Pontefract Monkhill railway station

Infobox UK station
name = Pontefract Monkhill
code = PFM


manager = Northern Rail
locale = Pontefract
borough = City of Wakefield
pte = West Yorkshire (Metro)
zone = 3
lowusage0405 = 113,339
lowusage0506 = 145,883
lowusage0607 = 65,873
start =
platforms = 2 |

Pontefract Monkhill railway station is the busiest station in the town of Pontefract, West Yorkshire, England. The station is on the Pontefract Line operated by Northern Rail and is convert|14|mi|km|lk=on south east of Leeds.

The other stations in the town are Pontefract Tanshelf and Pontefract Baghill.

History

The lines to Leeds via Castleford and Wakefield Kirkgate separate immediately west of the station, which was opened by the "Wakefield, Pontefract & Goole Railway" (one of the constituent companies of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway) in April 1848. [Body, p143] The branch to Castleford (Cutsyke) & Methley Junction was completed the following year (on December 1) and a pair of short curves were subsequently constructed from the eastern end to link up with the Swinton & Knottingley Joint line following it's opening in the spring of 1879. One of these was used by passenger trains between Leeds & Pontefract Baghill until 1964, although it has since been lifted. The Wakefield to Goole passenger service was withdrawn on 2 January 1967 [Body, p143] (although trains to and from Goole continued, running instead to Castleford & Leeds) but the line remained open to carry coal to the power stations to the east of Knottingley. Services on this route were subsequently restored in May 1992.

ervices

There is an hourly service from Monkhill to both Leeds and Wakefield Kirkgate in one direction and two trains per hour to Knottingley in the other. Only one train a day now runs through to Goole.

Sundays there is a two-hourly service to Leeds and Knottingley.

Notes

References

*Body, G. (1988), "PSL Field Guides - Railways of the Eastern Region Volume 2", Patrick Stephens Ltd, Wellingborough, ISBN 1-85260-072-1

External links

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