Wharfedale line

Railway line in England

Wharfedale line

Class 333 at Milnerwood Junction in 2009

Overview
Owner| Network Rail
Locale| West Yorkshire
Yorkshire and the Humber
Service
Operator(s)| Northern Trains
Depot(s)| Neville Hill (On the Leeds to Selby Line
Rolling stock| British Rail Class 333
British Rail Class 331
Technical
Track gauge| 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge

Route map

(Click to expand)

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Wharfedale Line

Legend

|  |  |

|  |

to Bolton Abbey

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|
|
|

|  |

|  | Ilkley
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|  | Ben Rhydding
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|  | Burley-in-Wharfedale
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|  |

to Otley

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|  | Menston
|  |

|  |

High Royds Hospital Railway

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|  | Guiseley
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|  |

to Yeadon

|  |

|  |

Esholt Junction

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|  | Esholt
|  |

|  | Baildon
|  |

|  |

Dockfield Jn | Apperley Bridge Jn

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|  | Shipley

Airedale Line

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|  | Frizinghall
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|  | Manningham
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|  | Bradford Forster Square
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|  | Kirkstall Forge†
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|  | Leeds
|  |  |  |  |  |
† not served by Wharfedale Line trains

The Wharfedale line is one of the rail services in the West Yorkshire Metro area of northern England. The service connects Ilkley with Leeds and Bradford, and is operated by Northern Trains.[1] West Yorkshire Metrocards are available for use on the line, covering Zones 3–5.[2] The line is served predominantly by four-coach Class 333 electric multiple units.[3]

## The route

[edit]

The line was originally owned by the Midland Railway from Leeds to Burley-in-Wharfedale. At this point the line became joint property, with the North Eastern Railway, and was known as the Otley & Ilkley Joint Railway (O&IJt).[4] The two lines from Leeds and Bradford come together at Esholt Junction[5] – the location of an 1892 crash[6] – south of Guiseley.

The route from Leeds leaves the main line near Calverley and continues along the Aire valley until climbing a hill to:

* Guiseley railway station
* Menston railway station
* Burley-in-Wharfedale railway station
* Ben Rhydding railway station
* Ilkley railway station

A new station, Kirkstall Forge, opened in 2016 on the Aire Valley section of the route between Leeds and Guiseley.[7][8] The station at Kirkstall Forge provides a service on the Wharfedale line outside of peak hours only.[9] Plans also exist to reinstate the O&IJt branch line to Otley from Milner Wood Junction, between Menston and Burley.[10]

The first section of the route from Bradford Forster Square is also used by the Airedale and Leeds–Bradford lines. The service to Ilkley branches north of Shipley railway station to:

* Baildon railway station a reopened station
* Esholt: station closed
* Esholt Junction for the line to Leeds.
* and on to Guiseley, Menston, Burley-in-Wharfedale, Ben Rhydding and Ilkley

The line was electrified throughout using 25 kV AC Overhead[5] between 1994 and 1995 by British Rail.[11] The now-closed and lifted Skipton-Ilkley line continued west of Ilkley via Addingham, Bolton Abbey and Embsay to Skipton. The section from Embsay to Bolton Abbey has been reopened by enthusiasts who operate steam locomotives as the Embsay and Bolton Abbey Steam Railway.[12]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Train routes: Wharfedale Line". www.wymetro.com. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
2. ^ "MetroCard – bus travel with rail zones 2-5". www.wymetro.com. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
3. ^ "£12m investment in new train carriages". Bradford Telegraph and Argus. 21 March 2002. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
4. ^ Cobb, M. H. (2003). The Railways of Great Britain a Historical Atlas. pp. 395–396. ISBN 0711030030. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
5. ^ a b Jacobs, Gerald (2006). Quail Track Diagrams by TRACKmaps – Railway Track Book 2 Eastern. Bradford-On-Avon: Trackmaps. p. 43\. ISBN 0-9549866-2-8. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
6. ^ "Esholt train crash in 1892 leads to tragic loss of five lives". Wharfedale Observer. 31 January 2014. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
7. ^ "Kirkstall Forge and Apperley Bridge rail stations get go-ahead". BBC News. 28 May 2014. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
8. ^ "Kirkstall Forge Rail Station Metro". www.wymetro.com. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
9. ^ "RESPONSE TO GENERATION 2 NORTHERN ROUTE UTILISATION STRATEGY (RUS)" (PDF). Network Rail. NR. December 2008. p. 6. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
10. ^ "Re-opening rail lines". Campaign For Better Transport. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
11. ^ Kilner, Will (22 October 2008). "Are they on the right lines for travel?". Bradford Telegraph and Argus. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
12. ^ "Embsay and Bolton Abbey Steam Railway". embsayboltonabbeyrailway.org.uk. Retrieved 18 January 2016.

## External links

[edit]

* Metro
* Wharfedale Rail Users' Group
* A description of a journey along the route

* v
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Railway lines in Yorkshire and the Humber

Primary|

| To London|

* East Coast Main Line
* Midland Main Line

|

To Exeter|

* Cross Country Route

Others|

| Inter-regional|

* Hallam Line
* Hope Valley line
* Leeds–Morecambe line
* Doncaster–Lincoln line
* Northallerton–Eaglescliffe line
* Sheffield–Lincoln line
* Settle–Carlisle line

|

Intra-regional|

* Airedale line
* Askern branch line
* Barton line
* Calder Valley line
* Dearne Valley line
* Esk Valley line
* Harrogate line
* Huddersfield line
* Hull–Scarborough
* Leeds–Bradford lines
* Leeds–Northallerton railway
* Penistone Line
* Pontefract line
* Selby Diversion
* Selby Line
* South Humberside Main Line
* Stocksbridge Railway
* Swinton–Doncaster
* Wakefield line
* Wharfedale line
* York–Scarborough

Defunct|

* Barnsley–Doncaster
* Bradford–Leeds & Wakefield
* Brockholes–Holmfirth
* Clayton West branch
* Dearne Valley Railway
* Gilling and Pickering
* Harrogate–Church Fenton
* Harrogate Gasworks Railway
* Huddersfield–Kirkburton
* Hull–Barnsley (Cudworth)
* Hull and Holderness
* Hull and Hornsea
* Knaresborough–York
* Leeds–Harrogate
* Low Moor–Mirfield
* Malton–Driffield
* Middlesbrough–Guisborough
* Middlesbrough–Guisborough–Normanby
* Huddersfield–Bradford
* Lockwood–Meltham
* Nunthorpe–Battersby
* Otley–Ilkley
* Pilmoor–Knaresborough
* Queensbury lines
* Rosedale Railway
* Royston to Thornhill
* Scarborough–Whitby
* Seamer–Pickering
* Selby–Driffield
* Selby–Goole
* Shipley Great Northern Railway branch line
* Sowerby Bridge–Rishworth
* Skipton–Grassington
* Skipton–Ilkley
* Spurn railway
* Thirsk and Malton line
* Wetherby–Cross Gates (Leeds)
* Whitby–Loftus
* Woodhead line
* York–Market Weighton–Beverley
* York–York (Foss Island)

Heritage|

* Derwent Valley Light Railway
* Elsecar Heritage Railway
* Embsay and Bolton Abbey Steam Railway
* Keighley & Worth Valley Railway
* Middleton Railway
* North Bay Railway
* North Yorkshire Moors Railway
* Wensleydale Railway

Light railways|

* Colsterdale Light Railway
* Nidd Valley Light Railway
* North Holderness Light Railway
* Sand Hutton Light Railway
* Whistlestop Valley

* 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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