Pontefract line

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Pontefract line
A Northern Trains Class 158 at Pontefract Monkhill, August 2021
Overview
Owner	Network Rail
Locale	Yorkshire and the Humber
Termini	Leeds, Wakefield Westgate, Goole
Stations	16
Technical
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Route map (Click to expand)

v t e Pontefract Line
Legend
Selby Line Leeds Wakefield, Airedale, and Huddersfield lines Leeds New Approach Leeds Hunslet Lane Hunslet Middleton Railway E&WYUR Woodlesford Methley North Methley Junction Methley Joint Railway Methley South Altofts and Whitwood Castleford Cutsyke Hallam line Castleford Castleford–Garforth line to Sherburn-in-Elmet Glasshoughton Hallam line Wakefield line to Leeds / to Doncaster Wakefield Westgate Wakefield Kirkgate North Midland Railway to Fitzwilliam Dearne Valley Railway Crofton Sharlston Streethouse Featherstone Pontefract Tanshelf Pontefract Monkhill to Pontefract Baghill Dearne Valley line Knottingley Askern branch line Whitley Bridge Hensall East Coast Main Line Hull and Barnsley Railway H&B and GC Joint Railway Snaith Rawcliffe Selby–Goole line Hull and Doncaster Branch to Doncaster Goole (L&Y) Goole Hull and Doncaster Branch to Hull

The Pontefract line is a West Yorkshire Metro railway route in Yorkshire, England. The route links Wakefield and Leeds with Goole, via Pontefract. The Metro timetable for the line also includes services operated as the Dearne Valley line between York and Sheffield via Pontefract.

The line, which passes through the former mining areas to the east of Wakefield and Castleford, has the greatest number of stations opened by the West Yorkshire Metro. MetroCards are available on the route as far as Knottingley; a limited service continues to Goole by this route.

History

Railways in the area opened as follows:

• 1 April 1848: the Wakefield, Pontefract and Goole Railway opened, which was 27 miles (43 km) in length. This line passed through and served Knottingley, which was then producing some 65,000 tons of burnt lime a year, mainly used for agricultural and building purposes. It was approved under the Wakefield, Pontefract and Goole Railway Act 1845 (8 & 9 Vict. c. cxlii).
• February 1854: the Great Northern Railway (GNR) and Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (L&YR) jointly administered Knottingley station
• August 1850: Knottingley to Burton Salmon line opened. Trains were able to run from London to York via Knottingley, which was the station to change to and from trains into the heart of the West Riding, and so it became a major junction
• May 1879: The Swinton and Knottingley Railway opened, connecting Sheffield and York via Pontefract; Ferrybridge opened three years later.

Before the 1923 Grouping the lines over which the service operates were owned by:

• Leeds – Methley: Midland Railway (MR)
• Methley – Pontefract (Monkhill) – Goole: L&YR
• Wakefield Westgate station: joint GNR/L&YR
• Wakefield – Pontefract (Monkhill): L&YR

Route description

Service

Both services now run hourly to Leeds from Knottingley; this provides a combined half-hourly service between Knottingley, Pontefract Monkhill and Leeds.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pontefract Line.

• Pontefract Line, including a map^{[link removed]}