Normanton railway station

Coordinates: 53°42′02″N 1°25′25″W / 53.700490°N 1.423520°W / 53.700490; -1.423520
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Normanton
National Rail
Platform 1
General information
LocationNormanton, City of Wakefield
England
Coordinates53°42′02″N 1°25′25″W / 53.700490°N 1.423520°W / 53.700490; -1.423520
Grid referenceSE381228
Managed byNorthern
Transit authorityWest Yorkshire Metro
Platforms2
Other information
Station codeNOR
Fare zone3
ClassificationDfT category F1
History
Original companyNorth Midland Railway
Pre-groupingMidland Railway
Post-groupingLondon, Midland and Scottish Railway
Key dates
30 June 1840Station opened
Passengers
2018/19Decrease 0.220 million
2019/20Increase 0.222 million
2020/21Decrease 51,594
2021/22Increase 0.145 million
2022/23Increase 0.172 million
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

Normanton railway station serves the town of Normanton in West Yorkshire, England. It lies 11 miles (18 km) south-east of Leeds railway station on the Hallam Line, which is operated by Northern.

History[edit]

The original station was opened by the North Midland Railway (NMR) on 30 June 1840[1] (this was one day before nearby Castleford Railway Station which opened on 1 July 1840) on their main line towards Leeds, creating an interchange station between the North Midland Railway (NMR), the York and North Midland Railway (Y&NMR) and the Manchester and Leeds Railway (M&LR) - establishing a three company junction.

A 1912 Railway Clearing House Junction Diagram showing railways in the vicinity of Normanton

It became the focus of several railway lines in the mid-19th century. Construction began in 1837 under the supervision of George Stephenson for the North Midland. This was soon followed by an addition from the York and Midland Railway and then by the Manchester and Leeds line which all joined at Normanton thereby giving the town access to much of the country. The NMR, already open between Derby and Rotherham (Masborough), was opened between Rotherham and Leeds (Hunslet Lane) on 1 July 1840,[2] as was the Y&NMR between Normanton (on the NMR) and Burton Salmon (the line between Burton Salmon and York already being open).[3] The M&LR route between Normanton and Hebden Bridge followed, opening on 5 October 1840,[4] and on 1 March 1841, the final section of the M&LR route to Manchester was opened.[5] The Leeds and Manchester lines crossed a 51 miles (82 km) stretch across the Pennines and at the time boasted the world's longest railway station platform at Normanton – a quarter of a mile (400m) long.

In Victorian times Normanton station was one of the most important stations in northern England and can boast that Queen Victoria stopped over in The Station Hotel. The town also served as an important part of the transport infrastructure for national and local industries including coal and bricks, although most of this was lost during the 1950s and 1960s with the last remaining operational brickworks eventually closing in the mid-nineties. There were three brickworks in town and were all built within the small area known as Newland, taking advantage of the abundance of clay from the area. A fourth works was founded in the 1890s by a man named Thomas Kirk from Nottingham who had heard rumours that Normanton was rapidly turning into an important junction on the railways. Both Kirk and his sons used their life savings and formed the Normanton Brick Company at nearby Altofts which is still in operation today.

'Jubilee' Class 4-6-0 'Leander' at Normanton in 1961

The station lost many of its services in the aftermath of the Beeching Report, with both express and local trains on the NMR main line ceasing to call in 1968[6] and trains to York ending in 1970, leaving only Hallam Line trains to serve the station. The NMR was closed completely in 1988 south of the former Goose Hill Junction (where it diverged from the M&L line to Wakefield) although part of the route further south remains open to serve a glassworks at Monk Bretton, near Barnsley. This has led to much of the railway infrastructure here becoming redundant and being removed - the main buildings have been demolished, the sidings and goods lines lifted, the bay platforms filled in and the main island shortened considerably. The old Station Hotel still stands, but it has been converted into residential apartments.[7]

Former pedestrian crossing at the end of platform 2. Now replaced by a footbridge.

Facilities[edit]

The station is unstaffed, but a self-service ticket machine is provided (located near the footbridge) to allow passengers to purchase tickets before boarding or collect pre-paid tickets. There are two waiting shelters, along with digital display screens, timetable posters and an automated announcement system to offer train running information. Step-free access to both platforms is available via ramps on the footbridge from the entrance and car park.[8]

Services[edit]

Northern Trains

On Mondays to Saturdays the station receives an hourly service to Leeds via Castleford and to Sheffield via Wakefield Kirkgate, with extra trains during peak times. On Sundays there is a two-hourly service each way.[9]

TransPennine Express

On Mondays to Saturdays, TransPennine Express operate four trains a day each way between Manchester Piccadilly and York via Castleford. These services do not run on Sundays.[10][11]

Preceding station   National Rail National Rail   Following station
Northern
Hallam Line
TransPennine Express
North TransPennine
Historical railways
Line closed, station closed
Midland Railway
Line open, station closed
Wakefield Kirkgate
Line and station open
  Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway
Manchester and Leeds Railway
  Leeds Wellington
Line and station closed
    York
Line and station open
Terminus   North Eastern Railway
York and North Midland Railway
  Castleford
Line and station open

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ About Wakefield - Normanton
  2. ^ Ellis, Cuthbert Hamilton (1961) [1953]. The Midland Railway (4th ed.). Hampton Court: Ian Allan. p. 7. 940/554/125 1059.
  3. ^ Allen, Cecil J. (1974) [1964]. The North Eastern Railway. Shepperton: Ian Allan. p. 61. ISBN 0-7110-0495-1.
  4. ^ Marshall, John (1969). The Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway, volume 1. Newton Abbot: David & Charles. p. 48. ISBN 0-7153-4352-1.
  5. ^ Marshall 1969, p. 49
  6. ^ Body, p. 138
  7. ^ Normanton railway station in 2007 Russell, Ian Geograph.org; Retrieved 20 January 2017
  8. ^ Normanton station facilities National Rail Enquiries; Retrieved 20 January 2017
  9. ^ Table 27 National Rail timetable, December 2023
  10. ^ Table 39 National Rail timetable, December 2023
  11. ^ "Castleford to York direct trains to run on route again after 50 years". BBC News. 11 December 2023. Retrieved 11 December 2023.

References[edit]

  • Body, G. (1988), PSL Field Guides - Railways of the Eastern Region Volume 2, Patrick Stephens Ltd, Wellingborough, ISBN 1-85260-072-1

External links[edit]