Harrogate Line
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Principal stations
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The Harrogate Line is the name given to a passenger rail service in the West Yorkshire Metro area of northern England connecting Leeds to York by way of Harrogate and Knaresborough. The service is operated by Northern Rail, with a few additional workings by GNER. MetroCards are available for journeys between Leeds and Horsforth.
Contents |
[edit] The route
[edit] History
The routes over which the Harrogate Line trains now run were opened in the early 1850s by two of the railways which came to be part of the North Eastern Railway: the Leeds Northern Railway and the East and West Yorkshire Junction Railway. At the time of the 1923 Grouping the Harrogate area formed the junction for six routes: the main line was that from Leeds-Northallerton railway; the other lines were to:
- Pateley Bridge;
- Pilmoor on the East Coast Main Line; from that line was the junction for the line to York (the only remaining section open)
- Wetherby, where there were lines to
- Cross Gates;
- Church Fenton via Tadcaster
The Leeds station at the time was Leeds Central station, jointly owned by the NER and the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway
[edit] Route description
The 62 km line is composed of all or part of the following Network Rail routes:
- LNE 9 from Leeds
- LNE 6A from Leeds West Junction
- LNE 6 from Harrogate
- LNE 2 from Skelton Junction to York
Currently opened stations in bold.
- Leeds City station
- here was Leeds Royal Gardens, only a short distance from Burley Park
- Burley Park.
- Trains travelling from York to Leeds via Harrogate and Knaresborough are shown as travelling to Burley Park as this route takes 40 minutes longer than the York & Selby Lines route.
- here was Cardigan Road Goods station
- Headingley (near B6157 Kirkstall lane)
- here was Horsforth Woodside station which closed in 1864 and is located near the A6120 Leeds Outer Ring Road. It is speculated that a new station will open here in the future. Yorkshire Evening Post article
- Horsforth
- here is Bramhope Tunnel 2 miles 220 yd (3418 m) the longest on the NER system
- here was Arthington station, and a triangular junction for the line to Otley (station and branch now closed)
- Weeton for Huby and Weeton
- Pannal for Pannal, Burn Bridge and Spacey Houses. Here was the junction for the line connecting Harrogate to Wetherby. The original main line passed under it: trains now use the section into Harrogate.
- Hornbeam Park for Oatlands
- Harrogate for the Harrogate Bus Station
- Starbeck and Woodlands. Here were the junctions for Pateley Bridge and Northallerton.
- Knaresborough near the A59 High Street. Here was the line to Pilmoor. The line crosses the River Nidd on a high bridge.
- here followed two stations, now closed: for Goldsborough and Allerton
- Cattal for Cattal, Whixley and Green Hammerton
- Hammerton for Green Hammerton and Kirk Hammerton
- here was Hessay station, now closed
- Poppleton for Upper Poppleton and Nether Poppleton
Poppleton is shown on the Leeds City station destination boards so that passengers don't catch this service all the way to York as it takes 40 minutes longer.
- York which, apart from the East Coast Main Line services, is also served by Metro routes York & Selby and Dearne Valley Lines
