Pontefract Line
Encyclopedia
The Pontefract Line is the name given to one of the rail services in the West Yorkshire Metro area of northern England. The service is operated by Northern Rail
, and links Wakefield
and Leeds
with Goole
via Pontefract
. The Metro timetable for the Line also includes services operated as the Dearne Valley Line
between York
and Sheffield
via Pontefract.
The Line, which passes through the former mining areas to the east of Wakefield and Castleford, has the greatest number of stations opened by the West Yorkshire Metro. MetroCards are available on the route as far as Knottingley
: a limited service of trains continues to Goole
by this route.
Before the 1923 Grouping
the lines over which the service operates were owned by:
to Methley Junction:
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 links Wakefield
Wakefield
Wakefield is the main settlement and administrative centre of the City of Wakefield, a metropolitan district of West Yorkshire, England. Located by the River Calder on the eastern edge of the Pennines, the urban area is and had a population of 76,886 in 2001....
and 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...
with Goole
Goole
Goole is a town, civil parish and port located approximately inland on the confluence of the rivers Don and Ouse in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England...
via Pontefract
Pontefract
Pontefract is an historic market town in West Yorkshire, England. Traditionally in the West Riding, near the A1 , the M62 motorway and Castleford. It is one of the five towns in the metropolitan borough of the City of Wakefield and has a population of 28,250...
. The Metro timetable for the Line also includes services operated as the Dearne Valley Line
Dearne Valley Line
The Dearne Valley Line is the name given to a railway line in the north of England running from York to Sheffield via Pontefract Baghill and Moorthorpe.-History:...
between York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
and Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
via Pontefract.
The Line, which passes through the former mining areas to the east of Wakefield and Castleford, has the greatest number of stations opened by the West Yorkshire Metro. MetroCards are available on the route as far as Knottingley
Knottingley
Knottingley is a town within the metropolitan borough of the City of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England on the River Aire and the A1 road. It has a population of 13,503....
: a limited service of trains continues to Goole
Goole
Goole is a town, civil parish and port located approximately inland on the confluence of the rivers Don and Ouse in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England...
by this route.
History
Railways in the area opened as follows:- 1848: the Wakefield, Pontefract and Goole Railway, 27 miles (43 km) in length, opened. This line passed through and served Knottingley, which was then producing some 65 000 tons of burnt lime a year, mainly used for agricultural and building purposes
- February 1854 the Great Northern RailwayGreat Northern Railway (Great Britain)The Great Northern Railway was a British railway company established by the Great Northern Railway Act of 1846. On 1 January 1923 the company lost its identity as a constituent of the newly formed London and North Eastern Railway....
(GNR) and Lancashire and Yorkshire RailwayLancashire and Yorkshire RailwayThe 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...
(L&YR) jointly administered KnottingleyKnottingleyKnottingley is a town within the metropolitan borough of the City of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England on the River Aire and the A1 road. It has a population of 13,503....
station. - August 1850: Knottingley to Burton Salmon line opened. Trains were able to run from London to York via Knottingley, which was the station to change to and from trains into the heart of the West Riding, and so it became a major junction.
- May 1879: The Swinton and Knottingley Railway, connecting SheffieldSheffieldSheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
and York via Pontefract, opened; FerrybridgeFerrybridgeFerrybridge is a village in West Yorkshire, England at a historically important crossing of the River Aire. It is linked to other communities by the A1, which follows the route of the Great North Road....
station opened three years later.
Before the 1923 Grouping
Railways Act 1921
The Railways Act 1921, also known as the Grouping Act, was an enactment by the British government of David Lloyd George intended to stem the losses being made by many of the country's 120 railway companies, move the railways away from internal competition, and to retain some of the benefits which...
the lines over which the service operates were owned by:
- Leeds - MethleyMethleyMethley is a dispersed village in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough, south east of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is located near Rothwell, Oulton, Woodlesford, Mickletown and Allerton Bywater. It nestles in the triangle formed by Leeds, Castleford and Wakefield, and is between the...
: Midland RailwayMidland RailwayThe Midland Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 to 1922, when it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway....
(MidR) - Methley - Pontefract (Monkhill) - Goole: L&YR
- Wakefield Westgate station was joint GNR)/L&YR
- Wakefield - Pontefract (Monkhill): L&YR
Leeds-Goole
Trains using the Pontefract Line from Leeds use the same route as the Hallam LineHallam Line
The Hallam Line is the name given to rail services operated by Northern Rail, in the West Yorkshire Metro/ Travel South Yorkshire area of northern England which connect Leeds and Sheffield via Barnsley. It is the slower of the two routes between Leeds and Sheffield, with faster services provided...
to Methley Junction:
- WoodlesfordWoodlesfordWoodlesford is a village in the metropolitan county of West Yorkshire, England, six miles south-east of Leeds city centre. It is in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough. Woodlesford is formerly part of the Rothwell Urban District...
- here is Methley Junction, where lines of the MidR, L&YR and the Great Northern RailwayGreat Northern Railway (Great Britain)The Great Northern Railway was a British railway company established by the Great Northern Railway Act of 1846. On 1 January 1923 the company lost its identity as a constituent of the newly formed London and North Eastern Railway....
(GNR) converged. - CastlefordCastlefordCastleford is the largest of the "five towns" district in the metropolitan borough of the City of Wakefield, in West Yorkshire, England. It is near Pontefract, and has a population of 37,525 according to the 2001 Census, but has seen a rise in recent years and is now around 45-50,000. To the north...
(also on the Hallam lineHallam LineThe Hallam Line is the name given to rail services operated by Northern Rail, in the West Yorkshire Metro/ Travel South Yorkshire area of northern England which connect Leeds and Sheffield via Barnsley. It is the slower of the two routes between Leeds and Sheffield, with faster services provided...
) - GlasshoughtonGlasshoughtonGlasshoughton is an area of Castleford in West Yorkshire, England, that borders on Pontefract. It is home to the Xscape indoor ski slope and leisure centre, the Junction 32 Outlet Shopping Village, a DIY superstore, a hotel, a pub and a number of fast food restaurants, which were built on the site...
(opened 21 February 2005) - Pontefract MonkhillPontefractPontefract is an historic market town in West Yorkshire, England. Traditionally in the West Riding, near the A1 , the M62 motorway and Castleford. It is one of the five towns in the metropolitan borough of the City of Wakefield and has a population of 28,250...
: junction with Wakefield line - KnottingleyKnottingleyKnottingley is a town within the metropolitan borough of the City of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England on the River Aire and the A1 road. It has a population of 13,503....
: joint L&YR/GNR station. The Dearne Valley Line has a junction at this point; there is also the Askern Branch LineAskern Branch LineThe Askern Branch Line is a railway line in South, North and West Yorkshire in England which runs from Shaftholme Junction north of Doncaster , via Askern, Norton and Womersley to Knottingley, where it joins the Pontefract Line.-History:It was opened by the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway on 6 June...
for DoncasterDoncasterDoncaster is a town in South Yorkshire, England, and the principal settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster. The town is about from Sheffield and is popularly referred to as "Donny"... - Whitley BridgeWhitley Bridge railway stationWhitley Bridge railway station serves the villages of Eggborough and Whitley in North Yorkshire, England. It is located on the Pontefract Line and is east of Leeds railway station.-Services:...
- HensallHensall railway stationHensall railway station serves the village of Hensall, North Yorkshire. It is located on the Pontefract Line and is east of Leeds. The line is used regularly by the freight companies FirstGBRf, Freightliner and DB Schenker that use the BR Class 66 locomotive, to transport coal & limestone to Drax...
: here were junctions for the Hull and Barnsley RailwayHull and Barnsley RailwayThe Hull Barnsley & West Riding Junction Railway and Dock Company was opened on 20 July 1885. It had a total projected length of 66 miles but never reached Barnsley, stopping a few miles short at Stairfoot. The name was changed to The Hull and Barnsley Railway in 1905...
(HBR); and a joint GCR/HBR line - SnaithSnaithSnaith is a town in the East Riding of Yorkshire local government area of England. It is situated approximately west of Goole on the A1041 road at its junction with the A645 road...
- RawcliffeRawcliffe, East Riding of YorkshireRawcliffe is a village and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is situated approximately west of Goole...
- GooleGoole railway stationGoole railway station serves the town of Goole in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England.The service is operated and the station is managed by Northern Rail...
Wakefield-Pontefract
The Wakefield service joins the Leeds service at Pontefract; the station served for this section are:- Wakefield WestgateWakefield Westgate railway stationWakefield Westgate railway station is the mainline railway station for the city of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England. It is located on the western edge of the main city centre, on the opposite side from Wakefield's other station, Kirkgate.-Services:...
(also served by the HuddersfieldHuddersfield LineThe 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...
and WakefieldWakefield LineThe Wakefield line is the name given to one of the rail services in the West Yorkshire Metro/South Yorkshire P.T.E. area of northern England. The service connects Leeds and Wakefield with Sheffield and Doncaster. The section of the line between Leeds and Doncaster forms part of the East Coast Main...
lines): the station was jointly owned by GCR and GNR; to the south was the West Riding and Grimsby Joint Railway (also owned by those companies) - Wakefield KirkgateWakefield Kirkgate railway stationWakefield Kirkgate railway station is a railway station in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England. Unlike the nearby Wakefield Westgate railway station, Kirkgate is unstaffed and served mostly by local trains...
(most trains start & finish here rather than running to/from Westgate due to congestion on the busy main line to Doncaster) - leaving Wakefield there were a large number of junctions between there and CroftonCrofton, West YorkshireCrofton is a village near Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England. It is located roughly to the south east of the city and is roughly to the west of the town of Pontefract and from the town of Featherstone.-History:...
- there were two stations on this line serving Crofton and Sharlston
- StreethouseStreethouseStreethouse is a semi rural village in West Yorkshire, England that is situated to the east of Wakefield, the west of Featherstone and the south-west of Castleford.-History:...
- FeatherstoneFeatherstoneFeatherstone is a town and civil parish in the City of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England. It lies south-west of Pontefract and has a population of 14,175.Featherstone railway station is on the Pontefract Line.-History:...
- Pontefract Tanshelf
- Pontefract Monkhill where the Leeds line joins