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Huddersfield railway station

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Huddersfield railway station serves the town of Huddersfield in West Yorkshire, England.

Huddersfield
National Rail
St George's Square entrance
General information
LocationHuddersfield, Kirklees
England
Coordinates53°38′53″N 1°47′06″W / 53.648°N 1.785°W / 53.648; -1.785
Grid referenceSE143168
Managed byTransPennine Express
Transit authorityWest Yorkshire (Metro)
Platforms6
Other information
Station codeHUD
Fare zone5
ClassificationDfT category B
History
Original companyLondon and North Western Railway
Pre-groupingLondon and North Western Railway/Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway joint
Post-groupingLondon, Midland and Scottish Railway
Key dates
3 August 1847Station opened[1]
Passengers
2018/19Decrease 4.898 million
2019/20Decrease 4.769 million
2020/21Decrease 1.026 million
2021/22Increase 3.042 million
 Interchange  0.378 million
2022/23Decrease 3.021 million
 Interchange Increase 0.456 million
Listed Building – Grade I
FeatureRailway Station
Designated3 March 1952
Reference no.1277385[2]
Location
Map
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

The station is managed by TransPennine Express, which provides trains between Manchester and Liverpool in the North West and Newcastle and Middlesbrough in the North East and also to York, Scarborough and Hull via Leeds. It is also served by local Northern trains on the Huddersfield, Penistone and Caldervale lines, which between them provide service to Leeds, Wakefield Westgate, Manchester Victoria, Sheffield, Brighouse, Halifax and Bradford Interchange.

Huddersfield station is the second busiest station in West Yorkshire, with Leeds being the first, and is the fifth busiest station in Yorkshire & the Humber as a whole.

The station building

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Huddersfield railway station at night, with the statue of Harold Wilson in front (November 2009)

Designed by the architect James Pigott Pritchett and built by the firm of Joseph Kaye in 1846–50[3][4] using the neo-classical style, the station is well known in architectural circles for its classical-style facade, with a portico of the Corinthian order, consisting of six columns in width and two in depth, which dominates St George's Square. It faces out towards Lion Buildings. It is a Grade I listed building.[2] In the 1880s, the station was extended with the installation of an island platform with an overall roof. The roof partially collapsed on 10 August 1885, killing four people.[5]

The station frontage was described by John Betjeman as "the most splendid in England" and by Sir Nikolaus Pevsner as "one of the best early railway stations in England" and "the only important Victorian railway station [in the West Riding]".[6] Similarly, Simon Jenkins reported it to be one of the best 100 stations in Britain.[7]

Two pubs are within the station frontage, to each side of the main entrance: The Head Of Steam and The King's Head (previously known as The Station Tavern).[8] Both facilities are accessible from Platform 1. At the building's entrance, the booking office is to the left and to the right are the train timetables and a newsagent. Platforms 4 to 8 are located via a lift or subway, accessed from Platform 1. The public conveniences are located through this subway at the top of the steps to Platforms 4–8. The platforms are all covered by a large canopy. To the rear of the station are some carriage sidings.

 
A view of the station canopy and warehouses from St George's Street
 
Freemasons' circular, dated 25 September 1846, regarding attendance at the laying of the station's foundation stone by the Earl Fitzwilliam (transcription)

The station is staffed 24 hours a day, with the booking office open from 05:45 to 20:00 Mondays to Saturdays and 07:45 to 20:00 on Sundays. There are also four self-service ticket machines available in the ticket hall for use when the booking office is closed or for collecting pre-paid tickets. Automated train announcements, customer help points and digital display screens provide train running information on all platforms. In addition to the aforementioned pubs, the station has a waiting room and buffet on platform 4 and a coffee kiosk on platform 1.[9]

Location

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The view from the south with platforms 1 and 2 on the right

The station fronts Saint George's Square, which was refurbished in 2009. The square has been made a pedestrian zone. No car parking is available in front of the station entrance, but it is nearby on Brook Street.

The station is situated a short distance from Huddersfield bus station, so interchange facilities are possible but limited. The Huddersfield FreeCityBus connects the railway station with the bus station, as well as the University of Huddersfield and other areas of the town centre.

 
A view of Huddersfield station from the East side of St George's square

There are six platforms:

  • Platform 1 – Express services to Manchester Piccadilly, Manchester Airport and Liverpool (via Manchester Victoria).
  • Platform 2 – Terminal bay platform for Penistone Line services to/from Sheffield.
  • Platform 4 – Stopping services to Leeds (4a) and Manchester Piccadilly (4b). (One evening train from Hull terminates at Platform 4a.)
  • Platforms 5 and 6 – Bay platforms for local services to/from Bradford Interchange via Halifax and Wakefield Kirkgate.
  • Platform 8 – Express services to Leeds, Hull, York, Scarborough, Middlesbrough and Newcastle.

Development

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In 2010, Network Rail and First TransPennine Express completed a series of improvements to the station in order to provide better access for passengers. This consisted of two new lifts, and a new staircase to the subway on Platform 1. The new staircase replaced the existing staircase inside the booking hall. As well as this each platform received new information screens.[10]

In early 2011, further improvement works were carried out to the concourse and waiting area. This phase of improvements was funded by the Railway Heritage Trust, Metro, Kirklees council and the National Station's Improvement Programme. The main purpose of this was to reduce bottlenecks at peak times as well as general crowding. The redundant stable block on Platform 1 was also turned into a staff training centre and toilets.[11]

Automatic ticket barriers were installed at the station in May 2013.[12]

Work is underway on Network Rail's Transpennine Route Upgrade project,[13][14] which will see electrification of the Huddersfield Line, allowing many of the services through the station to switch to newer, faster electric rolling stock. As part of this project the signal box on platform 4 which was decommissioned previously will be removed, its control area already passed to the York Rail Operating Centre as a part of the Huddersfield Re-signalling project.[15] To match the quadrupling of the line north of Huddersfield, the project will in effect split the existing island platform, extending the existing bay platforms 5 and 6 to form two new through platforms covered by a new roof, and add a new footbridge at the Leeds end. The process will also include relocating the 1880s island platform tea room, and rotating it through 180 degrees.[16]

Services

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A westbound TransPennine Express Class 185

During Monday to Friday daytimes, TransPennine Express operate services to Newcastle, Hull, Scarborough (limited service) and Saltburn, all of which call at Leeds. Two of these are expresses (either non-stop or calling at Dewsbury only) and the other serves most local stops to Leeds. Since the start of the December 2023 timetable, TPE also run four trains a day to/from York via Wakefield Kirkgate and Castleford, plus a fifth that starts/finishes at Wakefield Kirkgate.

Westbound there are two trains per hour to Manchester Piccadilly (stopper service), one to Manchester Airport (via Manchester Victoria) and one to Liverpool Lime Street via Newton-le-Willows).[17]

Northern operates an hourly stopping services to Sheffield,[18] and to Bradford Interchange via Halifax. The service to Wakefield Kirkgate and Castleford was suspended after the COVID-19 pandemic started in spring 2020; a limited service (four per day) resumed at the December 2022 timetable change, but this no longer operates (it has been replaced by the above service to York via Castleford run by TPE).

Currently Huddersfield is served by Northern Trains and TransPennine Express.

Preceding station     National Rail   Following station
TransPennine Express
TerminusNorthern Trains
Northern Trains
Northern Trains
Disused railways
L&YRTerminus

Future services

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London North Eastern Railway planned to operate services from London King's Cross via Leeds, beginning in May 2020. But as of October 2024, this has not taken place.[19]

Steam trains

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In keeping with the on-site Head of Steam railway pub, several steam trains still pass through Huddersfield station, including the Cotton Mill Express and the Scarborough Flyer.[20]

On the disused side of Platform 2, an old carriage is bolted to the ground, alongside a grounded body of a Class 144 Pacer. Set in its window is a plaque commemorating 100 years of Steamtrain Hoorn Medemblik, a Dutch heritage railway.

Station cats

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Felix by the door of the station offices on Platform 1

The first station cat, Felix, joined the staff as a nine-week-old kitten in 2011.[21] Since then she has patrolled the station to keep it free from rodents, and even has her own cat-flap to bypass the ticket barriers.[22] In 2016 Felix was promoted to Senior Pest Controller[23] and local artist Rob Martin painted a portrait of her which now hangs in the station.[24] In 2019 Transpennine Express named a Class 68 locomotive (68031) after Felix.[25]

The second station cat, Bolt, joined the staff in September 2018 as an eight-week-old kitten.[26][27]

Felix died on 3 December 2023 after the discovery of tumours which led to medical complications.[28]

The two cats have featured in calendars and two books, raising more than £240,000 for charity.[28]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Bairstow, Martin (1993). The Huddersfield & Sheffield Junction Railway. Martin Bairstow. ISBN 1-871944-08-2.
  2. ^ a b Historic England. "Railway Station (Grade I) (1277385)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 16 October 2019.
  3. ^ Stocks, William (June 1956). "Huddersfield Station". The Railway Magazine. Vol. 102, no. 662. London: IPC. p. 378. ISSN 0033-8923.
  4. ^ Rennison, Robert William (1996). Civil Engineering Heritage (2nd ed.). London: Thomas Telford. pp. 187–188. ISBN 0-7277-2518-1.
  5. ^ Tuffrey, Peter (4 June 2019). "A Splendid Station". The Yorkshire Post. Picture Past. p. 11. ISSN 0963-1496.
  6. ^ Pevsner, Nikolaus (2001). Ratcliffe, Enid (ed.). Yorkshire : the West Riding (2 ed.). Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. p. 64. ISBN 0-14-071017-5.
  7. ^ Jenkins, Simon (1 October 2017). "10 of the best railway stations in Britain". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
  8. ^ "Concert for Alyson's cause". Huddersfield Examiner. 6 March 2008. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
  9. ^ Huddersfield Station facilities National Rail Enquiries; Retrieved 16 January 2017
  10. ^ Access improvements complete at Huddersfield Station (Huddersfield Examiner, 20 August 2010)
  11. ^ Above and beyond unveils plans for Huddersfield railway station revamp (Huddersfield Examiner, 5 September 2009)
  12. ^ Ticket barriers go in at Huddersfield railway station (Huddersfield Examiner, 13 May 2013)
  13. ^ Huddersfield to Leeds, Transpennine Route Upgrade project. Accessed 2023-01-20
  14. ^ Huddersfield to Westtown (Dewsbury), Transpennine Route Upgrade, Network Rail
  15. ^ "Huddersfield and Dewsbury stations close for signal works" BBC News article 5 August 2017
  16. ^ Huddersfield Station design and access statement, TWAO submission document NR15a, Network Rail, March 2021: page 46 (frame 50 of pdf), section 5.6.3
  17. ^ Table 39 National Rail timetable, December 2023
  18. ^ Table 27 National Rail timetable, December 2023
  19. ^ "Stagecoach-Virgin company awarded InterCity East Coast rail franchise" (Press release). Perth: Stagecoach Group plc. 27 November 2014. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  20. ^ UK Steam "Mainline Steam Tour Programme 2010", 2010 listing.
  21. ^ "Huddersfield Railway Station welcomes a new member of staff – Felix the station cat" Douglas, Joanne Huddersfield Examiner 21 November 2011
  22. ^ "Felix the cat gets special entrance at Huddersfield station after coming unstuck at new barriers" James, Richard Metro.co.uk 14 June 2013
  23. ^ "Felix the Huddersfield Station cat gets a purr-motion" Beever, Susie Huddersfield Examiner 2 February 2016
  24. ^ Douglas, Joanne (30 November 2016). "New oil portrait unveiled of Felix the cat". Huddersfield Examiner. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
  25. ^ Beever, Susie (5 March 2019). "Felix the Huddersfield Station Cat now has a train named after her". Yorkshire Live. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  26. ^ Beever, Susie (2 September 2018). "Huddersfield Station take on SECOND cat as Felix's apprentice". Huddersfield Examiner. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
  27. ^ Bevis, Gavin (29 December 2019). "The commuter cats who became fur-mous". BBC News. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  28. ^ a b Michael, Holden (5 December 2023). "West Yorkshire railway station cat dies from terminal illness". RailAdvent. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
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