Wakefield Kirkgate railway station
Encyclopedia
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....
, 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...
. Unlike the nearby Wakefield Westgate railway station
Wakefield Westgate railway station
Wakefield 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:...
, Kirkgate is unstaffed and served mostly by local trains. It is on the Hallam
Hallam 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...
, Pontefract
Pontefract Line
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...
and Huddersfield
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...
lines.
History
The original Kirkgate station was opened 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....
in 1840, and it remained the only station in central Wakefield until Westgate
Wakefield Westgate railway station
Wakefield 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:...
was opened in 1867. The present building dates from 1854.
Some demolition work took place in 1972, removing buildings on the island platform and a roof which covered the whole station. A wall remains as evidence of these buildings, with an original ironwork canopy. Following this, Kirkgate was listed in 1979.
January 2008 saw the demolition of the former goods warehouse to make way for a new depot for Network Rail.
In October 2008, part of the station wall collapsed, destroying a parked car.
Current condition
Since Westgate has been developed as Wakefield's main station, Kirkgate has been neglected and the station is in a poor state of repair. It is unstaffed and, despite the presence of CCTV, the local consensus is that the current state of the facilities discourages use of the station.The station is owned by Network Rail
Network Rail
Network Rail is the government-created owner and operator of most of the rail infrastructure in Great Britain .; it is not responsible for railway infrastructure in Northern Ireland...
, with 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...
leasing the facilities they use. Such maintenance work as takes place is focused on these leased areas, leaving the rest of the station derelict. Plans to redevelop the station have so far come to nothing. The ongoing failure to improve Kirkgate has led to criticism of the main stakeholders; Northern Rail, Wakefield city council and owner Network Rail. 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...
, the local passenger transport executive
Passenger Transport Executive
In the United Kingdom, passenger transport executives are local government bodies which are responsible for public transport within large urban areas...
, is working on a master plan for the station, including redevelopment of the existing facilities.
A local newspaper, the Wakefield Express
Wakefield Express
The Wakefield Express is the newspaper serving the City of Wakefield district in West Yorkshire, England. It was established in 1852 and was the subject of a centenary film produced by Lindsay Anderson in 1952...
, has launched a 'Staff Our Station' campaign and petition to push for improved safety at the station following a rape, a serious assault and several robberies. In July 2009, Kirkgate station was visited by Secretary of State for Transport minister Lord Adonis who dubbed the station 'the worst medium-large station in Britain' following an inspection by the government and Network Rail, after the 'Staff Our Station' campaign reached Parliament in London. In the same week that Lord Adonis visited the station, a man was brutally attacked at the station with a baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
bat, and improvement plans for the station were drawn up by Network Rail
Network Rail
Network Rail is the government-created owner and operator of most of the rail infrastructure in Great Britain .; it is not responsible for railway infrastructure in Northern Ireland...
, 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 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....
council.
The figures for annual passenger usage at Kirkgate have in the past been comparatively low, with only 769 tickets sold to/from the station in the 2006/7 financial year. This is because most tickets are bought to Wakefield Stations, and it is hard to determine the true use of both Wakefield Westgate and Kirkgate, as separate entities. However following changes in the way the statistics are split, Kirkgate's usage figure has increased dramatically to a value, which more accurately reflects its true usage. Additionally over 61,000 interchanges were recorded during the same period.
A pub outside the station, the Wakefield Arms, is also Grade II listed but has been closed since 2003. The building has suffered from vandalism.
Kirkgate station is believed by some to be haunted, with stories circulating about paranormal
Paranormal
Paranormal is a general term that designates experiences that lie outside "the range of normal experience or scientific explanation" or that indicates phenomena understood to be outside of science's current ability to explain or measure...
activity. Apparently the ghost
Ghost
In traditional belief and fiction, a ghost is the soul or spirit of a deceased person or animal that can appear, in visible form or other manifestation, to the living. Descriptions of the apparition of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to...
of a woman in Victorian dress has been seen wandering the subway between platforms 1 and 2.
Station layout
The station currently consists of a main building with platform 1 and an island platform (2 and 3) linked by a subway. Trains for LeedsLeeds
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...
, Castleford
Castleford
Castleford 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...
and Normanton
Normanton, West Yorkshire
Normanton is a town and civil parish within the City of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England. It is northeast of Wakefield and southwest of Castleford, and at the time of the 2001 Census, the population was 19,949.-History:...
on the Hallam Line
Hallam 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...
serve platform 1, as well as trains for 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...
. Platform 2 is served by Barnsley, Meadowhall
Meadowhall Interchange
Meadowhall Interchange to the north of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England is a railway station on the Midland Main Line, a Sheffield Supertram stop, and bus station. It is close to junction 34 on the M1, and serves Meadowhall Shopping Centre...
, 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...
and Nottingham trains, Huddersfield trains at 1838 and 1938 call at platform 2, and platform 3 has services towards Streethouse, Featherstone, Pontefract Tanshelf, Pontefract Monkhill and Knottingley. Grand Central London trains also call at Platform 3 towards Bradford and London.
Current services
Most services through this station are now operated by 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...
, having previously been operated by Arriva Trains Northern
Arriva Trains Northern
Arriva Trains Northern was a train operating company that operated passenger trains in Yorkshire and the North East of England. The company had previously been known as Northern Spirit before being taken over by Arriva....
and Northern Spirit
Northern Spirit
This article is about the railway company Northern Spirit. For the Australian football club of the same name, see Northern Spirit FC.Northern Spirit was a UK train operating company which ran local and regional train services in the north east of England during the late 1990s.-Operations:Created...
since the privatisation of British Rail
Privatisation of British Rail
The privatisation of British Rail was set in motion when the Conservative government enacted, on 19 January 1993, the British Coal and British Rail Act 1993 . This enabled the relevant Secretary of State to issue directions to the relevant Board...
which occurred in stages between 1994 and 1997.
- 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...
- There are three trains per hour to Leeds and to Sheffield, two express and one stopping service. - Huddersfield LineHuddersfield 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...
- There is an hourly service from Westgate to HuddersfieldHuddersfield railway stationHuddersfield 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...
with no Sunday service. - Pontefract LinePontefract LineThe 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...
- There is an hourly service to Knottingley railway stationKnottingley railway stationKnottingley railway station serves the town of Knottingley in West Yorkshire, England. It lies on the Pontefract Line, operated by Northern Rail, and is south east of Leeds railway station....
via Pontefract Monkhill with no service on Sundays. - Leeds to Nottingham - There is an hourly service every day in both directions, via BarnsleyBarnsley InterchangeBarnsley Interchange lies in the centre of the town of Barnsley, in South Yorkshire, England. The station was opened in 1850 and is north of Sheffield...
, Sheffield and ChesterfieldChesterfield railway stationEntrance to the station is on Crow Lane and includes a car park, taxi rank and bus stop. There is also a small car park on the other side of Crow Lane which does not have a parking charge. The main entrance leads to the station concourse, which is very spacious and was built in the late 1990s. It...
, since December 2008.
London services
The station now sees regular services to London Kings Cross via Pontefract and Doncaster. In January 2009, Grand Central 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...
. Three trains per day operate initially now that full approval for the service has been granted - these use Class 180
British Rail Class 180
The Class 180 is a type of British diesel multiple unit train built by Alstom between 2000 and 2001 for use on then-new express services by First Great Western . They were built at Washwood Heath in Birmingham and are part of the Coradia 1000 family along with the Class 175. FGW stopped using the...
units and started running on the 23 May 2010.
Steam trains
During the summer steam trains run through the station, the Scarborough Spa ExpressScarborough Spa Express
The Scarborough Spa Express is a regular summer heritage steam locomotive service between York and Scarborough via Harrogate and Leeds. It is operated by the West Coast Railway Company, however has been operated in previous years by different companies, including the Railway Touring...
on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays with the Scarborough Flier on Fridays.