Kirkstall Forge & Apperley Bridge

[johntea]

Went past today. Apperley Bridge looks at the state of completion, now even has the Metro branded station name boards up. Kirkstall on the other hand still looks like it requires further work though if they got on with it could maybe get it done before the new timetable.

 

[bluenoxid]

Rail has tweeted that Apperley Bridge has been delayed to January.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Rail has tweeted that Apperley Bridge has been delayed to January.

Any reason given...and what opening date in January is now envisaged?

 

[bluenoxid]

Any reason given...and what opening date in January is now envisaged?

Their sources are not saying much

http://www.railmagazine.com/news/ne...yed?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

I was seriously considering this area for moving to over the summer and I would be loathed to be living there now.

 

[johntea]

http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co....ayed_Apperley_Bridge_railway_station_opening/

But red tape is still holding up the opening, as the Office of Rail Regulation and Network Rail have not yet signed off on all the necessary safety checks.

No mention of Kirkstall Forge then again I suppose that isn't any concern of Bradford Council :roll:

Even when it does open they'll be moaning about the 1TPH!

 

[61653 HTAFC]

http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co....ayed_Apperley_Bridge_railway_station_opening/



No mention of Kirkstall Forge then again I suppose that isn't any concern of Bradford Council :roll:

Even when it does open they'll be moaning about the 1TPH!

And so they should be... If there's room to stop one, there's room to stop the other!

 

[Bantamzen]

And so they should be... If there's room to stop one, there's room to stop the other!

Both hourly Bradford FS - Leeds services have been re-timed to allow for a stop at Apperley Bridge, and even RTT seems to suggest that both will. So it would be a bit odd for only one an hour to call there when it finally opens.

 

[quantinghome]

But red tape is still holding up the opening, as the Office of Rail Regulation and Network Rail have not yet signed off on all the necessary safety checks.

Funny how the media describe safety checks as 'red tape', then demand people's head on a stick when there's an accident...

 

[Grumpy]

Funny how the media describe safety checks as 'red tape', then demand people's head on a stick when there's an accident...

I don't think anyone is suggesting the station should be opened if unsafe, merely that ORR/NR should get off their backsides and either do the paperwork to allow the station to open or say what further work needs to be done.

I drove past Apperley Bridge around lunchtime today and noticed that the barrier on the approach road (see image 6412 of Dave's excellent album on post 282)was closed . This suggests no-one is now doing any work on site as this was left open when staff were working.

Returning in the dark around 5pm I noticed the approach road, 300 space car park and station platforms all brilliantly lit up.

 

[quantinghome]

If it's being delayed for no good reason then I agree. However, we don't know this, and the paper hasn't done enough research to say this is the case. It's just given a knee jerk response. I'm inclined to reserve judgement.

 

[D a v e]

Apperley Bridge date announced as 13th December all being well.

Article

THE new Apperley Bridge railway station will open on Sunday, December 13, four months after it was due to be up-and-running.

Frustrated councillors have been demanding to know for weeks when station, built at a cost of £10 million, would become operational.

The opening was held up by red tape as the Office of Rail Regulation and Network Rail had yet to sign off on all the necessary safety checks.

News of an opening date was welcomed by Bradford Council leader David Green who said: "It has been a long time coming, with recent delays down to Network Rail procedures....

 

[Bantamzen]

Apperley Bridge date announced as 13th December all being well.

Article

Yay!!

Good news, and interestingly they are now reporting that 2tph will run in both directions, backing up what RTT is currently showing. The new timetables should be online at some point today, so let's see if this really is that case!

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

No mention of Kirkstall Forge then again I suppose that isn't any concern of Bradford Council :roll:.......Even when it does open they'll be moaning about the 1TPH!

Has anyone a currently-known official progress report about Kirkstall Forge station?

 

[Bantamzen]

Has anyone a currently-known official progress report about Kirkstall Forge station?

I've nothing official-wise, but passing it each day it still looks like there is quite a bit of work to do (though it's usually hard to see exactly what still needs doing peering through the early morning / evening gloom at at 90mph!). Contractors are still buzzing around the site, and it probably didn't help the Aire flooded the other week, leaving at least some visible signs of excess water on the A65 side of the river when I passed on a 33 bus heading to Guiseley whilst the line was blocked.

 

[Grumpy]

Yay!!

Good news, and interestingly they are now reporting that 2tph will run in both directions, backing up what RTT is currently showing.

RTT of course also shows Kirkstall times on that date.

If Apperley is now deemed "safe" and the time necessary for stopping included in the current timetable, why don't they simply open it this Sunday rather than wait another fortnight?

 

[matacaster]

More info on new stations courtesy of yorkshire post.

http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news...cade-opens-near-leeds-and-it-s-late-1-7595653

Transport bosses have announced the new Apperley Bridge Station in

Bradford will open on Sunday December 13, subject to final approval by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR).

Bradford councillors granted permission for the new station - which includes a 297-space car park - back in 2010 with final approval given by the Department of Transport (DfT) in 2014. An original estimated completion date of August this year was later pushed back until the Autumn....

...Two trains per hour, between Leeds and Bradford Forster Square or Skipton, will call at Apperley Bridge in each direction on Monday to Saturday and hourly on Sundays. The station also includes a drop off point, fully-accessible platforms with both staircases and ramps, secure cycle parking and waiting shelters....

 

[61653 HTAFC]

BBC Look North just did a brief report on Apperley Bridge opening in just over 2 weeks...

However, in the report they simply re-used the footage from the Low Moor story a few weeks ago!

 

[Deerfold]

Can't find anything on Metro's site. And the new timetables are up without times for these 2 stations.

 

[causton]

Can't find anything on Metro's site. And the new timetables are up without times for these 2 stations.

The stops are definitely in there. For example, http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/Y97128/2015/12/13/advanced - but you will notice that they are just "operational" stops and not passenger stops. I believe this will be so that if the stations aren't open, Northern won't have all these trains failing PPM due to failing to call etc!

Same as on the Coventry - Nuneaton shuttle, except the station stops are being replaced with operational stops on a weekly short-term basis. http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/P71084/2015/12/02/advanced

 

[Deerfold]

I was referring to the timetables on Metro's website which is where most locals will look. The stations are in, but with no times against them. If it's opening in less than a fortnight that's not great publicity.

 

[Bantamzen]

I was referring to the timetables on Metro's website which is where most locals will look. The stations are in, but with no times against them. If it's opening in less than a fortnight that's not great publicity.

I think Metro did this because permission to open the station wasn't given when the timetables were finalised and sent for printing. I wouldn't read too much into it, although as you say it's not exactly the best publicity. It may have been better to print them with the proposed calling times covered by a caveat that stated that these were subject to the final opening dates for both new stations.

 

[Deerfold]

I think Metro did this because permission to open the station wasn't given when the timetables were finalised and sent for printing. I wouldn't read too much into it, although as you say it's not exactly the best publicity. It may have been better to print them with the proposed calling times covered by a caveat that stated that these were subject to the final opening dates for both new stations.

In the 80s and 90s the times were put in the timetables with a note that the station would open during the timetable and to check they were open - this at least allowed people to easily see if the times would be useful to them and avoided the need to reprint the timetables when the station opened.

 

[johntea]

On a related note what is happening in relation to Low Moor station? I thought that was supposed to be up and running for this month

 

[Deerfold]

On a related note what is happening in relation to Low Moor station? I thought that was supposed to be up and running for this month

Construction work didn't start until August this year! Metro are being no more forthcoming than "during the next timetable", so sometime before mid-May 2016.

http://www.wymetro.com/news/projects/projectdetails/lowmoor/

Whilst the Combined Authority's page suggests Spring 2016:

http://www.westyorks-ca.gov.uk/News/Articles/Work-begins-on-latest-West-Yorkshire-rail-station/

 

[swt_passenger]

In the 80s and 90s the times were put in the timetables with a note that the station would open during the timetable and to check they were open - this at least allowed people to easily see if the times would be useful to them and avoided the need to reprint the timetables when the station opened.

SWT did that for Cranbrook just this last time round, May 2015.

# Cranbrook Station is expected to open in the summer of 2015.

and the previous Dec 2014:

# Cranbrook Station is expected to open in the Spring of 2015.

Problem was it never opened, so they needn't have bothered...

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Cranbrook is scheduled to receive passenger services from the weekend that encompasses 13th December 2015.

 

[swt_passenger]

Cranbrook is scheduled to receive passenger services from the weekend that encompasses 13th December 2015.

Exactly. The first day of the third timetable since it first appeared...

 

[Solent&Wessex]

In the 80s and 90s the times were put in the timetables with a note that the station would open during the timetable and to check they were open - this at least allowed people to easily see if the times would be useful to them and avoided the need to reprint the timetables when the station opened.

And of course it shouldn't be too difficult to change a pdf file on a website. Reprinting the actual printed leaflets might take longer and cost more, but the pdf copy on the website should be updated easily and cheaply.

 

[quantinghome]

I notice the new Metro all-lines timetable booklet is now up on the site, and shows times for Apperley Bridge in the combined Leeds-Bradford timetables.

 

[Cakestall]

Earlier on in this thread a question arose regarding access to pubs from the two new stations. One of the problems at Kirkstall Forge that affected drink accessibility was whether the development would have access to the west bank of the river and canal. In order to discover the truth I undertook a pub crawl, sorry research stroll on Friday.
Starting from the Abbey Inn at the bottom of Pollard Lane, which was previously in a very isolated spot, we were directed onto a new path. A former dirt road that led to the Hunters Greave Scout camp has been tarmac paved and now extends through the woods and after approx 10 minutes brings you to the new station. This is actually on the Bramley (west) side of the river and reached from the new development by a bridge.
Construction work on the station seems to be complete with only fitting out needed. What does however become obvious is that it’s the only new development that has taken place. Apart from some listed ex Forge buildings there is just a huge muddy plain. Gossip in the pub was that the first building to take place may well be housing. When the station does open, (February?) there will be a car Park and nothing much else to see. No doubt in ten years time there will be a thriving settlement with a wetherspoons.
I took some photos but they are no great shakes due to the restricted view from the woods, it



being a camera phone and encroaching darkness.