Ilkley railway station

Infobox UK station
name = Ilkley


manager = Northern Rail
locale = Ilkley
borough = City of Bradford
pte = West Yorkshire (Metro)
zone = 4
code = ILK
usage0405 = 0.810
usage0506 = 0.847
usage0607 = 0.918
platforms = 2
start =

Ilkley railway station is a railway station in Ilkley, in the City of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. On the Wharfedale Line between Ilkley and Leeds/Bradford Forster Square stations, it is served by Class 333 electric trains run by Northern Rail, who also manage the station.

ervices

During Monday to Saturday, daytime services run to/from Leeds and Bradford twice per hour. In the evening, services are hourly to/from both Leeds and Bradford Forster Square. On Sundays, services are hourly to/from Leeds and every two hours to/from Bradford.

History

Ilkley station was opened as a terminus in August 1865 by the Otley and Ilkley Joint Railway (Midland and North Eastern railways). A subsequent extension of the line to Skipton via Addingham, Bolton Abbey and Embsay saw the station assume the status of a junction. This extension eventually fell victim to Dr Beeching's "Reshaping of Britain's Railways" report. It was closed to passengers in 1965 and to all traffic at the beginning of 1966, reducing Ilkley to a terminus once more. The line was electrified in 1995.

In the late 1980s, the roofed area covering the western end of the platforms was closed in and converted into a small supermarket, the lines being shortened to make room for this alteration. The area between former Platforms 3 and 4 (the Skipton through lines) was infilled during electrification work and is now a carpark. The ramp leading up from Station Road passes through the area once occupied by the coal drops at the eastern end of Platform 4.

Ilkley is notable in that it was the last British Rail station to be lit by gas. The gas lights were finally extinguished in the late 1980s.

Gallery

References

Railways Through Airedale & Wharfedale Martin Bairstow (2004) ISBN 1-871944-28-7

External links

* [http://www.signalbox.org/gallery/lm/ilkleyjcn.htm Ilkley Junction signal box]