Leeds Wortley Curve

[deltic08]

I have just been looking at the new West Yorkshire Integrated Authority website for information on East Leeds Parkway station and came across a statement dated November 2014 that the Wortley Curve is to be reopened to allow trains from Bradford to travel to Wakefield without entering Leeds station.

Can somebody please tell me how long the curve is from junction to junction?

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Have to say I'm rather surprised there's (presumably) a business case for Wortley curve, Wakefield to Bradford is not a huge market, and as there's no longer the Bowling curve to avoid Bradford Interchange I can't see it having much use for freight. Surely the benefits of serving Leeds outweigh the extra journey time needed.

 

[class 9]

I have just been looking at the new West Yorkshire Integrated Authority website for information on East Leeds Parkway station and came across a statement dated November 2014 that the Wortley Curve is to be reopened to allow trains from Bradford to travel to Wakefield without entering Leeds station.

Can somebody please tell me how long the curve is from junction to junction?

No more than half a mile.

 

[ic250]

Surely some kind of connection between the line to Wakefield Westgate would be better, thus providing an electrified link from the Airedale line branch to Bradford (and on to London) without having to go via Leeds?

Not sure this would be possible though, looking at google maps.

 

[snowball]

Surely some kind of connection between the line to Wakefield Westgate would be better, thus providing an electrified link from the Airedale line branch to Bradford (and on to London) without having to go via Leeds?

Not sure this would be possible though, looking at google maps.

Surely the Wortley curve does link at its south end to the electrified line to Wakefield Westgate. The problem is that at its west end it links to the non-electrified line to Bradford Interchange, not the electrified line to Bradford Forster Square (and Airedale and Ilkley).

Maybe that's what you intended to say.

 

[Llama]

Worth noting that what was left of the track has recently, ie within the last few weeks, been lifted and cleared at the Bradford (Wortley Jn) end.

 

[Bantamzen]

I'm not sure there is enough demand for a direct Bradford - Wakefield service, as even the once popular X33 service to Sheffield via Wakefield and Barnsley has fallen by the wayside and direct Arriva services aren't too frequent.

Saying that haven't VTEC said that they would like to run bi-hourly services from Forster Square by 2018? If so could these not run through Leeds and eastwards towards the ECML via the Hambleton curve giving Bradford a regular and direct service (i.e. without having the reverse), assuming of course it's electrified by then?

 

[Condor7]

Have to say I'm rather surprised there's (presumably) a business case for Wortley curve, Wakefield to Bradford is not a huge market, and as there's no longer the Bowling curve to avoid Bradford Interchange I can't see it having much use for freight. Surely the benefits of serving Leeds outweigh the extra journey time needed.

I am not sure about this, but is it something to do with the Grand Central service from Bradford, that is not allowed to pick up and drop off at Leeds?

 

[Senex]

Surely some kind of connection between the line to Wakefield Westgate would be better, thus providing an electrified link from the Airedale line branch to Bradford (and on to London) without having to go via Leeds?

Not sure this would be possible though, looking at google maps.

You can already do that by running via Hambleton -- admittedly diesel only. But that ought to be electrified within the next ten years (assuming the expected slippage and more on the trans-Pennine electrification programme).

 

[61653 HTAFC]

I am not sure about this, but is it something to do with the Grand Central service from Bradford, that is not allowed to pick up and drop off at Leeds?

Perhaps, but is it worth building an expensive curve for 4 services a day in each direction?

 

[deltic08]

I am not sure about this, but is it something to do with the Grand Central service from Bradford, that is not allowed to pick up and drop off at Leeds?

Grand Central runs via Halifax, Brighouse Wakefield Kirkgate.

 

[Darren R]

I really don't see any desperate need to reopen the Wortley Curve; it was disused for years before finally being disconnected and nobody missed it.

In any case, I think whoever thought of this idea ought to be directed to the thread about reopening the Todmorden Curve (a much more useful project) before deciding whether this is a project worth pursuing or not!

 

[61653 HTAFC]

I really don't see any desperate need to reopen the Wortley Curve; it was disused for years before finally being disconnected and nobody missed it.

In any case, I think whoever thought of this idea ought to be directed to the thread about reopening the Todmorden Curve (a much more useful project) before deciding whether this is a project worth pursuing or not!

Quite... The Horbury curve would be far more useful than Wortley in terms of new journey opportunities for both passengers and freight. Admittedly it is a good deal longer though, so would be more expensive.

 

[deltic08]

Perhaps, but is it worth building an expensive curve for 4 services a day in each direction?

My sentiment exactly. I have been trying for the last four years to persuade Metro to reinstate the first two miles of the former Cross Gates-Wetherby line to service the 5,000 house development just started either side of the trackbed and already planned A64 P&R for approximately £17m but it has fallen on deaf ears.

This would allow turnback of Aire Valley services instead of in Leeds creating extra capacity in the west end bay platforms.

Imagine my irritation when I read Wortley Curve was to be reopened. I can't find a figure but estimate that the cost would be in the order of £15-£20m. Is there someone out there who can give a more accurate figure please?

 

[theblackwatch]

No more than half a mile.

Correct according to my Miles & Chains (ER) book, which gives it as 0.46 miles (or 37 chains for those who haven't gone decimal yet).

 

[Ploughman]

Would it be of any benefit if it was linked in with a proposal to link Bradford Forster Square and Interchange?
Then a lot of freight could be removed from crossing Leeds West end.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Would it be of any benefit if it was linked in with a proposal to link Bradford Forster Square and Interchange?
Then a lot of freight could be removed from crossing Leeds West end.

I suppose it would, but Bradford Crossrail is in whole new level of fantasy, cost-wise. The freight benefits could be served by a flyover from the Woodlesford lines (where most freight to/from the S&C originates/goes) to the Airedale lines (replacing the current Whitehall curve, to avoid crossing Leeds station throat on the level), and whilst that would still be expensive and complicated, it would be far cheaper and less disruptive than the demolition of a big chunk of Bradford city centre.

 

[bluenoxid]

Another driver for this is HS2/Northern Powerhouse connections

 

[Condor7]

Grand Central runs via Halifax, Brighouse Wakefield Kirkgate.

Yes but I think there is a new proposed service that they hoped could avoid Leeds, or at one time there was talk of going through Leeds non stop and out to the ECML that way.

 

[eastwestdivide]

I have just been looking at the new West Yorkshire Integrated Authority website for information on East Leeds Parkway station and came across a statement dated November 2014 that the Wortley Curve is to be reopened to allow trains from Bradford to travel to Wakefield without entering Leeds station.

Can somebody please tell me how long the curve is from junction to junction?

Can't find any mention of it on the WYITA website - do you have a link?

I did find this PDF on the Leeds.gov.uk site
http://www.leeds.gov.uk/docs/LEH 12 Transport.pdf
on the "Leeds City Region ‘West Yorkshire Plus’ Transport Fund"
which says (in part):

The transformational schemes that have been identified for further development and investment are:
 Electrification and upgrade of all core rail routes
 Rail or tram train connections between Leeds and Bradford to Leeds Bradford International Airport
 Enhancing the quality of the local rail network through the outputs of the Yorkshire Rail Network Study including the restoration of the Wortley Curve to provide better links to Bradford from the East Coast Main Line, Wakefield and Sheffield
 Preparing the local rail network for High Speed Rail
 Expansion of the initial NGT trolleybus network to provide a core ‘rapid transit’ network
for West Yorkshire
 Full upgrade of the strategic motorway network

Note the phrasing "identified for further development and investment", which I take to mean "we'd like to look at this possibility" rather than "is to be reopened"

 

[ASharpe]

I was just going to wait and see, but can someone tell me exactly where GC train south on Sunday will go.

I thought there would probably be a reversal at Leeds or something, is the driver going to change ends just outside the station?

http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/Y10027/2015/02/22/advanced

 

[eastwestdivide]

Looks like it from those timings, Whitehall Jn, within sight of the end of the platforms.
It's also doing Wakefield Kirkgate direct to Doncaster (via Adwick, not Pontefract) - or is that normal on Sundays anyway?

 

[ASharpe]

Looks like it from those timings, Whitehall Jn, within sight of the end of the platforms.
It's also doing Wakefield Kirkgate direct to Doncaster (via Adwick, not Pontefract) - or is that normal on Sundays anyway?

Thanks, most trains go via Adwick all week- only those that stop at Pontefract go that way.

 

[deltic08]

Can't find any mention of it on the WYITA website - do you have a link?

I did find this PDF on the Leeds.gov.uk site
http://www.leeds.gov.uk/docs/LEH 12 Transport.pdf
on the "Leeds City Region ‘West Yorkshire Plus’ Transport Fund"
which says (in part):



Note the phrasing "identified for further development and investment", which I take to mean "we'd like to look at this possibility" rather than "is to be reopened"

You are correct, my mistake but work has already started clearing the site.

 

[eastwestdivide]

I suspect the site clearance is a red herring. There's a lot of lineside clearance of various sorts going on round Yorkshire recently (opening up some views which were previously obscured by trees), but in the absence of any other information on actual funded projects, I suspect any current clearance work at Wortley is just that, clearance work/tidying up/tree removal/old track recovery, and not the first phase of anything bigger.

 

[pdeaves]

Correct according to my Miles & Chains (ER) book, which gives it as 0.46 miles (or 37 chains for those who haven't gone decimal yet).

I reckon 35ch (see http://www.railwaycodes.org.uk/ELRs/_mileages/W/WWS.txt). Same order of magnitude, though.

 

[deltic08]

Correct according to my Miles & Chains (ER) book, which gives it as 0.46 miles (or 37 chains for those who haven't gone decimal yet).

Thank you. Longer than it looks on Ordnance Survey.