Mirfield railway station
Encyclopedia
Mirfield railway station serves the town of Mirfield
in West Yorkshire
, England
. It lies on the Huddersfield Line
operated by Northern Rail
and is 4 miles (6 km) north east from .
The platforms have an unusual configuration. Platforms 1 and 2 form an island platform on the western side of the bridge over Station Road/Hopton New Road. Trains from Platform 1 go to Leeds and Wakefield Westgate (eastbound); Platform 2 is rarely used for normal scheduled services but is passed by non-stopping westbound trains to Huddersfield. Platform 3 is a side platform on the eastern side of the bridge; trains are towards Huddersfield, , Bradford Interchange and (westbound). The train to Leeds takes around 25 minutes and to reach Huddersfield takes around 10 minutes.
opened the first section of its cross-Pennine main line between Normanton
and Hebden Bridge
(completing it through to Manchester
on 1 March 1841). It did not actually get a station though until April 1845, when the company opened one shortly before submitting plans to Parliament to build a branch line from the town along the Spen Valley to Bradford
via Cleckheaton
. Approval was granted for the route the following year and it was opened as far as on 12 July 1848 and through to Bradford two years later. By this time further lines had been opened from nearby Heaton Lodge Junction to Huddersfield
by the Huddersfield & Manchester Railway (opened on 3 August 1847) and from Thornhill
to Leeds
by the Leeds, Dewsbury & Manchester Railway (opened 18 September 1848). The LNWR (which had absorbed both the H&M and LD&M by 1849) had originally planned to build its own route through Mirfield, but after negotiations with the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway
(successors to the M&L) agreed to not to go ahead in return for the granting of running powers over the Thornhill to Heaton Lodge section (and also allowing the L&Y access to Huddersfield).
This meant that the railway passing through the town soon became extremely congested, carrying as it did the traffic on two main trunk routes between Manchester and Leeds (the Huddersfield & Manchester company having completed its route through Stalybridge
in August 1849) and it led to the station gaining a notorious reputation for delays. This persisted even after the Heaton Lodge - Thornhill section was quadrupled in 1884, and it was not until the LNWR opened an alternative Huddersfield to Leeds route at the turn of the century that the situation began to improve.
Today the station remains busy, despite the loss of the Spen Valley service to Bradford from 14 June 1965 and the links to Normanton and on 5 January 1970 (the line via also closed at the same time, but this reopened in 2000 for peak hour services). It has also lost its buildings to demolition (in the late 1970s) and one of its four tracks but gained the aforementioned third platform as part of a set of capacity improvements in the late 1980s.
Westbound two trains an hour serve , one continuing to and Bradford Interchange, with connecting services at Huddersfield to Manchester centre and . There is also an hourly daytime service to Manchester Victoria via and - this was introduced as part of the December 2008 timetable alterations on the Caldervale Line
. During the weekday morning peak an additional train runs to Leeds.
On Sundays, a two-hourly service operates to Leeds and Huddersfield. There are no Sunday services to Wakefield or Hebden Bridge/Manchester.
Mirfield
Mirfield is a small town and civil parish within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England. It is located on the A644 road between Brighouse and Dewsbury...
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...
. It lies on 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...
operated by 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...
and is 4 miles (6 km) north east from .
The platforms have an unusual configuration. Platforms 1 and 2 form an island platform on the western side of the bridge over Station Road/Hopton New Road. Trains from Platform 1 go to Leeds and Wakefield Westgate (eastbound); Platform 2 is rarely used for normal scheduled services but is passed by non-stopping westbound trains to Huddersfield. Platform 3 is a side platform on the eastern side of the bridge; trains are towards Huddersfield, , Bradford Interchange and (westbound). The train to Leeds takes around 25 minutes and to reach Huddersfield takes around 10 minutes.
History
The town received its first railway in 1840, when 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....
opened the first section of its cross-Pennine main line between Normanton
Normanton railway station
Normanton railway station serves the town of Normanton in West Yorkshire, England. It lies south-east of Leeds railway station on the Hallam Line, which is operated by Northern Rail.-History:...
and Hebden Bridge
Hebden Bridge railway station
Hebden Bridge railway station serves the town of Hebden Bridge in West Yorkshire, England. The station is on the Caldervale Line, currently operated by Northern Rail from York and Leeds towards Manchester Victoria and Blackpool North...
(completing it through to 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...
on 1 March 1841). It did not actually get a station though until April 1845, when the company opened one shortly before submitting plans to Parliament to build a branch line from the town along the Spen Valley to 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...
via Cleckheaton
Cleckheaton
Cleckheaton is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England, situated south of Bradford, east of Brighouse, west of Batley and south-west of Leeds...
. Approval was granted for the route the following year and it was opened as far as on 12 July 1848 and through to Bradford two years later. By this time further lines had been opened from nearby Heaton Lodge Junction to Huddersfield
Huddersfield railway station
Huddersfield railway station serves the town of Huddersfield in West Yorkshire, England.The station is managed by First TransPennine Express who provide trains between the North East, North and East Yorkshire, and Leeds to the east and Manchester Piccadilly and North West.It is also served by local...
by the Huddersfield & Manchester Railway (opened on 3 August 1847) and from Thornhill
Thornhill, West Yorkshire
Thornhill, is a village in Kirklees, West Yorkshire, England. Thornhill was absorbed into Dewsbury County Borough in 1910. It is located on a hill on the south side of the River Calder, and has extensive views of Dewsbury, Ossett and Wakefield...
to 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...
by the Leeds, Dewsbury & Manchester Railway (opened 18 September 1848). The LNWR (which had absorbed both the H&M and LD&M by 1849) had originally planned to build its own route through Mirfield, but after negotiations with 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...
(successors to the M&L) agreed to not to go ahead in return for the granting of running powers over the Thornhill to Heaton Lodge section (and also allowing the L&Y access to Huddersfield).
This meant that the railway passing through the town soon became extremely congested, carrying as it did the traffic on two main trunk routes between Manchester and Leeds (the Huddersfield & Manchester company having completed its route through Stalybridge
Stalybridge
Stalybridge is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside in Greater Manchester, England, with a population of 22,568. Historically a part of Cheshire, it is east of Manchester city centre and northwest of Glossop. With the construction of a cotton mill in 1776, Stalybridge became one of...
in August 1849) and it led to the station gaining a notorious reputation for delays. This persisted even after the Heaton Lodge - Thornhill section was quadrupled in 1884, and it was not until the LNWR opened an alternative Huddersfield to Leeds route at the turn of the century that the situation began to improve.
Today the station remains busy, despite the loss of the Spen Valley service to Bradford from 14 June 1965 and the links to Normanton and on 5 January 1970 (the line via also closed at the same time, but this reopened in 2000 for peak hour services). It has also lost its buildings to demolition (in the late 1970s) and one of its four tracks but gained the aforementioned third platform as part of a set of capacity improvements in the late 1980s.
Services
Eastbound from Mirfield, two trains per hour (approximately half-hourly) operate on weekdays and Saturdays towards , with an hourly service to via .Westbound two trains an hour serve , one continuing to and Bradford Interchange, with connecting services at Huddersfield to Manchester centre and . There is also an hourly daytime service to Manchester Victoria via and - this was introduced as part of the December 2008 timetable alterations 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...
. During the weekday morning peak an additional train runs to Leeds.
On Sundays, a two-hourly service operates to Leeds and Huddersfield. There are no Sunday services to Wakefield or Hebden Bridge/Manchester.