Skipton railway station

Skipton
General information
Location	Skipton, North Yorkshire England
Coordinates	53°57′31″N2°01′35″W / 53.9586°N 2.0264°W / 53.9586; -2.0264
Grid reference	SD983513
Owned by	Network Rail
Managed by	Northern Trains
Transit authority	West Yorkshire (Metro)
Platforms	4
Other information
Station code	SKI
Fare zone	7
Classification	DfT category D
History
Original company	Leeds and Bradford Extension Railway
Pre-grouping	Midland Railway
Post-grouping	London, Midland and Scottish Railway
Key dates
1847	Opened
1876	Relocated
1888	Ilkley platforms added
1965	Ilkley platforms closed
Passengers
2018/19	1.217 million

Northern Trains Route 7
v t e
Bentham Line and Settle and Carlisle Line
Carlisle Armathwaite Lazonby & Kirkoswald Langwathby Appleby Kirkby Stephen Garsdale Dent Ribblehead Horton-in-Ribblesdale Settle Heysham Port Morecambe Bare Lane Lancaster Carnforth Wennington Bentham Clapham Giggleswick Long Preston Hellifield Gargrave Skipton Keighley Bingley Shipley Leeds

During Monday to Saturday daytime, there is a half-hourly service to both Leeds and Bradford Forster Square. There are additional trains to Leeds during the morning peak and in the opposite direction in the evening rush hour. In the evenings there is a half-hourly service to Leeds, and an hourly service to Bradford Forster Square. ^[27] From May 2023, the weekday daytime service to Bradford has again been reduced to hourly for operational/staffing reasons, though only at off-peak times.

On Sundays there is an hourly service to Leeds and Bradford (the latter upgraded from two-hourly at the December 2017 timetable change).

There are also a number of trains each day from Leeds to Carlisle (eight on weekdays and six on Sundays) and to Lancaster/Carnforth or Morecambe (eight on weekdays, five on Sundays; both routes operated by Northern). These usually serve the principal stations only between Leeds & Skipton. On Sundays, one Carlisle service runs to and from Nottingham – this has operated since the December 2012 timetable change (though previously southbound only until May 2018, with the morning equivalent starting in Sheffield) and is the first through Nottingham service from Skipton since the Nottingham – Glasgow Central via Leeds trains were withdrawn in May 1982. A second working from Nottingham and return to Sheffield was added at the December 2018 timetable change but withdrawn in May 2019. Services to & from Carlisle were curtailed at Appleby from 9 February until 26 June 2016 due to a major landslip at Eden Brows (north of Armathwaite), with a replacement bus service in operation from there to Carlisle. The timetable was modified from 27 June 2016 to permit through running as far as Armathwaite. Repair work on the damaged section was completed in the spring of 2017, with through services to Carlisle resuming on 31 March.

There is also a single daily through service from Skipton to London King's Cross (via Leeds), which is operated by London North Eastern Railway. A balancing return service also operates from King's Cross to Skipton – the southbound train does not run on Sundays, but that from London runs seven days per week. ^[28]

The station is the limit of the Leeds North West electrification which was electrified under British Rail, where the electric commuter services from Leeds terminate. The actual wiring extends beyond the station for a few hundred metres along the main line and into the carriage sidings, before it finally ends at the site of the former Skipton North Junction, where the Colne line diverged before its closure in 1970.

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Keighley		London North Eastern Railway East Coast Main Line (Limited service)		Terminus
Keighley/Cononley (Sundays only)		Northern Trains Leeds to Morecambe Line		Gargrave
Keighley/Cononley(Sundays only)		Northern Trains Settle-Carlisle Line		Gargrave
Cononley		Northern Trains Airedale Line		Terminus
	Historical railways
Embsay		Midland Railway Skipton to Ilkley Line		Terminus
Rylstone		Midland Railway Yorkshire Dales Railway		Terminus
Cononley		Midland Railway Leeds and Bradford Extension Railway		Elslack
Terminus		Midland Railway "Little" North Western Railway		Gargrave

Future

Skipton station in June 2013

As with much of the UK rail network, Skipton is likely to see changes over coming years in order to cope with expected growth. London North Eastern Railway (formerly Virgin Trains East Coast) has expressed a desire to introduce more direct services to London King's Cross in the future, although no specific commitments have been made as yet. ^[29] Network Rail is also currently investigating means of increasing capacity on the Airedale Line to Leeds as part of the Yorkshire and Humber RUS. ^[30] Options could include longer trains (up to six carriages in place of the current four) or more frequent services. ^[31] Plans for the route north of Skipton have already been outlined in the Lancashire and Cumbria RUS: these will see an increase in trains to Carlisle, with services running to a basic one train every two hours pattern, with extra services to 'fill the gaps' at peak times. Leeds to Morecambe/Lancaster services would also be made more frequent – however, these more frequent services would only run as far as Skipton. ^[32] Opposition from stakeholders during the consultation phase of the RUS with regard to the loss of through trains to/from Leeds has meant that this option will likely not be pursued. ^[33]

Further major alterations came about when the 2011 "Eureka" EC clock-face timetable came into effect, ^[34] including a northbound Sundays only service from the capital. ^[35] (now implemented – see above).

In the long term, SELRAP may achieve their aims of reopening the line to Colne, and it is possible that the Embsay and Bolton Abbey Steam Railway would be able to extend their services to Skipton in future. Both of these plans would likely result in many changes to the station.

Embsay and Bolton Abbey Steam Railway

Since preservation, it has always been a long-term plan for the preserved Embsay and Bolton Abbey Steam Railway to extend into Skipton.

The platforms (5 & 6) that went to Ilkley, were made redundant in 1965. However, in the February 2009 edition of railway Today's Railways UK , it was stated that Network Rail had carried out a survey for the reinstatement of the connecting points between the Embsay line and the freight line to Grassington, and the reinstatement of the platform 5 at Skipton. If funding is made available, then the line could be extended. ^[36]

Platform 6 may also be reinstated as a run-round loop as part of the project.

Notes

1. Historic England. "Skipton Railway Station (1249186)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 6 January 2017.
2. New Northern penalty fares will tackle ticket evaders on the Airedale and Wharfedale lines Griffiths, K Telegraph & Argus news article 21 November 2017; Retrieved 11 December 2017
3. Skipton station facilities National Rail Enquiries; Retrieved 1 December 2016
4. Binns, p. 8
5. Bairstow, p. 96
6. "Out of Oblivion". Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority. Retrieved 27 August 2007.
7. "Hotels and B&Bs in Yorkshire". Yorkshire Tourist Board. 27 August 2007. Archived from the original on 10 August 2007. Retrieved 27 August 2007.
8. Binns, p. 12
9. Bairstow, p. 28
10. Binns, p. 19
11. Bairstow, p. 4
12. Binns, pp. 12–13
13. Smith & Binns, p. 5
14. Smith & Binns, p. 8
15. Smith & Bairstow, p. 6
16. Awdry, p. 112
17. Smith & Binns, p. 22
18. Suggitt, p. 75
19. "Ride presses for train link". Telegraph & Argus. 24 October 2007. Retrieved 10 December 2007.
20. The Rail Engineer – Skipton Expansion Wordsworth, Nigel; The Rail Engineer 20 February 2012; Retrieved 20 December 2013
21. "Station gets ready for first Intercity service". Telegraph & Argus. 2 May 1998. Retrieved 27 August 2007.
22. "Children turn out to greet royal visitor". Telegraph & Argus. 27 February 2005. Retrieved 27 August 2007.
23. Golby, M (8 February 2007). "Filthy Station". Craven Herald & Pioneer. Archived from the original on 8 October 2007. Retrieved 27 August 2007.
24. "£2,000 reward offered after railway assault". Telegraph & Argus. 5 September 2003. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
25. "Buses". Lancashire County Council Environment Directorate. Archived from the original on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 27 August 2007.
26. "Minutes of the Craven District Council Overview & Scrutiny Corporate Sub-group". Craven District Council. 15 February 2006. Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 27 August 2007.
27. GB National Rail Timetable May 2023 Edition, Table 35 (Network Rail)
28. Table 20 National Rail timetable, May 2023
29. "Move to improve rail services".
30. "Yorkshire and Humber RUS draft for consultation" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 March 2009. Retrieved 8 May 2009.
31. "Network Rail Strategic Business Plan for North Transpennine Area 2008" (PDF).
32. "Network Rail Route Utilisation Strategy: Lancashire and Cumbria (Draft)" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 June 2011. Retrieved 10 June 2008.
33. "Lancashire & Cumbria RUS Final version" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 June 2011. Retrieved 1 September 2008.
34. "Railfuture EC Eureka Correspondence" (PDF). Railfuture. 9 December 2009. Retrieved 5 November 2015.
35. "London-Harrogate service returns". Harrogate Advertiser. Johnston Publishing. 20 January 2011. Retrieved 17 March 2011.
36. Today's Railways UK issue 86

References

• Awdry, C. (1990), Encyclopaedia of British Railway Companies, Patrick Stephens Ltd., Wellingborough, ISBN   1-85260-049-7
• Bairstow, M. (2000), The "Little" North Western Railway, Martin Bairstow, Leeds, ISBN   1-871944-21-X
• Binns, D. (1984), Steam in Airedale, Wyvern Publications, Skipton, ISBN   0-907941-11-7
• Smith, F.W. and Bairstow, M. (1992), The Otley and Ilkley Joint Railway, Martin Bairstow, Halifax, ISBN   1-871944-06-6
• Smith, F.W. and Binns, D. (1986), The Skipton & Ilkley Line, Wyvern Publications, Skipton, ISBN   0-907941-25-7
• Suggitt, G. (2004 reprint), Lost Railways of Lancashire, Countryside Books, Newbury, ISBN   1-85306-801-2

External links

• Train times and station information for Skipton railway station from National Rail
• Photograph of Skipton railway station platforms
• Embsay & Bolton Abbey Steam Railway – Photos of Skipton Station past & present