Brighouse railway station
Encyclopedia
Brighouse railway station serves the town of Brighouse
in West Yorkshire
, England
. The station lies on the Caldervale Line
and the Huddersfield Line
running west from Leeds
. The station reopened in 2000 and is served by local Northern Rail
trains.
. The station was initially known as Brighouse for Bradford
, as no stations had yet been built in Bradford itself. Similarly, Elland station
served Halifax, and Huddersfield was served by the station at Cooper Bridge
.
A lithograph was produced by Arthur Fitzwilliam Tait
showing the station in 1845.
In 1847 Brighouse station came under the operation of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway
as the M&L was incorporated into this company. The station remained under L&Y operation until it itself was incorporated into the London, Midland and Scottish Railway
in 1923, throughout which period the station's importance gradually declined as other lines connecting Manchester
and Leeds were built via Halifax and Huddersfield bypassing Brighouse.
Brighouse station passed into British Railways ownership upon nationalisation in 1949, and was operated as part of the North Eastern Region
. The decline in passenger numbers continued, and the station was eventually closed by British Rail
in January 1970, remaining closed until 2000, although the line remained open throughout this time, being used by freight trains, and as a diversionary route for passenger trains when other lines were closed.
Brighouse's station re-opened on Sunday 28 May 2000. Brighouse also serves the town of Elland
some 2 miles (3.2 km) away. Plans for a station in Elland to open at the same time as Brighouse were cancelled due to lack of funds.
Since 27 April 2008 bus service MC4 has provided a connection with most Leeds via Dewsbury trains to/from Elland. This was replaced in early 2010 by a revised service E8
trains, with one train every hour running to via , Bradford
and and one train every hour in the other direction to via .
Since December 2008, the station is also served by an hourly Leeds - Dewsbury
- Hebden Bridge - Manchester Victoria stopping service (Monday - Saturday daytime). This provides a considerable service improvement providing both a twice-hourly frequency for journeys to/from Leeds and a reduction in journey time taking only 35 minutes to travel to Leeds via Dewsbury
rather than 50 minutes via Halifax. Even without this important improvement in services, usage of the station has increased year on year since the re-opening.
The station has two platforms.
s to run a Bradford Interchange to London service accepted by the Office of Rail Regulation
.
and Metro
secured joint funding from the Department for Transport
's Access for All – Small Schemes initiative to provide a new Customer Information System at the station.
New LCD style customer information screens with real-time information have been installed on both platforms linked into an improved public address system providing accurate, reliable audio/visual train running information to passengers.
In addition; Northern Rail has announced plans to replace the station's HelpPoint intercom system with a more updated reliable model. This will enable passengers to speak to a member of staff in Northern's control centre for information or to summon assistance in emergency situations.
Brighouse
Brighouse is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale, in West Yorkshire, England. It is situated on the River Calder, east of Halifax in the Pennines. It is served by Junction 25 of the M62 motorway and Brighouse railway station on the Caldervale Line and Huddersfield Line. In the...
in West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The station lies on the Caldervale Line
Caldervale Line
The Caldervale Line is a railway route in Northern England between the cities of Leeds and Manchester as well as the seaside resort of Blackpool...
and the Huddersfield Line
Huddersfield Line
The Huddersfield Line is the name given to one of the busiest rail services on the West Yorkshire MetroTrain network in northern England. Local services are operated by Northern Rail with longer distance services operated by TransPennine Express...
running west from Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
. The station reopened in 2000 and is served by local Northern Rail
Northern Rail
Northern Rail is a British train operating company that has operated local passenger services in Northern England since 2004. Northern Rail's owner, Serco-Abellio, is a consortium formed of Abellio and Serco, an international operator of public transport systems...
trains.
History
Brighouse railway station was first opened in October 1840, as a main line station operated by the Manchester and Leeds RailwayManchester and Leeds Railway
The Manchester and Leeds Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom which opened in 1839, connecting Manchester with Leeds via the North Midland Railway which it joined at Normanton....
. The station was initially known as Brighouse for Bradford
Bradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
, as no stations had yet been built in Bradford itself. Similarly, Elland station
Elland railway station
Elland Railway Station served the town of Elland in West Yorkshire, England until 1962.Plans to re-open the station in 2000 were cancelled due to lack of funds....
served Halifax, and Huddersfield was served by the station at Cooper Bridge
Cooper Bridge railway station
Cooper Bridge was a railway station built by the Manchester and Leeds Railway to serve the town of Huddersfield in West Yorkshire, England.-History:...
.
A lithograph was produced by Arthur Fitzwilliam Tait
Arthur Fitzwilliam Tait
Arthur Fitzwilliam Tait was an American artist who is known mostly for his paintings of wildlife. During most of his career, he was associated with the New York City art scene.-Biography:...
showing the station in 1845.
In 1847 Brighouse station came under the operation of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway
Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway
The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway was a major British railway company before the 1923 Grouping. It was incorporated in 1847 from an amalgamation of several existing railways...
as the M&L was incorporated into this company. The station remained under L&Y operation until it itself was incorporated into the London, Midland and Scottish Railway
London, Midland and Scottish Railway
The London Midland and Scottish Railway was a British railway company. It was formed on 1 January 1923 under the Railways Act of 1921, which required the grouping of over 120 separate railway companies into just four...
in 1923, throughout which period the station's importance gradually declined as other lines connecting Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
and Leeds were built via Halifax and Huddersfield bypassing Brighouse.
Brighouse station passed into British Railways ownership upon nationalisation in 1949, and was operated as part of the North Eastern Region
North Eastern Region of British Railways
The North Eastern Region was a region of British Railways from 1948. It was merged with the Eastern Region in 1967. It was the near direct post-nationalisation descendant of the North Eastern Railway, that had merged with the LNER just over 20 years early....
. The decline in passenger numbers continued, and the station was eventually closed by British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
in January 1970, remaining closed until 2000, although the line remained open throughout this time, being used by freight trains, and as a diversionary route for passenger trains when other lines were closed.
Brighouse's station re-opened on Sunday 28 May 2000. Brighouse also serves the town of Elland
Elland
Elland is a market town in Calderdale, in the county of West Yorkshire, England, south of Halifax, by the River Calder and the Calder and Hebble Navigation. The area of Elland was called Elant in the Domesday Book...
some 2 miles (3.2 km) away. Plans for a station in Elland to open at the same time as Brighouse were cancelled due to lack of funds.
Since 27 April 2008 bus service MC4 has provided a connection with most Leeds via Dewsbury trains to/from Elland. This was replaced in early 2010 by a revised service E8
Services
Brighouse is served by Caldervale LineCaldervale Line
The Caldervale Line is a railway route in Northern England between the cities of Leeds and Manchester as well as the seaside resort of Blackpool...
trains, with one train every hour running to via , Bradford
Bradford Interchange railway station
Bradford Interchange is a combined railway, coach and bus station in Bradford, England. Designed in 1962 and hailed as a showpiece of European design, the building was opened in 1971.-Bus station:...
and and one train every hour in the other direction to via .
Since December 2008, the station is also served by an hourly Leeds - Dewsbury
Dewsbury railway station
Dewsbury railway station serves the town of Dewsbury in West Yorkshire, England. The station is south west of Leeds on the Huddersfield Line.The station is managed by TransPennine Express trains and it is the stop between Leeds and Huddersfield.-History:...
- Hebden Bridge - Manchester Victoria stopping service (Monday - Saturday daytime). This provides a considerable service improvement providing both a twice-hourly frequency for journeys to/from Leeds and a reduction in journey time taking only 35 minutes to travel to Leeds via Dewsbury
Dewsbury railway station
Dewsbury railway station serves the town of Dewsbury in West Yorkshire, England. The station is south west of Leeds on the Huddersfield Line.The station is managed by TransPennine Express trains and it is the stop between Leeds and Huddersfield.-History:...
rather than 50 minutes via Halifax. Even without this important improvement in services, usage of the station has increased year on year since the re-opening.
The station has two platforms.
- Platform 1: served by services towards Huddersfield, Leeds (via Dewsbury) and Wakefield Westgate.
- Platform 2: served by services towards Manchester Victoria, and Leeds (via Halifax and Bradford Interchange).
London services
The station now sees three return services per day to London Kings Cross via Pontefract and Doncaster, which commenced on 23 May 2010. In January 2009, Grand Central Railway have had their application for train pathTrain path
A train path is the infrastructure capacity needed to run a train between two places over a given time-period. In Europe, a train operator needs to purchase a train path from a rail infrastructure company to run a train on their tracks....
s to run a Bradford Interchange to London service accepted by the Office of Rail Regulation
Office of Rail Regulation
The Office of Rail Regulation is a statutory board which is the combined economic and safety regulatory authority for Great Britain's railway network. It was established on 5 July 2004 by the Railways and Transport Safety Act 2003, replacing the Rail Regulator...
.
Customer Information System
Northern RailNorthern Rail
Northern Rail is a British train operating company that has operated local passenger services in Northern England since 2004. Northern Rail's owner, Serco-Abellio, is a consortium formed of Abellio and Serco, an international operator of public transport systems...
and Metro
West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive
The West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive is the Passenger Transport Executive for the county of West Yorkshire, England. It is the executive arm of the West Yorkshire Integrated Transport Authority and was originally formed on 1 April 1974 as the West Yorkshire Passenger Transport...
secured joint funding from the Department for Transport
Department for Transport
In the United Kingdom, the Department for Transport is the government department responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland which are not devolved...
's Access for All – Small Schemes initiative to provide a new Customer Information System at the station.
New LCD style customer information screens with real-time information have been installed on both platforms linked into an improved public address system providing accurate, reliable audio/visual train running information to passengers.
In addition; Northern Rail has announced plans to replace the station's HelpPoint intercom system with a more updated reliable model. This will enable passengers to speak to a member of staff in Northern's control centre for information or to summon assistance in emergency situations.