Airedale line

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Airedale line
Crossflatts station p1.jpg
Class 333 at Crossflatts in 2006
Overview
StatusOpen
Owner Network Rail
Locale West Yorkshire
Yorkshire and the Humber
Termini
Stations11
Service
TypeCommuter rail
Operator(s) London North Eastern Railway, Northern
Rolling stock British Rail Class 333 (majority of services)
History
Opened1846
Technical
Number of tracks2
Track gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Electrification Overhead catenary
Route map
Airedale & Wharfedale lines.png
(Click to expand)

The Airedale line is one of the rail services in the West Yorkshire Metro area centred on West Yorkshire in northern England. The service is operated by Northern, on the route connecting Leeds and Bradford with Skipton. Some services along the line continue to Morecambe or Carlisle. The route covered by the service was historically part of the Midland Railway.

Contents

According to SELRAP, the Airedale line is the most heavily used passenger route outside the South East of England. [1]

The route and its history

The first section, between Leeds and Bradford (Forster Square station), was opened by the Leeds and Bradford Railway on 1 July 1846. A number of the intermediate stations were closed in March 1965 (as a result of the Beeching Axe), however the line and its major stations remained open. Some of the closed stations, such as Saltaire, were re-opened during the 1980s.

In 1994 under Regional Railways, the line was electrified at 25 kV AC overhead between Leeds and Skipton, [2] and new British Rail Class 333 trains were introduced in the early 2000s. Investment in the line has seen passenger numbers grow, [2] and now overcrowding on trains is a problem. [3] New stock and longer trains were introduced by the former Northern franchise Arriva Rail North in 2019 to tackle this issue. [4]

The route is described below. The line originally included a number of stations which are now closed:

Trains of the Leeds–Morecambe line and Settle–Carlisle line also run along the Airedale line from Leeds.

The line today

Apperley Bridge station opened in 2015. Apperley Bridge railway station (22nd December 2015) 009.JPG
Apperley Bridge station opened in 2015.

The line is operated by Northern Trains. The fare structure is as follows (these show the West Yorkshire Metro rail zones):

The future

Network Rail previously looked at ways of increasing capacity on the line. Because of the difficulty of lengthening platforms at Shipley, it will be hard to introduce longer trains (i.e. 5 or 6 carriages) as was proposed on the neighbouring Wharfedale line. It was therefore proposed to run more trains per hour between Leeds and Keighley, a new platform at Keighley would have helped accommodate this. [6] New stations were opened at Apperley Bridge in December 2015 and Kirkstall Forge in June 2016. [7]

London North Eastern Railway currently operate a small number of daily services on the line, between Skipton/Bradford and London King's Cross. These are operated by Class 91s and Class 801s.[ citation needed ] East Coast wanted to run more frequent services from December 2009 but to do so the line would need more capacity. [8]

A 2008 report by Modern Railways claimed that a solid hourly service would operate on the line as far as Long Preston, but would serve Carlisle and Lancaster alternately. It may also become a freight artery to improve capacity on the West Coast Main Line. Network Rail's own plans involved new signalling and other improvements for the sections of the line beyond Skipton. Carlisle services would be increased to a basic two-hour pattern with extra services to 'fill in the gaps' at peak times during the day to give a 1 train/h frequency. [9] Lancaster services would be made more frequent, however it was suggested they would be terminated at Skipton, rather than continuing through to Leeds. [9] All of these plans were dependent on getting enough government funding.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Aire</span> River in Yorkshire, England

The River Aire is a major river in Yorkshire, England, 92 miles (148 km) in length. Part of the river below Leeds is canalised, and is known as the Aire and Calder Navigation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Airedale</span> Valley in North and West Yorkshire, England

Airedale is a valley, or dale, in North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire, England. It is named after the River Aire, which flows through it. The upper valley, from Malham Cove to Airton, is known as Malhamdale, named after the village of Malham. At Airton the valley widens and becomes Airedale proper. The river flows past Skipton on to Keighley, Bingley, Shipley, and Leeds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leeds–Bradford lines</span>

The Leeds–Bradford lines are two railway lines connecting the cities of Leeds and Bradford in West Yorkshire, both meeting in Leeds railway station and are included in the West Yorkshire Metro area system of lines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wharfedale line</span> Railway line in England

The Wharfedale line is one of the rail services in the West Yorkshire Metro area of northern England. The service connects Ilkley with Leeds and Bradford, and is operated by Northern Trains. West Yorkshire Metrocards are available for use on the line, covering Zones 3–5. The line is served predominantly by four-coach Class 333 electric multiple units.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Yorkshire Metro</span> Transport organisation in Yorkshire, England

Metro is the passenger information brand used by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority in England. It was formed on 1 April 1974 as the West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive (WYPTE), at the same time as the metropolitan county of West Yorkshire. The Metro brand has been used from the outset and, since the formal abolition of the WYPTE on 1 April 2014, it has remained the brand name of public transport in the region, overseen by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, which is also responsible for the delivery of transport policies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shipley railway station</span> Railway station in West Yorkshire, England

Shipley railway station serves the market town of Shipley in West Yorkshire, England. It is 2+3⁄4 miles (4.4 km) north of Bradford Forster Square and 10+3⁄4 miles (17.3 km) north-west of Leeds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frizinghall railway station</span> Railway station in West Yorkshire, England

Frizinghall railway station is situated in the Frizinghall district of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The station, an unstaffed halt 2 miles (3 km) north of Bradford Forster Square is on the Airedale Line, and all trains serving it are operated by Northern Trains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saltaire railway station</span> Railway station in West Yorkshire, England

Saltaire railway station serves the Victorian model village of Saltaire near Shipley in West Yorkshire, England. It is situated 3+1⁄2 miles (6 km) north of Bradford Forster Square.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crossflatts railway station</span> Railway station in West Yorkshire, England

Crossflatts railway station serves the Crossflatts area of Bingley, north of Bradford in West Yorkshire, England. The station is on the Airedale Line, 14.5 miles (23 km) north west of Leeds and 6.5 miles (10 km) north west of Bradford Forster Square. The station, and all trains serving it, are operated by Northern.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keighley railway station</span> Railway station in West Yorkshire, England

Keighley railway station serves the market town of Keighley in West Yorkshire, England. The station is located on the Airedale line, with electric services to Leeds, Skipton and Bradford Forster Square provided by Northern, along with longer distance services to Morecambe and Carlisle. The station is split in half, with National Rail operating from platforms 1 and 2, while platforms 3 and 4 are the northern terminus of heritage services to Oxenhope on the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steeton and Silsden railway station</span> Railway station in West Yorkshire, England

Steeton and Silsden railway station serves the village of Steeton and the town of Silsden in West Yorkshire, England. It is situated closer to Steeton than to Silsden, and is on the Airedale Line. The station, and all trains serving it, are operated by Northern.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cononley railway station</span> Railway station in North Yorkshire, England

Cononley railway station serves the village of Cononley in North Yorkshire, England. The station, and all trains serving it, are operated by Northern.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skipton railway station</span> Railway station in North Yorkshire, England

Skipton railway station is a Grade II listed station which serves the market town of Skipton in North Yorkshire, England on the Airedale Line, which gives Skipton access to destinations such as Leeds, Bradford, Carlisle, Lancaster and Morecambe. The station is operated by Northern Trains and is situated 27 miles (43 km) north-west of Leeds.

The Leeds and Bradford Railway Company (L&BR) opened a railway line between the towns on 1 July 1846. It extended its line from Shipley through Keighley to Skipton and Colne, in 1847 and 1848.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apperley Bridge railway station</span> Railway station in West Yorkshire, England

Apperley Bridge station is situated in Bradford on the line between Leeds and Shipley, West Yorkshire, England. It serves the district of Apperley Bridge in the north-east of the city.

The Skipton East Lancashire Rail Action Partnership (SELRAP) is a campaign that is looking to reopen the Skipton to Colne railway line, as part of connecting the Lancashire town of Colne to the North Yorkshire town of Skipton. The line between them had been closed in 1970.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leeds and Bradford Extension Railway</span> Former UK railway company

The Leeds and Bradford Extension Railway was an early British railway company in the West Riding of Yorkshire. It built a line from Shipley near Bradford through Keighley and Skipton to Colne. The Skipton–Colne Line closed in 1970, but the remainder of the line is still in use today, and once formed part of the Midland Railway's main line route from London to Glasgow.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kildwick and Crosshills railway station</span> Disused railway station in North Yorkshire, England

Kildwick and Crosshills [sic] was a railway station off Station Road in Cross Hills, North Yorkshire, England. It served the villages of Cross Hills, Cowling, Glusburn, Kildwick and Sutton-in-Craven.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kirkstall Forge railway station</span> Railway station in Leeds, West Yorkshire

Kirkstall Forge railway station is a station serving the Kirkstall area of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is on the Leeds to Bradford Line between Leeds City and Shipley and was opened on 19 June 2016, near the site of an earlier station with the same name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apperley Viaducts</span> Railway viaducts in West Yorkshire, England

The Apperley Viaducts are two adjacent railway viaducts straddling the River Aire in West Yorkshire, England. The open viaduct dates back to 1900, carrying the current double track Airedale line railway, whereas the redundant adjacent viaduct dates back to the 1867, and was built to replace the original bridge at this point which collapsed in November 1866 due to severe flooding. The viaducts are two of the many railway crossings of the River Aire between Shipley and Leeds.

References

  1. ↑ Shackleton, Andy. "At A Glance" (PDF). SELRAP – Skipton East Lancashire Rail Action Partnership. Selrap. Retrieved 10 October 2015.
  2. 1 2 Kilner, Will (22 October 2008). "Major revisions planned for Airedale and Wharfedale rail lines". Telegraph & Argus . Retrieved 9 February 2010.
  3. ↑ Meneaud, Marc (8 February 2010). "Passenger watchdog and MP demand action on Aire Valley and Wharfedale routes". Telegraph & Argus. Archived from the original on 10 February 2010. Retrieved 9 February 2010.
  4. ↑ "Skipton and Blackpool welcome new Northern EMUs". www.railmagazine.com. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
  5. ↑ "Harrogate & Skipton join the Metro Zone". wymetro.com. Archived from the original on 26 May 2009. Retrieved 25 April 2009.
  6. ↑ "NR Strategic Business Plan for North and West Yorkshire" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 June 2011. Retrieved 25 May 2008.
  7. ↑ "Leeds Kirkstall Forge railway station opens". BBC News. 19 June 2016. Retrieved 19 June 2016.
  8. ↑ "'High-speed rail bid could be derailed'". Telegraph & Argus . 2 July 2008. Retrieved 4 July 2007.
  9. 1 2 "Lancashire and Cumbria RUS" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 June 2011. Retrieved 25 May 2008.
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