Ravensthorpe platforms: why not on the Wakefield line?

[matacaster]

For those who are unaware, Ravensthorpe station is situated where the Huddersfield - Leeds Line diverges from the Huddersfield to Wakefield line. The station has platforms for the Leeds line, but no corresponding ones for the Wakefield line. Should this situation be addressed?

In saying the above, I do accept that there are few passengers that use the station and its Ravensthorpe station is somewhat of a dump surrounded by brownfield land and an awful place (village?). However, would some decent brownfield housing and a Wakefield platform help to improve the place?

 

[61653 HTAFC]

With the area as it is, I don't see any possibility of any investment above and beyond what's needed to maintain it. It is the least used station within West Yorkshire (apart from Pontecarlo Baghill of course) by quite some margin- and it is easy to see why. As long as this remains the case, and as long as the section from there to Heaton Lodge junction remains such a bottleneck, I can't see any case for adding platforms on the Wakefield line.

I've often thought the same with regard to developing the surrounding area with a "new village" though. Considering the housing crisis it seems like a no-brainer, but I wouldn't be hugely surprised if the land surrounding the station is rife with residues of industry that could be considered harmful.

If ever the surrounding area becomes housing, I could possibly see usage increasing significantly. If that happens I could then see platforms being added on the Wakey line, but only once the scope and details of the route upgrade plan, as the layout could be affected. The footbridge will need sorting from an accessibility point of view, though with the current low usage a derogation might be granted- an increase in usage would presumably lead to this work being mandated.

 

[yorksrob]

I'd say getting a station at Ossett (between Ravensthorpe and Wakefield) should be a higher priority IMO. Bigger market, currently bus reliant.

 

[YorkshireBear]

I'd say getting a station at Ossett (between Ravensthorpe and Wakefield) should be a higher priority IMO. Bigger market, currently bus reliant.

Definitely, an area crying out for a station. Should be easy to provide within the existing services too which is always a plus.

 

[CaptainHaddock]

I'd say getting a station at Ossett (between Ravensthorpe and Wakefield) should be a higher priority IMO. Bigger market, currently bus reliant.

Where would you build an Ossett station? The town is a mile away from the railway line; the only place you could conceivably build a station would be at Healey Mills which is at the foot of a very steep hill. This would be ideal for visiting the excellent Brewers Pride pub but I can't see it attracting much custom from Ossett dwellers without a bus link, which would of course defeat the object of making the town less bus-reliant.

Horbury on the other hand would be a much more practical proposition.

 

[bbrez]

I may be wrong but in the 90's there were plans for a lot of development around Ravensthorpe, which got canned. The pace is a dump though, it needs regeneration and certainly has the capacity to be a prime location for house building etc.

 

[IanXC]

I suppose that platforms on the Wakefield lines, resulting in removal of those on the Leeds lines might stack up in terms of removing a calling point on the TPE mainline. Does Ravensthorpe have a primary flow to Leeds or to Huddersfield?

 

[yorkie]

For those who are unaware, Ravensthorpe station is situated where the Huddersfield - Leeds Line diverges from the Huddersfield to Wakefield line. The station has platforms for the Leeds line, but no corresponding ones for the Wakefield line. Should this situation be addressed?

There is no prospect of a station on the Huddersfield-Leeds line; stoppers get in the way of TPE enough as it is without making the situation worse. Passengers from Ravensthorpe towards Dewsbury can catch a bus. If there was a pot of several million pounds for stations in the area, there would be many stations with a good case for access to that pot of money.

If there was plenty of money available for re-modelling of the line and re-siting the platforms as part of that, then we can consider the remote possibility of Huddersfield-Leeds trains calling at Ravensthorpe.
Edit: ignore the above, see my post #13 below!

 

[Ianno87]

There is no prospect of a station on the Huddersfield-Leeds line; stoppers get in the way of TPE enough as it is without making the situation worse. Passengers from Ravensthorpe towards Dewsbury can catch a bus. If there was a pot of several million pounds for stations in the area, there would be many stations with a good case for access to that pot of money.

If there was plenty of money available for re-modelling of the line and re-siting the platforms as part of that, then we can consider the remote possibility of Huddersfield-Leeds trains calling at Ravensthorpe.

Ravensthorpe *is* located on the Huddersfield-Dewsbury-Leeds mainline already.

The suggested proposal is to relocate it off the main line onto the Wakefield route, lessening (in theory) the two track capacity constraint via Dewsbury; to the cost of direct Leeds services being possible from Ravensthorpe.

 

[YorkshireBear]

Ravensthorpe *is* located on the Huddersfield-Dewsbury-Leeds mainline already.

The suggested proposal is to relocate it off the main line onto the Wakefield route, lessening (in theory) the two track capacity constraint via Dewsbury; to the cost of direct Leeds services being possible from Ravensthorpe.

Would still slow down stoppers on Huddersfield - Wakefield across the junction.

 

[xotGD]

Does Ravensthorpe have a primary flow to Leeds or to Huddersfield?

Neither!

 

[Segedunum]

When I used the station in the middle of a weekday last year, we had nobody boarding towards Leeds and 1 other person travelling towards Huddersfield.

That said, Deighton wasn't exactly busy either.

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[yorkie]

Ravensthorpe *is* located on the Huddersfield-Dewsbury-Leeds mainline already.

Ah, my mistake. Well, in that case it's lucky to remain open! In an ideal world you'd have a flyover/diveunder and the station would be located to the west of the junction, with 4-tracking to allow trains to call at Ravensthorpe and Mirfield while being overtaken. Probably unaffordable though.

 

[sheff1]

This thread seems to be talking about about a different area to the one I know !

I'd say getting a station at Ossett (between Ravensthorpe and Wakefield) should be a higher priority IMO.

The railway does not go via Ossett. It runs alongside the River Calder with the town high on the hill above. By the time the line meets a built up area it is in Horbury - where a station has been suggested a few times in the past

There is no prospect of a station on the Huddersfield-Leeds line ...

If there was plenty of money available for re-modelling of the line and re-siting the platforms as part of that, then we can consider the remote possibility of Huddersfield-Leeds trains calling at Ravensthorpe.

Huddersfield - Leeds trains call at Ravensthorpe and have been doing so for well over 100 years.

Ravensthorpe station is so poorly sited that I am surprised it was not closed years ago.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

I'd say getting a station at Ossett (between Ravensthorpe and Wakefield) should be a higher priority IMO. Bigger market, currently bus reliant.

Definitely, an area crying out for a station. Should be easy to provide within the existing services too which is always a plus.

Where would you build an Ossett station? The town is a mile away from the railway line; the only place you could conceivably build a station would be at Healey Mills which is at the foot of a very steep hill. This would be ideal for visiting the excellent Brewers Pride pub but I can't see it attracting much custom from Ossett dwellers without a bus link, which would of course defeat the object of making the town less bus-reliant.

Horbury on the other hand would be a much more practical proposition.

A station ought to be built at Horbury Bridge, near to where the main Huddersfield to Wakefield road crosses the line. A decent sized car park and a couple of bus bays and there you have it- a convenient parkway for both Horbury and Ossett!

I suppose that platforms on the Wakefield lines, resulting in removal of those on the Leeds lines might stack up in terms of removing a calling point on the TPE mainline. Does Ravensthorpe have a primary flow to Leeds or to Huddersfield?

From my limited observation the flow is primarily towards Huddersfield, but not by much. As things stand, those going to Leeds could change at Westgate, though journey time would double at least. Changing at Kirkgate may be better, and unlike Westgate it isn't being axed.

Would still slow down stoppers on Huddersfield - Wakefield across the junction.

It would, but probably marginally less so than at present, because by the time it's at the platform it's already (just) out of the way.

When I used the station in the middle of a weekday last year, we had nobody boarding towards Leeds and 1 other person travelling towards Huddersfield.

That said, Deighton wasn't exactly busy either.

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Ravensthorpe does have peak regulars, quite a few get dropped off and picked up there. Deighton too is quite peak-oriented, but less so as it does have a lot of housing around it. If significant housing is ever built near RVN it will improve*, but until then it will remain a bit of a basket-case compared to the rest of the line. It and Deighton don't even have pubs nearby for the Ale Trail!

*= That does of course raise another issue: overcrowding!

 

[yorksrob]

Where would you build an Ossett station? The town is a mile away from the railway line; the only place you could conceivably build a station would be at Healey Mills which is at the foot of a very steep hill. This would be ideal for visiting the excellent Brewers Pride pub but I can't see it attracting much custom from Ossett dwellers without a bus link, which would of course defeat the object of making the town less bus-reliant.

Horbury on the other hand would be a much more practical proposition.

Horbury would be a good one as well.

 

[xotGD]

It and Deighton don't even have pubs nearby for the Ale Trail!

What do you mean? You have Deighton Working Men's Club just up the road!

 

[Spartacus]

One thing that's always going to hold Ravensthorpe back is a lack of parking, with currently few if any good options for expanding the currently pretty bad parking situation.

Serving Ossett from the Healey Mills area is I think a non-starter, the best bet for that area would be to reopen Horbury & Ossett station, and ahead of Ravensthorpe should be Thornhill just down the line, with no complications of having trains crossing the junction at walking pace.

Because of that I think Ravensthorpe's only chance of getting platforms on the Wakefield line is if the formation through there is rebuilt something like along it's original lines, the two tracks for both the former L&Y and LNWR routes essentially running parallel, with crossovers between for anything requiring it. That's not to say even then I think it'd have a good chance, not with only one train an hour serving it, though I could see merit in running a Wakefield - Calder Valley service, perhaps just to Halifax, Bradford or Hebden Bridge to supplement the current Leeds - Man Vic via Dewsbury which is quite popular now. Post electrification that may even be where it's routed to prevent there being a slow diesel under the wires for too long.

 

[WestRiding]

I used to live in Thornhill Lees. That should have a station. Loads of housing, loads of people. Wakefield is extremely poorly connected to the area with a bus service of no use, considering it is so close.

 

[YorkshireBear]

Ah, my mistake. Well, in that case it's lucky to remain open! In an ideal world you'd have a flyover/diveunder and the station would be located to the west of the junction, with 4-tracking to allow trains to call at Ravensthorpe and Mirfield while being overtaken. Probably unaffordable though.

I am led to believe it is being looked at as part of Northern Powerhouse Rail or whatever its called these days.

 

[lejog]

Does Ravensthorpe have a primary flow to Leeds or to Huddersfield?

I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but I think that for a spell fairly recently there wasn't even a service to Huddersfield. Around 2013/4(?} the service from Brighouse started calling at both Ravensthorpe and Cottingley, having previously skipped both. I was under the impression that at this time the Huddersfield service skipped these stations. I certainly don't think either station rose to the giddy heights of 2tph.

The service has now reverted to the "old" pattern with the Brighouse service skipping the two stations and the Huddersfield stopping.

And next year it will become a TPE only stationhock:, as the Brighouse service will continue to skip it.

 

[Segedunum]

I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but I think that for a spell fairly recently there wasn't even a service to Huddersfield. Around 2013/4(?} the service from Brighouse started calling at both Ravensthorpe and Cottingley, having previously skipped both. I was under the impression that at this time the Huddersfield service skipped these stations. I certainly don't think either station rose to the giddy heights of 2tph.

The service has now reverted to the "old" pattern with the Brighouse service skipping the two stations and the Huddersfield stopping.

And next year it will become a TPE only stationhock:, as the Brighouse service will continue to skip it.

Cottingley is a bizarre one where I'm sure that the Brighouse calls Leeds bound and the Huddersfield calls on its way out of Leeds off peak. Both call both ways in the peaks.

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[matacaster]

What do you mean? You have Deighton Working Men's Club just up the road!

A visit to said club would reveal the snooker table cloth has a large bleach stain. it was occasioned by a lady with a domestic issue.

 

[AndrewE]

Maybe Ravensthorpe hasn't been developed for housing (and thus justified a better train service) because of twin issues of the type of contamination of the brownfield land and potential flooding of that housing in the river valley?
A

 

[Mr Mean]

There are plans for thousands of new homes in the area between Mirfield and Ravensthorpe / Thornhill along with a relief road which may lead to increased usage at the station. The land all around the station would, I imagine, be badly contaminated having been home to a coal power station and a quarry which was filled with waste. There is scope for much more parking and I think if the station was improved it could become a useful parkway service south and west Dewsbury.

I did read somewhere that there is a potential for an hs3 tunnel to emerge at Ravensthorpe coming through direct from Huddersfield. If this happens, it may lead to a rebuilding of the railway layout.

Going back in time, what was the layout at this junction, has it always been a 3 track route? I'm guessing not, but was it 4 lines; 2 to Leeds and 2 to Wakefield or some other layout?

 

[Spartacus]

Going back there were 4 tracks towards Wakefield, while there were two to Dewbury, but only ever platforms on the Dewsbury line. Most of the land around the station is still in industrial use, or at least private hands. For instance much of the former site of the coal power station is now a gas fired one