Leeds, Bradford and Halifax Junction Railway
| Leeds, Bradford and Halifax Junction Railway | |
|---|---|
Birkenshaw & Tong Station
|
|
| Overview | |
| Other name(s) | Bradford to Leeds line LB&HJR Laisterdyke to Ardsley line Gildersome Branch |
| Type | Heavy rail |
| Status | Part closed |
| Locale | West Yorkshire |
| Stations | Bradford (Adolphus Street/Exchange) Leeds Central Wakefield Westgate |
| Operation | |
| Opened | 1 August 1854 |
| Completed | 10 October 1857 |
| Owner | Leeds, Bradford & Halifax Junction Railway Great Northern Railway London North Eastern Railway British Rail (Eastern Region) |
| Operator(s) | Great Northern Railway London North Eastern Railway British Rail |
| Depot(s) | Hammerton Street, Bradford |
| Events | |
| Bowling Junction/Adolphus Street to Holbeck Junction | Opened 1 August 1854 |
| Laisterdyke to Gildersome | Opened 20 August 1866 |
| Gildersome to Ardsley | Opened 10 October 1857 |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 21 mi (34 km) |
| Number of tracks | 2 |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
The Leeds, Bradford and Halifax Junction Railway (or LB&HJR), was a railway line promoted by the company of the same name that ran between Bradford and Leeds and then latterly between Bradford and Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England. The enterprise opened to traffic in stages between 1854 and 1857. It was operated from the start by the Great Northern Railway (GNR), who, after two years of operation, subsumed the LB&HJR into the GNR.
Most of the Great Northern lines in the former West Riding of Yorkshire were axed progressively during the 1950s and 60s. The only lines left are the Doncaster to Leeds line (which functions as part of the East Coast Main Line) and the Leeds to Bradford line via Bramley.
The railway was authorised by an Act of Parliament in 1851, with further acts following which allowed piecemeal extensions or connecting lines to be built, such as the Drighlington to Batley extension line. The line was initially promoted by the West Riding Union Railway (WRUR) through an act of Parliament in 1846, which had been supported as an arm of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (L&YR). Whilst the WYUR did build some lines in their original portfolio, the Leeds and Bradford Short Line (as it was known when proposed), was never built. The supporters of the line from Bowling Junction to Leeds were disappointed that the L&YR never started the line and so formed their own company, the LB&HJR, and petitioned parliament in 1851 to develop the line. Authorisation was duly given with an Act dated 30 June 1852. This was swiftly followed by a groundbreaking ceremony in August 1852. Initially, the proposal by the LB&HJR was opposed by the L&YR who then withdrew running powers exercised by the Great Northern Railway over their lines at Methley and New Holland. Eventually the argument was settled with the L&YR diverting traffic away from the Dewsbury route and enjoying running powers over the Bowling Junction to Holbeck Junction section of the LB&HJR.
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