Selby railway station
Encyclopedia
Selby railway station serves the town of Selby
in North Yorkshire
, England
. The station is on the Hull-York Line 21 miles (34 km) south of York
, Leeds-Hull Line
20.75 miles (33 km) east of Leeds and 31 miles (49.9 km) west of Hull.
Before the opening of the Selby diversion line in the early 1980s, it was on the East Coast Main Line
. It is managed by First TransPennine Express
. The station is mentioned in the song "Slow Train
" by Flanders and Swann
.
; it consisted of a shed by the waterside in which passengers would alight the train and walk across the road to the connecting boat on the river. This site was just to the south of the station site. Selby station was the first railway station to be built in Yorkshire
, a fact commemorated by a plaque on the original building.
In 1840, the Hull and Selby Railway
was opened. The original terminus station of the Leeds & Selby railway was converted to goods use only and the current station was built. In order to cross the River Ouse
, a bascule bridge swing bridge
was installed to the northeast of the station, replaced by a swing bridge in 1891. Ships had (and still have) priority over railway traffic.
The Cawood, Wistow and Selby Light Railway
(CW&SLR) was opened in 1898 linking the Leeds & Selby Railway to the village of Cawood
. Uptil 1904 the line had a separate station, Brayton Gates, 1 mile west of Selby. The line was predominantly used for agricultural traffic but also carried passengers until 1930, its final closure taking place in 1960.
Another branch was built to link Selby to the nearby port town of Goole
in 1910. The Selby to Goole Line
ran via the villages of Barlow
, Drax
and Rawcliffe
and closed in 1964.
. When the National Coal Board
(NCB) began to exploit the Selby Coalfield, a diversionary route for the ECML had to be built to avoid subsidence to the railway. This diversion took the ECML away from Selby, leaving it a much quieter station.
The new route leaves the old at Temple Hirst to the south of Selby and rejoins it at Colton Junction several miles to the north of the town where the York-Leeds line meets the ECML. The diversion, which was financed by the NCB, had major advantages to the railway in that it removed a bottleneck from the ECML by avoiding the Selby Swing Bridge over the River Ouse.
It was the first purpose built section of high-speed railway in the UK having a design speed of 125 mph and predated the first section of High Speed 1 by 20 years.
The original route north of Selby was closed and in 1989 was converted into a cycle track which now forms part of route 65 of the National Cycle Network
. The section passing Barlby
and Riccall
was used to to build a bypass on the A19
. The southern section remains in operation and is used by passenger services to Doncaster & London and goods traffic heading to the Potter Group freight terminal near the former Barlby Junction, a short distance east of the station on the Hull line.
service and either a train from York or a First Hull Trains service from London Kings Cross.
To York - there is generally an hourly service daily north to York. Some services start/ terminate here, others run to and from Hull.
To Leeds
- Monday to Saturdays there are two trains per hour to Leeds. One Northern Rail
stopping service and one First TransPennine Express
service to Manchester Piccadilly. Evenings and Sundays there is either an hourly/two-hourly First TransPennine Express
to Leeds
and Manchester
.
To London - there are eight trains per day on weekdays in total to Doncaster
and London Kings Cross, all but one (the Hull Executive, which is run by East Coast) provided by First Hull Trains. Northern also run two trains to Doncaster (one in the early morning and one in the evening). On Saturdays and Sundays, there are six trains to and from London (one East Coast service and five from First Hull Trains).
Selby
Selby is a town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. Situated south of the city of York, along the course of the River Ouse, Selby is the largest and, with a population of 13,012, most populous settlement of the wider Selby local government district.Historically a part of the West Riding...
in North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...
, England
England
England 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, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The station is on the Hull-York Line 21 miles (34 km) south of York
York railway station
York railway station is a main-line railway station in the city of York, England. It lies on the East Coast Main Line north of London's King's Cross station towards Edinburgh's Waverley Station...
, Leeds-Hull Line
York & Selby Lines
The York & Selby Lines is the name given to a group of services in the West Yorkshire Metro area, connecting Leeds with places to its north and east: as well as the Northern Rail local services to York and Selby, the services extend to:...
20.75 miles (33 km) east of Leeds and 31 miles (49.9 km) west of Hull.
Before the opening of the Selby diversion line in the early 1980s, it was on the East Coast Main Line
East Coast Main Line
The East Coast Main Line is a long electrified high-speed railway link between London, Peterborough, Doncaster, Wakefield, Leeds, York, Darlington, Newcastle and Edinburgh...
. It is managed by First TransPennine Express
First TransPennine Express
First TransPennine Express is a British train operating company. It is a joint operation between First Group and Keolis . It operates regular passenger services in northern England, including services linking the west and east coasts across the Pennines...
. The station is mentioned in the song "Slow Train
Slow Train
"Slow Train" is a song by the British duo Flanders and Swann, written in 1963.It laments the loss of British stations and railway lines in that era, due to the Beeching cuts, and also the passing of a way of life, with the advent of motorways etc....
" by Flanders and Swann
Flanders and Swann
The British duo Flanders and Swann were the actor and singer Michael Flanders and the composer, pianist and linguist Donald Swann , who collaborated in writing and performing comic songs....
.
History
The original station was opened in 1834 by the Leeds and Selby RailwayLeeds and Selby Railway
The Leeds and Selby Railway was an early British railway company and first mainline railway in Yorkshire. It was opened in 1834.The company was absorbed by the York and North Midland Railway and the line remained in use through the subsequent NER, LNER, BR and post-privatisation periods.As of 2010...
; it consisted of a shed by the waterside in which passengers would alight the train and walk across the road to the connecting boat on the river. This site was just to the south of the station site. Selby station was the first railway station to be built in Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, a fact commemorated by a plaque on the original building.
In 1840, the Hull and Selby Railway
Hull and Selby Railway
The Hull and Selby Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom which opened in 1840, connecting Hull with the Leeds and Selby Railway-Origins:...
was opened. The original terminus station of the Leeds & Selby railway was converted to goods use only and the current station was built. In order to cross the River Ouse
River Ouse, Yorkshire
The River Ouse is a river in North Yorkshire, England. The river is formed from the River Ure at Cuddy Shaw Reach near Linton-on-Ouse, about 6 miles downstream of the confluence of the River Swale with the River Ure...
, a bascule bridge swing bridge
Swing bridge
A swing bridge is a movable bridge that has as its primary structural support a vertical locating pin and support ring, usually at or near to its centre of gravity, about which the turning span can then pivot horizontally as shown in the animated illustration to the right...
was installed to the northeast of the station, replaced by a swing bridge in 1891. Ships had (and still have) priority over railway traffic.
The Cawood, Wistow and Selby Light Railway
Cawood, Wistow and Selby Light Railway
The Cawood, Wistow and Selby Light Railway was a light railway in Yorkshire, England.-History:An act of Parliament in 1879 allowed the construction of the Church Fenton, Cawood and Wistow Railway from a junction at Church Fenton through Cawood and Wistow...
(CW&SLR) was opened in 1898 linking the Leeds & Selby Railway to the village of Cawood
Cawood
Cawood is a large village and civil parish in the Selby district of North Yorkshire, England that is notable as the finding-place of the Cawood sword....
. Uptil 1904 the line had a separate station, Brayton Gates, 1 mile west of Selby. The line was predominantly used for agricultural traffic but also carried passengers until 1930, its final closure taking place in 1960.
Another branch was built to link Selby to the nearby port town of Goole
Goole
Goole is a town, civil parish and port located approximately inland on the confluence of the rivers Don and Ouse in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England...
in 1910. The Selby to Goole Line
Selby to Goole Line
The Selby to Goole Line was a standard gauge branchline connecting Selby and Goole built in 1910 by the North Eastern Railway The line closed in the 1960s as part of the Beeching cuts.-History:...
ran via the villages of Barlow
Barlow, North Yorkshire
Barlow is a small village and civil parish located in the Selby district of North Yorkshire, England.Barlow is an essentially rural village, situated about three miles from the town of Selby and from the motorway network...
, Drax
Drax, North Yorkshire
Drax is a village and civil parish in the Selby district of North Yorkshire, about south-east of Selby, best known today as the site of Drax power station. The village has a Community Primary School and a public house, the Huntsmans Arms. It formerly had a village shop and sub-post office...
and Rawcliffe
Rawcliffe, York
Rawcliffe is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of the City of York in North Yorkshire, England. It is bordered by the A19 and A1237, and lies about north-west of York between Skelton and Clifton Without....
and closed in 1964.
The Selby Diversion
Prior to 1983, Selby was on the East Coast Main LineEast Coast Main Line
The East Coast Main Line is a long electrified high-speed railway link between London, Peterborough, Doncaster, Wakefield, Leeds, York, Darlington, Newcastle and Edinburgh...
. When the National Coal Board
National Coal Board
The National Coal Board was the statutory corporation created to run the nationalised coal mining industry in the United Kingdom. Set up under the Coal Industry Nationalisation Act 1946, it took over the mines on "vesting day", 1 January 1947...
(NCB) began to exploit the Selby Coalfield, a diversionary route for the ECML had to be built to avoid subsidence to the railway. This diversion took the ECML away from Selby, leaving it a much quieter station.
The new route leaves the old at Temple Hirst to the south of Selby and rejoins it at Colton Junction several miles to the north of the town where the York-Leeds line meets the ECML. The diversion, which was financed by the NCB, had major advantages to the railway in that it removed a bottleneck from the ECML by avoiding the Selby Swing Bridge over the River Ouse.
It was the first purpose built section of high-speed railway in the UK having a design speed of 125 mph and predated the first section of High Speed 1 by 20 years.
The original route north of Selby was closed and in 1989 was converted into a cycle track which now forms part of route 65 of the National Cycle Network
National Cycle Network
The National Cycle Network is a network of cycle routes in the United Kingdom.The National Cycle Network was created by the charity Sustrans , and aided by a £42.5 million National Lottery grant. In 2005 it was used for over 230 million trips.Many routes hope to minimise contact with motor...
. The section passing Barlby
Barlby
Barlby is a linear village in North Yorkshire, England. It lies to the north-east of the market town of Selby, and is bordered to the west by the River Ouse and to the east by the A19 Barlby bypass...
and Riccall
Riccall
Riccall is a village and civil parish situated in the Selby district of North Yorkshire, England, lying 3.5 miles north of Selby and 9 miles to the south of York. It is historically part of the East Riding of Yorkshire. According to the 2001 census the parish had a total population of...
was used to to build a bypass on the A19
A19 road
The A19 is a major road in England running approximately parallel to and east of the A1 road, although the two roads meet at the northern end of the A19, the two roads originally met at the southern end of the A19 in Doncaster but the old route of the A1 was changed to the A638. From Sunderland...
. The southern section remains in operation and is used by passenger services to Doncaster & London and goods traffic heading to the Potter Group freight terminal near the former Barlby Junction, a short distance east of the station on the Hull line.
175th Anniversary
In 2009 the 175th anniversary of the opening of the first railway station in Selby was celebrated.Current services
To Hull - Monday to Saturdays there are generally two trains per hour to Hull. An hourly First TransPennine ExpressFirst TransPennine Express
First TransPennine Express is a British train operating company. It is a joint operation between First Group and Keolis . It operates regular passenger services in northern England, including services linking the west and east coasts across the Pennines...
service and either a train from York or a First Hull Trains service from London Kings Cross.
To York - there is generally an hourly service daily north to York. Some services start/ terminate here, others run to and from Hull.
To Leeds
York & Selby Lines
The York & Selby Lines is the name given to a group of services in the West Yorkshire Metro area, connecting Leeds with places to its north and east: as well as the Northern Rail local services to York and Selby, the services extend to:...
- Monday to Saturdays there are two trains per hour to Leeds. One Northern Rail
Northern Rail
Northern Rail is a British train operating company that has operated local passenger services in Northern England since 2004. Northern Rail's owner, Serco-Abellio, is a consortium formed of Abellio and Serco, an international operator of public transport systems...
stopping service and one First TransPennine Express
First TransPennine Express
First TransPennine Express is a British train operating company. It is a joint operation between First Group and Keolis . It operates regular passenger services in northern England, including services linking the west and east coasts across the Pennines...
service to Manchester Piccadilly. Evenings and Sundays there is either an hourly/two-hourly First TransPennine Express
First TransPennine Express
First TransPennine Express is a British train operating company. It is a joint operation between First Group and Keolis . It operates regular passenger services in northern England, including services linking the west and east coasts across the Pennines...
to Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
and Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
.
To London - there are eight trains per day on weekdays in total to Doncaster
Doncaster railway station
Doncaster railway station serves the town of Doncaster, in South Yorkshire, England. It is situated on the East Coast Main Line north of London Kings Cross, and is about five minutes walk from Doncaster town centre. The station is managed by East Coast...
and London Kings Cross, all but one (the Hull Executive, which is run by East Coast) provided by First Hull Trains. Northern also run two trains to Doncaster (one in the early morning and one in the evening). On Saturdays and Sundays, there are six trains to and from London (one East Coast service and five from First Hull Trains).