Ilkley Services

[armadillomaste]

Just a quick query

Does anyone know why there are no services from the Wharfedale line in Yorkshire through to Skipton etc?

Alwaysd used to annoy me i had to change at Shipley for any service that way.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

I imagine it's because the main passenger flows are all from Ilkley/Skipton towards Leeds/Bradford. Of course, if the route from Ilkley-Skipton via Bolton Abbey had never closed it would be possible that way, but I'm not sure how much demand there'd be today for that-If it were still open it would have added a fair chunk to the cost of putting the knitting up for 333s to carry fresh air up an admittedly very picturesque valley. There's no reason why there couldn't be a service from Ilkley-Skipton via Baildon and Shipley P1&2, but there probably isn't the demand. Certainly not for a 4-car EMU service anyway. Changing at Shipley is not a major problem really, is it?

 

[bluenoxid]

The simplest reason is no demand. The other reason is capacity through Baildon and also up the valley towards Skipton.

What you also have to remember is that any movement from Ilkley towards Skipton blocks the lines through Shipley.

As the poster above states, the flows are towards Leeds and Bradford. Any spare paths created from resignalling the area would be focused on these lines.

Keighley is connected to Ilkley by the 762/5 and Skipton is connected to Ilkley by the X84.

 

[30907]

The 762/5 runs half-hourly daytimes (it serves Addingham and the housing estates of Silsden) and the X84 hourly which confirms that demand is low.

The only other factor re may be a flow of students to and from Saltaire from the Airedale line - but Shipley to Saltaire isn't much over 10 minutes walk for those who don't fancy the wait (which BTW is usually 5 mins one way and 10 the other).