MetroTrain revisited

[YorksLad12]

Mods: wasn't sure where to stick this (steady), but decided it was slightly more speculative than historical. But your call, obvs.

Readers in West Yorkshireland will remember the old MetroTrain brand, with named and coloured routes. The brand was slowly phased out in the noughties, and the last colour version of the map was produced in 2015/16. It went mono in 2016 and hasn't been updated since 2017, and thus doesn't show the Lincoln or via Ordsall Chord services. So, I took the 2015 map and updated it. Made a few other amends as well (my map, my rules), presented here.

Having done that, I went a little crazy and tried to look ahead to 2035, adding in many of the changes we're expecting to happen, some of the usual forum speculation and favourite requests, and a couple of "what have you been smoking?" additions. It was supposed to be a look ahead to 2030 but with this railway...

 

[Neptune]

Interesting. I’m glad you haven’t gone mad with reopenings on the 2035 map as I‘m sure some people would!

I see you have re-routed the Leeds - York stoppers via Sherburn & South Milford which would be very interesting.

 

[YorksLad12]

Interesting. I’m glad you haven’t gone mad with reopenings on the 2035 map as I‘m sure some people would!

I see you have re-routed the Leeds - York stoppers via Sherburn & South Milford which would be very interesting.

Thanks. The nature of the map means you can't go *too* mad... unless I thin out the lines a bit. Hm...

It was a forum suggestion somewhere; build a curve between South Milford and Sherburn-in-Elmet. I have friends in SM who would love a better service to Leeds.

 

[Neptune]

Thanks. The nature of the map means you can't go *too* mad... unless I thin out the lines a bit. Hm...

It was a forum suggestion somewhere; build a curve between South Milford and Sherburn-in-Elmet. I have friends in SM who would love a better service to Leeds.

It would be a good idea. Sherburn could be connected to Leeds if a Leeds - York via Castleford service was run however it would miss everywhere else en route.

There are so few realistic re-openings in W.Yorks. The Wetherby line is oft mentioned and while most of the trackbed is there it is on the bottleneck East Leeds route.

I also approve of one Garforth station to replace the current pair with one in between to allow the extra station at Thorpe Park to retain just the 4 stops. The current car park at Garforth can connect to it at the other end and a path could be built from the housing area serving East Garforth.

 

[bluenoxid]

Ferrybridge Parkway is an interesting thought.
Something I thought about was Crosshills and Kildwick and also Portsmouth.

 

[xotGD]

You could add the Embsay & Bolton Abbey serving Skipton (with through running to Colne?).

 

[YorksLad12]

Ferrybridge Parkway is an interesting thought.
Something I thought about was Crosshills and Kildwick and also Portsmouth.

Crosshills was on the list of potentials about six years ago, wasn't it? I wonder what happened to it. Ferrybridge I thought of as there's the A1 to the north and M62 to the south, and potentially lots of parking space at the power station site next to the line. You'd need to run two fast services to Wakefield and Leeds to make it attractive though, not a bolt-on to a stopper. Probably not the paths for it.

You could add the Embsay & Bolton Abbey serving Skipton (with through running to Colne?).

I did think of that (but not the through-running) give that the KWVR is on there. Something for version 2, with a redrawing of that area.

 

[bluenoxid]

Crosshills was on the list of potentials about six years ago, wasn't it? I wonder what happened to it.

I cannot remember if it was or wasn’t. The problem for Crosshills is that it is the wrong side of the border (North Yorkshire), so it is not felt that it will draw in people and the pull of Steeton and Silsden with much cheaper fares will proved too strong.

It is also the location of a level crossing that would benefit from replacement with a bridge. The level crossing constrains the site and the old station site would not have much space for parking cars.

Further house building in the area is constrained by land developed and the flood plain of the River Aire.

 

[Neptune]

You could add the Embsay & Bolton Abbey serving Skipton (with through running to Colne?).

The problem is they’re not in West Yorkshire.

 

[YorksLad12]

The problem is they’re not in West Yorkshire.

To be fair, I included Skipton-Colne and the link to Ripon.

Honestly surprised that no-one has mentioned Marsh Lane!

 

[Neptune]

Honestly surprised that no-one has mentioned Marsh Lane!

Marsh Lane would require 4 tracking to allow it to become reality. A near impossibility sadly as it would be a useful station for the East end of the city centre. Castlefield 4 tracking has more chance of happening.

 

[mspljd1990]

Some interesting additions to your second map. Is there any rumours of an Otley spur or is that one of your "what are you smoking?" ideas? Would it serve as a stop for Ilkley bound trains or be a terminus, including services from Ilkley?

 

[YorksLad12]

Marsh Lane would require 4 tracking to allow it to become reality. A near impossibility sadly as it would be a useful station for the East end of the city centre. Castlefield 4 tracking has more chance of happening.

Years ago I came across something on a different forum. The author pointed out that you could build a new, twin-track viaduct immediately south of the existing one for the cost of three buildings (one of which is low-rise, and could be rebuilt underneath it). Then you'd hit the cemetery at Leeds Parish Church and a decision would have to be made. There space after that to continue at least as far as Neville Hill.

But there are no plans (that I'm aware of), so yeah - Castlefield much more likely!

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Some interesting additions to your second map. Is there any rumours of an Otley spur or is that one of your "what are you smoking?" ideas? Would it serve as a stop for Ilkley bound trains or be a terminus, including services from Ilkley?

Oh, that's one of mine

I think it would be used; if you look at Menston, the car park is always full. There are regular, frequent bus services between Menston station and Otley, and between Ilkley, Otley and Leeds so I reckon there's a market. You couldn't come in from the Horsforth side as the track bed is built on, but west is pretty clear as is the former station site. Building a car park and access would be tricky, on the Apperley Bridge scale.

I think it would have to be through services to make it viable but there's already a half-hourly service from both Leeds and Bradford. One option would be to run trains (three-car 331s) every 20 minutes, alternating between via Otley and direct.

 

[30907]

I think it would be used; if you look at Menston, the car park is always full. There are regular, frequent bus services between Menston station and Otley, and between Ilkley, Otley and Leeds so I reckon there's a market. You couldn't come in from the Horsforth side as the track bed is built on, but west is pretty clear as is the former station site. Building a car park and access would be tricky, on the Apperley Bridge scale.

I think it would have to be through services to make it viable but there's already a half-hourly service from both Leeds and Bradford. One option would be to run trains (three-car 331s) every 20 minutes, alternating between via Otley and direct.

The Ilkley-facing curve would never make a business case. 4tph ex Leeds with 2 to Otley West perhaps, though it's a long way round from Menston?

I like the Sherburn idea, though it would be expensive.

Ferrybridge Parkway - would require a half hourly Leeds service, which wouldn't go down well in Knottingley I presume - and in any case I wonder where people will come from to park there?

West Craven Parkway - Thornton, Earby and Foulridge could probably justify stations.

I assume the KWVR is there for info, not as a commuter route?

 

[xotGD]

The problem is they’re not in West Yorkshire.

West Riding!

 

[bluenoxid]

The Ilkley-facing curve would never make a business case. 4tph ex Leeds with 2 to Otley West perhaps, though it's a long way round from Menston?

I like the Sherburn idea, though it would be expensive.

Ferrybridge Parkway - would require a half hourly Leeds service, which wouldn't go down well in Knottingley I presume - and in any case I wonder where people will come from to park there?

West Craven Parkway - Thornton, Earby and Foulridge could probably justify stations.

I assume the KWVR is there for info, not as a commuter route?

KWVR has always been on these maps and the daily timetable was included in the Airedale and combined timetables.

Personally, I think Thornton won’t justify a station and Foulridge is marginal dependent on location and work done at Colne. West Craven Parkway enables the proposed station to be all things to all people before it’s confirmed that it’s location is at the roundabout near Kelbrook with a car park and a couple of bus stops on the main road.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Great stuff on the 2035 map, though I'd hope that by then the Trans-Pennine wires will be up and there'll be room in the timetable for Golcar & Milnsbridge station between Huddersfield and Slaithwaite.

 

[Sapphire Blue]

I know it's schematic but having Manchester Airport to the North East of Piccadilly and Liverpool South/South/East of Victoria just hurts my eyes.

 

[YorksLad12]

I know it's schematic but having Manchester Airport to the North East of Piccadilly and Liverpool South/South/East of Victoria just hurts my eyes.

It's a 'feature' of the map being squarish and displayed in a portrait-shaped poster. If t'were landscape like the Underground map you could bend the lines out to the left more. But I deliberately decided to follow the original, although that had the Airport south and very east of Piccadilly before the Ordsall Chord came in. Going back as far as the late 1980s when the map was introduced, Victoria was always to the west of Piccadilly rather than the north.

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EDIT Is this more what you were thinking of, @Sapphire Blue? I'm not overly keen on having the two station marks for Piccadilly, but it stil makes clear the difference between stopping services and those that run through to the Airport via Victoria and Oxford Road. I'd considered the Liverpool dog-leg previously, as shown.