The
Huddersfield Line is the name given to one of the busiest rail services on the West Yorkshire MetroTrain network in northern
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Local services are operated by
Northern RailNorthern Rail is a train operating company that has operated local passenger services in the north of England since 2004. Northern Rail's owner, Serco-NedRailways, is a consortium formed of NedRailways and Serco, an international operator of public transport systems...
with longer distance services operated by TransPennine Express. The line connects Leeds and
Huddersfield Huddersfield is a large market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England, north of London, and south of Bradford, the nearest city.Huddersfield is near the confluence of the River Colne and the River Holme...
with
ManchesterManchester is a city and metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. In 2007, the population of the city was estimated to be 458,100...
(Victoria & Piccadilly), Manchester Airport and
LiverpoolLiverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
.
The route travels SSW from Leeds through
DewsburyDewsbury is a market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England. It is to the west of Wakefield, and lies by the River Calder and the Calder and Hebble Navigation....
.
The
Huddersfield Line is the name given to one of the busiest rail services on the West Yorkshire MetroTrain network in northern
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Local services are operated by
Northern RailNorthern Rail is a train operating company that has operated local passenger services in the north of England since 2004. Northern Rail's owner, Serco-NedRailways, is a consortium formed of NedRailways and Serco, an international operator of public transport systems...
with longer distance services operated by TransPennine Express. The line connects Leeds and
Huddersfield Huddersfield is a large market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England, north of London, and south of Bradford, the nearest city.Huddersfield is near the confluence of the River Colne and the River Holme...
with
ManchesterManchester is a city and metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. In 2007, the population of the city was estimated to be 458,100...
(Victoria & Piccadilly), Manchester Airport and
LiverpoolLiverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
.
The route travels SSW from Leeds through
DewsburyDewsbury is a market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England. It is to the west of Wakefield, and lies by the River Calder and the Calder and Hebble Navigation....
. After a short westward stretch through
MirfieldMirfield is a small town and civil parish within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England. It is on the main road between Huddersfield, Dewsbury and Wakefield, and has a total resident population of 18,621....
(where it runs on the ex-L&YR section), it continues SW through Huddersfield, using the
River ColneThe River Colne rises in the Pennines in West Yorkshire, England. It flows through the Colne Valley passing through the villages of Marsden,Slaithwaite and Milnsbridge to Huddersfield and then on to Cooper Bridge where it joins the River Calder...
valley to its headwaters. The long
Standedge TunnelThe Standedge Tunnels are four parallel tunnels that run beneath the Pennines at the traditional Standedge crossing point between Marsden and Diggle, on the edges of the conurbations of West Yorkshire and Greater Manchester respectively, in northern England.There are three railway tunnels and a...
just after
MarsdenMarsden is a large village within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England, west of Huddersfield and located at the confluence of the River Colne and the Wessenden Brook...
crosses under the watershed and the majority of the run down to Manchester is in the Tame valley. After Manchester, the line reaches the
Liverpool and Manchester RailwayThe Liverpool and Manchester Railway was the world's first inter-city passenger railway in which all the trains were timetabled and were hauled for most of the distance solely by steam locomotives. The line opened on 15 September 1830 and ran between the cities of Liverpool and Manchester in North...
line over
Chat MossChat Moss is a large area of peat bog that makes up 30% of the City of Salford, in Greater Manchester, England. It is north of the River Irwell, to the west of Manchester, and occupies an area of about...
to Liverpool.
History
At the time of the
1923 GroupingThe Railways Act of 1921, also known as the Grouping Act, was an enactment by the British government of David Lloyd George intended to stem the losses being made by many of the country's 120 railway companies, move the railways away from internal competition, and to retain some of the benefits...
most of the route followed by the line was over
London and North Western RailwayThe London and North Western Railway was a railway company of the United Kingdom which existed between 1846 and 1922. It was created by the merger of three railway companies - the Grand Junction Railway, the London and Birmingham Railway and the Manchester and Birmingham Railway. During the late...
(LNWR) metals, the exception being a short stretch near Deighton which was the property of the
Lancashire and Yorkshire RailwayThe Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway was a major British railway company before the 1923 Grouping. It was incorporated in 1847 from an amalgamation of several existing railways....
(L&YR). The first section of the line, between Huddersfield and
StalybridgeStalybridge is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside in Greater Manchester, England, with a population of 22,568. Historically part of Cheshire, it is east of Manchester city centre and northwest of Glossop. With the construction of a cotton mill in 1776, Stalybridge became one of the...
, was opened by the
Manchester, Stockport and Leeds Railway on 1 August 1849. The line became part of the
London, Midland and Scottish RailwayThe London Midland and Scottish Railway was a British railway company. It was formed on 1 January 1923 under the Railways Act of 1921, which required the grouping of over 300 separate railway companies into just four....
after 1923.
Route details
Metro (West Yorkshire) pre-paid tickets and concessionary fares are available between Leeds and Marsden. GMPTE fares are available for the Greenfield-Manchester section. Many of the intermediate places no longer have rail facilities. All stations that are still open are in
bold.:
Leeds-Huddersfield
- Leeds
Leeds railway station is the mainline railway station serving the city centre of Leeds in West Yorkshire, England...
- Copley Hill
- Cottingley
Cottingley railway station serves the Cottingley area of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It lies south west of Leeds on the Huddersfield Line...
(Leeds)
- Farnley and Wortley
Wortley is a district of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It begins a one mile to the west of the city centre. In the 1086 Domesday Book it is mentioned as Wirtlei, also Wirtleie and Wrleia....
- Churwell
Churwell is a small village in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough, West Yorkshire, England, between Leeds city centre and Morley. It is 3 miles southwest of Leeds city centre and 1.5 miles away from the Leeds United Elland Road Football Ground.It is in the LS27 postcode area, the...
- Morley
Morley railway station serves the town of Morley near Leeds, West Yorkshire, England.The station is on Huddersfield Line operated by Northern Rail and is south west of from Leeds City Station....
- Batley
Batley railway station serves the town of Batley in West Yorkshire, England. The station opened in 1848.The station is to the south west of Leeds...
- Staincliffe
Staincliffe is a district of Batley, West Yorkshire, England; the name is believed to derive from staine, meaning stone and cliffe, cliff....
& Batley CarrBatley Carr, West Yorkshire, England is primarily a council estate in Batley, on the way to Dewsbury, along the A652, Bradford Road. The population is about 3,740. Crime is around the national average....
- Dewsbury
Dewsbury railway station serves the town of Dewsbury in West Yorkshire, England. The station is south west of Leeds on the Huddersfield Line.The station is managed by TransPennine Express trains and it is the stop between Leeds and Huddersfield.-History:...
: previously Dewsbury (Wellington Road)
- Ravensthorpe
Ravensthorpe railway station serves the Ravensthorpe district of Dewsbury in West Yorkshire, England. It lies on the Huddersfield Line operated by Northern Rail and is north east of Huddersfield, just beyond Dewsbury junction of the former Manchester and Leeds Railway line towards Wakefield...
was named Ravensthorpe and ThornhillThornhill, is a village in West Yorkshire, England. It is located on a hill on the south side of the River Calder, and has extensive views of Dewsbury, Ossett and Wakefield...
- here is Dewsbury Junction with the L&YR. Trains from Wakefield (Westgate and Kirkgate railway stations) join the Huddersfield Line here, giving connections from the Pontefract
The Pontefract Line is the name given to one of the rail services in the West Yorkshire Metro area of northern England. The service is operated by Northern Rail, and links Wakefield and Leeds with Goole via Pontefract...
, HallamThe Hallam Line is the name given to one of the rail services, operated by Northern Rail, in the West Yorkshire Metro/ South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive area of northern England. The services on the line connect Leeds and Sheffield via Barnsley in the North of England...
and Wakefield LineThe Wakefield line is the name given to one of the rail services in the West Yorkshire Metro/South Yorkshire P.T.E. area of northern England. The service connects Leeds and Wakefield with Sheffield and Doncaster. The section of the line between Leeds and Doncaster forms part of the East Coast Main...
s.
- Mirfield
Mirfield railway station serves the town of Mirfield in West Yorkshire, England. It lies on the Huddersfield Line operated by Northern Rail and is north east from ....
L&YR junctions here to Low MoorLow Moor railway station was a station situated between Bradford Interchange and Halifax on the Caldervale Line, located close to Low Moor, an area to the south of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England...
(closed) and HalifaxHalifax is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale in West Yorkshire, England, with an urban area population of 82,056 in the 2001 Census. It is well-known as a centre of England's woollen manufacture from the 15th century onward, originally dealing through the Halifax Piece Hall...
(the Caldervale LineThe Caldervale Line is a railway route in Northern England between the cities of Leeds and Manchester as well as the seaside resort of Blackpool....
): the service from the Huddersfield Line operates to BrighouseBrighouse railway station serves the town of Brighouse in West Yorkshire, England. The station lies on the Caldervale Line and the Huddersfield Line running west from Leeds. The station reopened in 2000 and is served by local Northern Rail trains.- History :...
- Heaton Lodge/Heckmondwike Junctions return the route to the ex-LNWR line
- Bradley
Bradley is a district of Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England, 3 miles north-east of the town centre. It is generally just off the A62 Leeds Road and west of the River Colne and the Huddersfield Broad Canal...
- Deighton
Deighton railway station serves the Deighton area of Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England.Deighton station is the first station north east after Huddersfield railway station on the Huddersfield Line towards Leeds....
- Huddersfield
Huddersfield railway station serves the town of Huddersfield in West Yorkshire, England.The station is managed by First TransPennine Express who provide trains between the North East, North and East Yorkshire, and Leeds to the east and Manchester Piccadilly and North West.It is also served by local...
: served by the Caldervale and Penistone LineThe Penistone Line is operated by Northern Rail in the West Yorkshire Metro/ Travel South Yorkshire area of northern England. It connects Huddersfield and Sheffield via Penistone and Barnsley, serving many rural communities...
lines. The station here was LNWR/L&YR joint owned.
Huddersfield-Manchester
- here is Springwood Tunnel and Springwood Junction for the trains on the Penistone Line
- Longwood
Longwood is a village and suburb of the town of Huddersfield in the English county of West Yorkshire. It is situated some west of Huddersfield town centre, in the valley of the Longwood Brook, a tributary of the River Colne....
and MilnsbridgeMilnsbridge is a district of Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England 2.5 miles west of the town centre, situated in the Colne Valley. The name is said to have derived from the water-powered mill and the bridge that stood alongside it in the 13th century.The Huddersfield Narrow Canal runs...
- Golcar
Golcar is a village located on a hillside crest above the Colne Valley in West Yorkshire, England, 4 km west of Huddersfield, and just north of the River Colne and the Huddersfield Narrow Canal...
- Slaithwaite
Slaithwaite railway station serves the village of Slaithwaite near Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England. The station is west of Huddersfield on the Huddersfield Line between Huddersfield and Manchester Victoria....
- Marsden
Marsden railway station serves the village of Marsden near Huddersfield in West Yorkshire, England. The station is on the Huddersfield Line, operated by Northern Rail and is about west of Huddersfield station...
- here is Standedge Tunnel
The Standedge Tunnels are four parallel tunnels that run beneath the Pennines at the traditional Standedge crossing point between Marsden and Diggle, on the edges of the conurbations of West Yorkshire and Greater Manchester respectively, in northern England.There are three railway tunnels and a...
: three parallel tunnels, two single-line, one double 5340 yd (4806 m) in length
- Diggle
Diggle is a village within the Saddleworth parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England. The village is situated on the moorlands of the Pennine hills....
- Diggle Junction with lines to Oldham
Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amongst the Pennines on elevated ground between the rivers Irk and Medlock, south-southeast of Rochdale, and northeast of the city of Manchester...
and StalybridgeStalybridge is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside in Greater Manchester, England, with a population of 22,568. Historically part of Cheshire, it is east of Manchester city centre and northwest of Glossop. With the construction of a cotton mill in 1776, Stalybridge became one of the...
via FriezlandFriezland is a hamlet in Saddleworth, in the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. It is situated four miles east of the town of Oldham....
- Saddleworth
Saddleworth is a civil parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham in Greater Manchester, England. It comprises several villages and hamlets amongst the west side of the Pennine hills: Uppermill, Greenfield, Dobcross, Delph, Diggle and others...
- Greenfield
Greenfield railway station serves the village of Greenfield, in the Saddleworth parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England. Managed by Northern Rail, it lies on the Huddersfield Line 20 km northeast of Manchester Victoria and is the final station within Greater...
- Mossley
Mossley railway station serves the town of Mossley, Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the Huddersfield Line 16 km north-east of Manchester Victoria and is managed by Northern Rail....
- Stalybridge
Stalybridge railway station serves Stalybridge, Greater Manchester. It lies on the Huddersfield Line 12 km east of Manchester Piccadilly and 13 km east of Manchester Victoria. The station is managed by TransPennine Express....
- Ashton-under-Lyne
Ashton-under-Lyne railway station serves Ashton-under-Lyne, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the Huddersfield Line 10 km east of Manchester Victoria and is operated by Northern Rail..- History :...
- Manchester Victoria
Manchester to Liverpool
- Manchester Piccadilly
- Manchester Airport
Manchester Airport railway station is the station that serves Manchester Airport, and is built into the airport's terminal buildings. The station was opened together with the second airport terminal in 1993....
- Irlam
Irlam railway station serves the town of Irlam in the City of Salford metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester in the north west of England. The station is 14 km west of Manchester Oxford Road on the Manchester to Liverpool Line. The station is operated by Northern Rail...
(peak only)
- Manchester Oxford Road
- Birchwood
Birchwood railway station is a railway station serving the Birchwood district to the north east of Warrington, Cheshire, in the north west of England. The station is 21 km west of Manchester Piccadilly on the Manchester-Liverpool Line....
- Warrington Central
Warrington Central railway station is one of two main railway stations serving the town of Warrington in the north-west of England. It is located on the southern route of the Liverpool to Manchester Line , and is situated around halfway between the two cities...
- Hunts Cross
Hunts Cross railway station is a railway station in Hunts Cross, Liverpool, England. It is situated on the southern branch of the City Line's Liverpool to Manchester route, and is the southern terminus of Merseyrail's Northern Line.-History:...
(peak only)
- Liverpool Lime Street
Liverpool Lime Street railway station on Lime Street is a mainline and underground railway station serving the city centre of Liverpool, England...