Wakefield Kirkgate railway station

UK stations
name = Wakefield Kirkgate


manager = Northern Rail
locale = Wakefield
borough = City of Wakefield
pte = West Yorkshire (Metro)
zone = 3
platforms = 3
lowusage0405 = 372
lowusage0506 = 564
lowusage0607 = 769
latitude = 53.679
longitude = -1.488

Wakefield Kirkgate Railway Station is a Railway station in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England. It is older than the nearby Westgate station which serves a lot more destinations, especially places further afield. It is on the Hallam, Pontefract and Huddersfield lines.

The original Kirkgate station was opened by the Manchester and Leeds Railway in 1840, and it remained the only station in central Wakefield until Wakefield Westgate railway station was opened in 1867. The present building was erected in 1854.

The station currently consists of the main station building and platform and an island platform linked by a subway. Some demolition work took place in 1972, removing buildings on the central platform and a roof which covered the whole station. A wall remains as evidence of these buildings, with an original ironwork canopy.January 2008 saw the demolition of the former goods warehouse to make way for a new depot for Network Rail, [cite web|url=http://wakeysignals.bravehost.com/demo.html|title=Going..Going..nearly Gone..!|work=Wakey S&T..Online|accessdate=2008-04-03] and possibly the start of the redevelopment of the station itself.

Kirkgate station became a Grade II listed building in 1979.

Since Westgate station has been developed as the main rail station for Wakefield, Kirkgate has been neglected and some parts of the station are now in a poor state of repair. The station is unstaffed and the local consensus is that the current state of the facilities there puts the travelling public off using the station. [cite web|url=http://www.wakefield.gov.uk/MG/Published/C00000222/M00008669/AI00019745/$RailSafetyonthePontefractLineAppendices.docA.ps.pdf|title=Rail Safety at Kirkgate and Services on the Pontefract Line|publisher=City of Wakefield Metropolitan District Council|accessdate=2008-04-03] The station is owned by Network Rail, with Northern Rail leasing the facilities they use.The station in recent times has attracted the attention of the local media. There have been several articles in the Wakefield Express regarding paranormal activity at the train station. Apparently the ghost of a woman in Victorian dress has been seen wandering the subway between platforms 1+2, among many other sightings.

Trains for Leeds, Castleford and Normanton on the Hallam Line leave on platform 1, as well as trains for Selby and Huddersfield. On platform 2, trains depart for Barnsley, Meadowhall and Sheffield, and platform 3 is used for services towards Pontefract Tanshelf, Featherstone and Streethouse.

ervices

All services through this station are now (CURRENTYEAR) operated by Northern Rail, having previously being operated by Arriva Trains Northern and Northern Spirit since the privatisation of British Rail in 1997.

Hallam Line - There are two trains per hour to Leeds and to Sheffield one express and one stopping service.

Huddersfield Line - There is an hourly service from Westgate to Huddersfield and beyond with no Sunday service.

Pontefract Line - There is an hourly service to Knottingley railway station via Pontefract Monkhill with no service on Sundays.

Intercity plans

In December 2008 Kirkgate station will see the launch of the new Northern Rail service for a new Leeds to Nottingham service. This route will go via Kirkgate before heading off to Barnsley and Sheffield and onto Chesterfield and Nottingham, with the trains being run on an hourly basis. [cite web|url=http://www.northernrail.org/news/45|date=2006-11-22|accessdate=2008-04-03|work=Northern Rail|title=Extra Leeds Nottingham Train Services Announced]

References

External links

* [http://www.wakefield.gov.uk/MG/Published/C00000222/M00008669/AI00019745/$RailSafetyonthePontefractLineAppendices.docA.ps.pdf Wakefield Council Report on the current state of the station, including photographs]

The Signalling Centre at Wakefield - [www.wakefieldsignallers.bravehost.com]

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