Airedale Line
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The Airedale 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, on the route connecting Leeds with Morecambe and Carlisle in the North of England. The route covered by the service was part of the Midland Railway (Midland) system. The line is electrified at 25 kV AC Overhead between Leeds and Skipton.
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[edit] The Route & its history
[edit] Leeds - Skipton
The first section, between Leeds and Bradford (Forster Square station) was opened by the Leeds and Bradford Railway on 1 July 1846. The route is described below: it originally included stations serving the following places, many of which are now closed:
- Leeds - the station was named Leeds (Wellington) to differentiate it from the other main line stations in the city, belonging to the North Eastern Railway (NER)
- Holbeck
- Armley
- Kirkstall
- Kirkstall Forge - closed but planned to be reopened in 2010
- Newlay and Horsforth
- Calverley and Rodley
- here is Apperley Junction for the Wharfedale line
- Apperley Bridge & Rawdon - closed but planned to be reopened in 2010
- here is Thackley tunnel
- here is the triangular junction for the branch line serving Shipley and Bradford Forster Square. The main line, which was opened from here to Skipton by the Leeds and Bradford Extension Railway in 1847, continues:
- Saltaire
- here is Bingley tunnel
- Bingley
- Crossflatts
- Keighley
- Here is the Worth Valley Branch junction to Oxenhope. The branch is now the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway heritage line.
- Steeton & Silsden
- Here the West Yorkshire Metro system ends, although the electrification and trains continue to Skipton.
- Kildwick and Crosshills
- Cononley
- Skipton.
[edit] Skipton - Settle
The line from here, known as the "Little" North Western Railway, opened on 1 June 1850 to Lancaster. Here were junctions for the following lines:
- the Yorkshire Dales Railway, opened 30 July 1902, closed 22 September 1930, and which linked to the Skipton to Ilkley Line
- the continuation of Leeds and Bradford Extension Railway to Colne, linking to the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway to Preston (L&YR)
The main line continues:
- Gargrave
- Bell Busk, for Malham
- here is the junction for the L&YR line to Blackburn
- Hellifield: here was a locomotive shed
- Long Preston
- Settle Junction - here the Settle-Carlisle Line, opened for freight 1875, passengers 1 May 1876, continues.
[edit] Settle Junction - Lancaster
The original main line to Lancaster had the following stations:
- Giggleswick
- Clapham - here was the junction for Ingleton and an end-on junction via Sedbergh to Low Gill on the London and North Western Railway (LNW) West Coast Main Line. The line was frequently used as an alternative through route when the Settle-Carlisle main line was blocked. It was opened from Ingleton by the Lancaster & Carlisle Railway in 1857: the route was closed to passenger traffic on 1 February 1954
- Bentham
- Wennington - here the Furness Railway connected with the Midland: the line was via Carnforth, on the LNW West Coast Main Line
- Hornby
- Caton
- Halton (closed 1957)
- Lancaster (Green Ayre)
- At Morecambe, the line divides: a triangular junction for the two lines:
- Morecambe, opened 12 June 1848 - and the branch to
- Heysham Harbour, including a station for Middleton Road Heysham.
- the line was electrified, as Britain's first overhead high tension AC electrification, in 1908.
[edit] Settle Junction - Carlisle
The line to Carlisle, from Settle Junction, opened by the Settle-Carlisle Railway (and still known by the name), served the following places:
- Settle
- Taitlands Tunnel (now called Stainforth Tunnel)
- Horton in Ribblesdale
- Ribblehead- here is the Ribblehead Viaduct (originally named Batty Moss Viaduct) 440 yd (396 m), with 24 piers
- Blea Moor Tunnel 2629 yd (2366 m) long
- here is Dent Head viaduct
- Dent (4.5 miles outside the village of Dent)
- Rise Hill Tunnel
- here were the highest water troughs in the United Kingdom. Steam locomotives were able to pick up water from these troughs whilst still moving.
- Garsdale - originally named Hawes Junction & Garsdale.
- At Hawes station, on the branch to the east of the main line, there was an end-on-junction with the North Eastern Railway (NER) line across the Pennines to Northallerton
- On the next stretch, there were three tunnels (Moorcock Tunnel, Shotlock Hill Tunnel and Birkett Tunnel).
- On this stretch also was the summit of the line at Ais Gill, 1169 ft (350 m) ASL
- Kirkby Stephen- There were two stations here, one (Kirkby Stephen West) for the Midland line and Kirkby Stephen East for the NER (the latter's line from Darlington to Tebay). The two stations are about half a mile apart. The Midland station also served the village of Ravenstonedale
- Crosby Garrett
- Ormside
- Appleby - as with Kirby Stephen, there were separate stations for the Midland and NE lines, with a siding connection. The NE line was the branch known as the Eden Valley Railway between Kirkby Stephen and Eden Valley Junction on the West Coast Line near Clifton
- Long Marton
- New Biggin
- Culgaith
- there are three tunnels between these stations
- Langwathby
- here is Lazonby Tunnel
- Lazonby and Kirkoswald
- there are three more tunnels between these two stations
- Armathwaite
- Cotehill
- Cumwhinton
- Scotby - station also served the NER line from Newcastle
- Carlisle: the station - full title Carlisle Citadel was owned jointly by the LNWR and the Caledonian Railway: the Midland (among others) was a "tenant Company".
The Settle-Carlisle Railway is featured in Microsoft Train Simulator (MSTS1). In it you can drive a train lead by the Flying Scotsman steam engine or a British Rail Class 50 in various scenarios. Using add-ons you can also use modernised DMUs or even a Virgin Pendolino, albeit hauled by a Class 57 Thunderbird loco.
[edit] The line today
The Line is operated by the Northern Rail operating company. The fare structure is as follows (these show the Metrocard zones:
- Zone 1
- Zone 3
- Shipley to Crossflatts. Stations on this section also serve the Leeds-Bradford line and the Wharfedale Line
- Zone 4
- Keighley
- Zone 5
- Steeton & Silsden
Beyond this point the Metro fares do not operate.
[edit] The Future
Recent Network Rail reports have looked at ways of increasing capacity on the line. Because of the dificulty of lengthening platforms at Shipley, it will be hard to introduce longer trains (i.e. 5 or 6 carriages) as is being proposed on the neighbouring Wharfedale Line. It is therefore proposed to run more trains per hour between Leeds and Keighley, with a new platform at Keighley to accommodate this[1]. New stations at Kirkstall Forge and Apperly Bridge between Leeds and Shipley are proposed by Metro.
A recent report by Modern Railways claimed that a solid hourly service would operate on the Airedale Line as far as Long Preston, but would serve Carlisle and Lancaster alternately. It may also become a freight artery to improve capacity on the West Coast Main Line. Network Rail's own latest plans involve new signalling and other improvements for the sections of the line beyond Skipton. Carlisle services will be increased to a basic two hour pattern with extra services to 'fill in the gaps' at peak times during the day to give a 1tph frequency[2]. Lancaster services will also be made more frequent, however it has been suggested they will be terminated at Skipton in future, rather than continuing through to Leeds as at present[3]. All of these plans are still dependent on getting enough government funding.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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