Ravensthorpe railway station

Ravensthorpe
National Rail
Ravensthorpe station, looking towards Dewsbury and Leeds
General information
LocationRavensthorpe, Kirklees
England
Coordinates53°40′32″N 1°39′20″W / 53.675660°N 1.655550°W / 53.675660; -1.655550
Grid referenceSE228199
Managed byNorthern
Transit authorityWest Yorkshire Metro
Platforms2
Other information
Station codeRVN
Fare zone3
ClassificationDfT category F2
History
Opened1890
Passengers
2019/20Increase 35,518
2020/21Decrease 13,254
2021/22Increase 31,784
2022/23Increase 38,324
2023/24Decrease 35,926
Location
Map
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

Ravensthorpe railway station serves the Ravensthorpe suburb of Dewsbury in West Yorkshire, England. It is situated on the Huddersfield line between Leeds and Manchester, 8 miles (13 km) north east of Huddersfield.

The station is managed by Northern Trains, although all services are currently provided by TransPennine Express.

Ravensthorpe station is situated just north-east of Thornhill LNW (London North Western) Junction, where a line branches to Wakefield Kirkgate. There are plans to rebuild the station to the west of the junction, on the route built by the former Manchester and Leeds Railway.

History

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Ravensthorpe was a late addition to the London and North Western Railway, with the station and goods shed built in 1890 to attract freight traffic in the area. The line itself had opened some 42 years earlier. Originally, the station was called "Ravensthorpe and Thornhill" as L&Y had opened a station, Ravensthorpe, on their railway branch between Thornhill and Heckmondwike.

Future plans

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As part of a wider upgrade to the route between Huddersfield and Dewsbury, Network Rail proposes to partially grade separate the junction between the two lines and increase capacity for express trains by 4-tracking the route to the west. The new junction design would move the alignment of the Leeds route slightly to the south, meaning the existing station would have to be largely demolished and rebuilt. Network Rail therefore plans to abandon the current station site, and build a replacement approximately 330 yards (300 m) to the west, which would turn Ravensthorpe into a junction station, allowing trains to and from Wakefield to call in addition to the existing Leeds services.[1][2] A TWAO -Transport Work Act Order was submitted for the 4-tracking in April 2021.[3] The Integrated Rail Plan for the North and Midlands (IRP) announced November 2021,[4] calls for full electrification of the line and thus the station..

Facilities

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Ravensthorpe station is unstaffed. The former station buildings, having been damaged by fire, were demolished and replaced with basic shelters. There are no facilities to purchase tickets and so passengers must purchase tickets on the train.

There are timetable posters and a telephone available to obtain train running information, along with digital information screens. Step-free access is limited to the eastbound platform, as the westbound platform can only be reached by steps.[5]

Ravensthorpe is one of West Yorkshire's least used stations due to its relatively remote location, although it does also serve the nearby village of Thornhill.

Services

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Ravensthorpe is served each day (including Sundays) by an hourly TransPennine Express service running between Leeds and Huddersfield.[6] This replaced the former local Northern-run Leeds to Huddersfield stopping service at the May 2018 timetable change. These now run through to Manchester Piccadilly westbound and Hull eastbound since the December 2023 timetable came into force.

A limited number of weekday peak Northern services between Leeds and Manchester Victoria via Brighouse also stop here.

Preceding station   National Rail National Rail   Following station
Mirfield   TransPennine Express
North TransPennine (Manchester - Leeds)
  Dewsbury
Mirfield   Northern Trains
Wigan Wallgate - Leeds
  Dewsbury

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "6. Ravensthorpe and Westtown (Dewsbury)" (PDF). Network Rail. 16 March 2020. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 April 2020. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  2. ^ Johnston, Howard (3 June 2020). "Regional News - Ravensthorpe". Rail Magazine. No. 906. Peterborough: Bauer Media. p. 22. ISSN 0953-4563.
  3. ^ "Transport Works Act Order application Huddersfield to Dewsbury document NR05" (PDF). Network Rail. April 2021.
  4. ^ Department for Transport (18 November 2021). Integrated Rail Plan for the North and Midlands (PDF). UK Government (Report). ISBN 978-1-5286-2947-8. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 November 2021. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  5. ^ Ravensthorpe station facilities National Rail Enquiries; Retrieved 28 November 2016
  6. ^ Table 39 National Rail timetable, December 2023
[edit]
[edit]
Railways in North Kirklees
Past, present and future
Great Northern Railway
to Bradford
Leeds New Line
to Leeds
Howden Clough
Upper Batley
enlarge… to Leeds
Birstall Town
Birstall
Carlinghow
enlarge… to Leeds
Gomersal
Chickenley Heath
Batley
Cleckheaton Spen
Liversedge Spen
Batley Carr
Staincliffe and Batley Carr
Heckmondwike Spen
Dewsbury Wellington Road
Dewsbury Central
Dewsbury Market Place
Northorpe North Road
Earlsheaton
Ravensthorpe Lower
Dewsbury Goods
(NMR)
Huddersfield Line
to Wakefield
Ravensthorpe
original
proposed
Thornhill
North Midland Railway
to Royston and Notton
Mirfield
Leeds New Line
to Huddersfield
Huddersfield Line
to Huddersfield