Garforth railway station

Railway station in Garforth, West Yorkshire, England

Garforth

Garforth station platforms from the footbridge in 2020

General information
Location| Garforth, City of Leeds
England
Coordinates| 53°47′48″N 1°22′57″W﻿ / ﻿53.7966°N 1.3824°W﻿ / 53.7966; -1.3824
Grid reference| SE407335
Managed by| Northern
Transit authority| West Yorkshire Metro
Platforms| 2
Other information
Station code| GRF
Fare zone| 2
Classification| DfT category E
History
Opened| 1834
Passengers
2019/20|  0.629 million
2020/21|  0.114 million
2021/22|  0.345 million
2022/23|  0.425 million
2023/24|  0.488 million

Notes

Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

Garforth railway station serves the town of Garforth in West Yorkshire, England. It is one of the two stations in Garforth, the other being East Garforth, which is situated about 0.5 miles (800 m) east from the main station. It lies on the Selby Line. Garforth is 7.1 miles (11.5 km) east of Leeds and 16 miles (26 km) south-west of York. The station is served by Northern and TransPennine Express services.

## History

[edit]

The station was originally opened by the Leeds and Selby Railway in 1834. The road bridge crosses the line at an oblique angle; this was considered something of a marvel at the time of construction. The station then linked the town with the former Leeds Marsh Lane railway station. The current buildings date from 1872 and were designed by NER architect Thomas Prosser.[1]

Garforth station also connected with the privately owned Aberford Railway (known locally as the 'fly line' or simply 'the lines') which closed in 1924, and is now a public path commonly used for horses, dog walkers and travelling to and from Garforth Academy part way upon it. East of the station was the junction to the branch line to Castleford via Ledston which closed to passengers in 1951 and completely in the 1990s.[2]

Though East Garforth is fully accessible to wheelchair users, the main Garforth station is not; wheelchair users can only access platform 2 which serves trains towards Leeds.

In 2015 additional shelters were placed on both platforms, doubling the sheltered capacity.

In July 2023, the footbridge, connecting both platforms to Aberford Road, was closed and demolished, for the new replacement bridge to be built. The new bridge will be built by April 2024 in the same spot, and will include lifts. This was done in order to install new overhead wires and to include step free access on to the platforms and Aberford Road.[citation needed]

The footbridge was transported to Bredgar & Wormshill Light Railway in Kent.[3][4]

An LNER Class 43 train passing by Garforth station. Pictured when the footbridge was just closed, before demolition A TransPennine Express Class 68 bound for Scarborough passing Garforth. Pictured when the footbridge was partially demolished A demolished footbridge waiting to be transported to Bredgar & Wormshill Light Railway. The new footbridge at Garforth in 2024.

## Facilities

[edit]

Waiting shelters on platform 1

The station buildings are concentrated on the Leeds bound platform, which is disabled accessible (the opposite platform can only be accessed via a footbridge).[5] There is a ticket office (open 06:00–14:00 Mondays to Saturdays) and waiting room in the buildings; the remaining space is leased out to a taxi company. The Leeds bound platform also has an automatic ticket machine that can be used out of hours and a vending machine. As well as the heated waiting room on the Leeds bound platform, there are two shelters available for use out of office hours. The York bound platform has two passenger shelters. The two platforms are connected by a footbridge with stepped access, this also links to Aberford Road. The station has a large car park which is free for passenger use. There is CCTV and lighting throughout the station and car park. Refreshments can purchased from the Station House Café, which opened in August 2016, and is situated on the Leeds bound platform (2).

## Services

[edit]

TransPennine Express Class 185 calling at Garforth in 2020

Northern Trains
Route 9

* v
* t
* e

Calder Valley Line and
East Lancashire Line

|  |  |

|  | York

|
|
|
|

|  |

|  | Ulleskelf
|  |

|  | Church Fenton
|  |

|  | Micklefield
|  |

|  | East Garforth
|  |

|  | Garforth
|  |

|  | Cross Gates
|  |

|  | Leeds
|  |

|  | Bramley
|  |

|  | New Pudsey
|  |

|  | Bradford Interchange
|  |

|  | Low Moor
|  |

|  | Halifax
|  |

|  | Sowerby Bridge
|  |

|  | Mytholmroyd
|  |

|  | Hebden Bridge
|  |

|  |
|  |

|  | Manchester Victoria
|  |

|  | Moston
|  |

|  | Mills Hill
|  |

|  | Castleton
|  |

|  | Rochdale
|  |

|  | Smithy Bridge
|  |

|  | Littleborough
|  |

|  | Walsden
|  |

|  | Todmorden
|  |

|  |
|  |

|  | Colne
|  |

|  | Nelson
|  |

|  | Brierfield
|  |

|  | Burnley Central
|  |

|  | Burnley Barracks
|  |

|  | Burnley Manchester Road
|  |

|  |
|  |

|  | Rose Grove
|  |

|  | Hapton
|  |

|  | Huncoat
|  |

|  | Accrington
|  |

|  | Church and Oswaldtwistle
|  |

|  | Rishton
|  |

|  | Blackburn
|  |

|  | Mill Hill
|  |

|  | Cherry Tree
|  |

|  | Pleasington
|  |

|  | Bamber Bridge
|  |

|  | Lostock Hall
|  |

|  | Preston
|  |

|  | Salwick
|  |

|  | Kirkham and Wesham
|  |

|  |
|  |

|  | Poulton-le-Fylde
|  |

|  | Blackpool North
|  |

|  |
|  |

|  | Moss Side
|  |

|  | Lytham
|  |

|  | Ansdell and Fairhaven
|  |

|  | St Annes-on-the-Sea
|  |

|  | Squires Gate
|  |

|  | Blackpool Pleasure Beach
|  |

|  | Blackpool South
|  |  |  |  |  |

Burnley Barracks, Hapton and
Pleasington are request stops.

Northern operates a half-hourly service to Leeds, as well as hourly services to York and Hull via Selby to the east.[6] The Hull service began operating at the winter 2019 timetable change and runs through to Halifax via Bradford Interchange in the westbound direction, restoring the link to Bradford lost when the York to Blackpool North service ceased calling in May 2018 (this has been reinstated however in December 2022).[7]

TransPennine Express trains also stop at Garforth hourly towards Leeds, Huddersfield and Liverpool Lime Street westbound and Scarborough eastbound.[8] The service now also stops here on Sundays since the start of the winter 2019 timetable. However these services have also been reinstated in the December 2022 timetable and now run to Liverpool and Manchester once again.

Preceding station  |  National Rail | Following station

|
|

Leeds |  | TransPennine Express
North TransPennine |  | York
Cross Gates |  | Northern
Selby Line |  | East Garforth
| Disused railways  |
Cross Gates |  | North Eastern Railway
Castleford–Garforth line |  | Kippax

### Proposed services

[edit]

National Express East Coast proposed to operate trains directly between Garforth and London from December 2009.[9] This proposal was supported by the Office of the Rail Regulator in January 2009, however the Department of Transport had rejected the plans because the proposal would require changes to franchised services and there was not enough capacity for these services, however Virgin Trains East Coast had plans to increase capacity and introduce a number of direct services between Garforth and London from 2019. The plans have not as yet (summer 2019) been implemented, as VTEC no longer operates the East Coast franchise and a private successor is yet to be agreed upon.

## Other transport links

[edit]

The main station building with taxi rank and car park

The station has a taxi-office with the taxi rank directly outside the main buildings. Buses serve the station on Aberford Road, to which there is a direct link from the stations' footbridge.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Garforth"Railway Architecture of North East England; Retrieved 18 November 2016
2. ^ Rockett, Ron (2003). The Leeds, Castleford & Pontefract Junction Railway; the Ledston Branch. Farsley: Bairstow. pp. 17, 48. ISBN 1-871944-27-9.
3. ^ Newton, Grace (11 January 2023). "Victorian footbridge at Garforth Station to move to heritage railway as part of Leeds to York line electrification". Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
4. ^ Grant, Alex (9 November 2023). "Garforth station: Historic rail bridge 'relocated to Kent' as construction continues on £6m Leeds Beacon Bridge". Yorkshire Evening Post. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
5. ^ Garforth station facilities National Rail Enquiries; Retrieved 29 November 2016
6. ^ GB eNRT, December 2023 Edition, Table 23
7. ^ Table 22 National Rail timetable, December 2023
8. ^ Table 39 National Rail timetable, December 2023
9. ^ National Express Group PLC – National Express submits exciting proposals for new services and faster journeys Archived 6 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Garforth railway station.

* The LNER Encyclopedia: The Aberford Railway
* The LNER Encyclopedia: The Leeds and Selby Railway

* Train times and station information for Garforth railway station from National Rail

* v
* t
* e

Railway stations in West Yorkshire

Lists|

* List of busiest railway stations in West Yorkshire

MetroTrain lines|

* ■ Airedale ■ Calder Valley ■ Dearne Valley ■ Hallam ■ Harrogate ■ Huddersfield ■ Leeds–Bradford ■ Penistone ■ Pontefract ■ Wakefield ■ Wharfedale

City of Bradford|

* Apperley Bridge
* Baildon
* Ben Rhydding
* Bingley
* Bradford Forster Square
* Bradford Interchange
* Burley-in-Wharfedale
* Crossflatts
* Frizinghall
* Ilkley
* Low Moor
* Keighley
* Menston
* Saltaire
* Shipley
* Steeton and Silsden

Calderdale|

* Brighouse
* Halifax
* Hebden Bridge
* Mytholmroyd
* Sowerby Bridge
* Todmorden
* Walsden

Kirklees|

* Batley
* Berry Brow
* Brockholes
* Deighton
* Denby Dale
* Dewsbury
* Honley
* Huddersfield
* Lockwood
* Marsden
* Mirfield
* Ravensthorpe
* Shepley
* Slaithwaite
* Stocksmoor

City of Leeds|

* Bramley
* Burley Park
* Cottingley
* Cross Gates
* East Garforth
* Garforth
* Guiseley
* Headingley
* Horsforth
* Kirkstall Forge
* Leeds
* Micklefield
* Morley
* New Pudsey
* Woodlesford

City of Wakefield|

* Castleford
* Featherstone
* Fitzwilliam
* Glasshoughton
* Knottingley
* Moorthorpe
* Normanton
* Outwood
* Pontefract Baghill
* Pontefract Monkhill
* Pontefract Tanshelf
* Sandal and Agbrigg
* South Elmsall
* Streethouse
* Wakefield Kirkgate
* Wakefield Westgate

Outside West Yorkshire,
but within the
West Yorkshire Metro area|

* Cononley
* Darton
* Harrogate
* Hornbeam Park
* Pannal
* Skipton
* Weeton

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