland Road from 37,645 to 53,000. 

Both the West Stand and North Stand are to be expanded, along with alterations to the South Stand in the what would be the first major works at the venue since the £5.5m construction of the East Stand in 1993.

Leeds currently have a waiting list of 26,000 for a season ticket. The development will improve supporter experience and revamp corporate offerings at the stadium, bringing in £29m a year for the local economy, according to the club.