Cross Gates–Wetherby line

Cross Gates–Wetherby line
Overview
Type	Heavy rail
Status	Closed
Locale	West Yorkshire
Termini	Cross Gates North Junction Wetherby East Junction
Stations	6
Operation
Opened	1 May 1876
Closed	6 January 1964 (Passengers), 4 April 1966 (Goods)
Operator(s)	North Eastern Railway to 1923, London and North Eastern Railway 1923-1948, British Railways (N.E region) 1948 to closure
Technical
Line length	12 mi (19 km)
Number of tracks	double
Track gauge	4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Highest elevation	371 ft (113 m)
Route map Legend Harrogate to Church Fenton Line Wetherby River Wharfe Collingham Bridge Bardsey Thorner Scholes Penda's Way Leeds and Selby Railway

The Cross Gates–Wetherby line is a former railway line in West Yorkshire, England, between Cross gates, near Leeds, and Wetherby. The line opened 1876 and closed 1964.

History and description

Construction began in 1871, with the work contracted to Thomas Nelson of Carlisle. Works on the line included over a dozen cuttings, and a similar number of embankments, with the cutting between Thorner and Seacroft being 40 feet (12 m) deep with a volume of 1,370,000 cubic yards (1,050,000 m³); the largest bridge on the line was over the River Wharfe with twin spans of 120 feet (37 m) with a central pier of two cast iron columns.^[1]

The line ran from Cross Gates East Junction east of Cross Gates railway station on the Leeds and Selby Railway,^[2] to Wetherby (Linton Road) railway station, then connecting at a junction (later East junction) on the Harrogate to Church Fenton Line at west of Wetherby (York Road) railway station.

The 12 miles (19 km) from Cross Gates to Wetherby took four years to construct and it was opened on 1 May 1876.^[3] The line was doubled in 1901 and a new south-west curve was built at Wetherby;^[4] running from West junction to North junction, forming a wye junction north and west of both the Wetherby stations.^[5]

The line closed to passengers on 6 January 1964.

Reopening

In recent years there have been calls to bring rail services back to Wetherby by Labour and Conservative Wetherby MPs Colin Burgon and Alec Shelbrooke. Ideas have centred on both re-opening the Cross Gates–Wetherby line (which would require re-routing where houses have been built over the line in Collingham and Bardsey). Recently, however, after a high-speed railway to Leeds has been approved, an anticipated further line coming out of Leeds and heading north has been considered as a means to develop a new link to the town. The exact route of this is unknown and the high-speed system has only been approved as far as Leeds.^[6]

Stations

• Penda's Way
• Scholes
• Thorner
• Bardsey
• Collingham Bridge
• Wetherby

References

External links

• "Leeds to Wetherby 1876–1966 – North Eastern Railway", lostrailwayswestyorkshire.co.uk 

Railway lines in Yorkshire and the Humber
Primary	To London East Coast Main Line Midland Main Line To Exeter Cross Country Route
Others	Inter-regional Hallam Line Hope Valley line Leeds–Morecambe line Doncaster–Lincoln line Sheffield–Lincoln line Settle–Carlisle line Intra-regional Airedale line Askern branch line Barton line Calder Valley line Dearne Valley line Esk Valley line Harrogate line Huddersfield line Hull–Scarborough Leeds–Bradford lines Leeds–Northallerton Railway Northallerton–Eaglescliffe line Penistone Line Pontefract line Selby Diversion Selby Line South Humberside Main Line Swinton–Doncaster Wakefield line Wharfedale line York–Scarborough
Defunct	Barnsley–Doncaster Bradford–Leeds & Wakefield Brockholes–Holmfirth Dearne Valley Railway Gilling and Pickering Harrogate–Church Fenton Hull–Barnsley (Cudworth) Hull and Holderness Hull and Hornsea Knaresborough–York Leeds–Harrogate Malton–Driffield Middlesbrough–Guisborough Middlesbrough–Guisborough–Normanby Huddersfield–Bradford Lockwood–Meltham Nunthorpe–Battersby Otley–Ilkley Pilmoor–Knaresborough Queensbury lines Rosedale Railway Scarborough–Whitby Seamer–Pickering Selby–Driffield Selby–Goole Shipley Windhill Line Sowerby Bridge–Rishworth Skipton–Grassington Skipton–Ilkley Thirsk and Malton line Wetherby–Cross Gates (Leeds) Whitby–Loftus Woodhead line York–Market Weighton–Beverley York–York (Foss Island)
Heritage	Derwent Valley Light Railway Elsecar Heritage Railway Embsay and Bolton Abbey Steam Railway Keighley & Worth Valley Railway Middleton Railway North Bay Railway North Yorkshire Moors Railway Wensleydale Railway
Light railways	Kirklees Light Railway Nidd Valley Light Railway North Holderness Light Railway Sand Hutton Light Railway