Calder Valley Improvements sought

[Burnside]

Rail North, a body formed by all 5 northern PTE's recently issued a long term development plan for rail services in the north over the next 20 years (available to read at: www.railstrategynorth.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Summary-document.pdf )

Part of Rail North's reason for being is to try to get Northern Rail and Transpennine Express franchises devolved to local control, believing it would be more beneficial and also easier to acquire rolling stock, carry out projects etc.

Now, as reported by Today's Railways UK magazine, The Upper Calder Valley Sustainable Transport Group has submitted it's response.

Firstly, while Rail North state the Caldervale line is a possible candidate for electrification, they have not targeted a date for this to occur. UCVSTG believes work should start no later than 2020.

The group's other recommendations include:

Later last trains and more trains on Sundays
Sunday frequency similar to the rest of the week
Direct Preston - Huddersfield service via Burnley and Brighouse
Direct trains East Lancashire - Sheffield via Burnley and Wakefield Kirkgate
New stations at Elland, Cornholme and Hipperholme
Cross Bradford link, joining Caldervale with Airedale and Wharfedale lines
Replacement of Pacers and upgrading of Sprinter units

Now, while some of these may be simple to accomplish (Pacers are unlikely to last beyond the end of the decade), others, particularly the long hoped for Cross City Link in Bradford, are extremely unlikely to occur.

[www.buseireann.ie]

I bet Walsden residents will be well chuffed next year, almost all their services wil be running via Brighouse/Dewsbury to Leeds rather than Halifax where most travellers would most probably rather be going. I bet they'll be sellotaping the mouths of anyone uttering the words 'lets put more trains on this line' as it's the extra Transpennine train what's caused this massive change, apparently it's the only way they can fit it in! Northern have already had to muck about with the proposed timetable so 2 peak trains via Halifax/Bradford each way could stop at Walsden, I think they'll be doing a lot more of that!

[Kenton Schweppes]

They got some ambition,I'll give em that have old HADRAG, but obviously no sense of where all the money would be coming from.Having said that if they suggested these fro London, City Hall wouldn't hesitate in writing the cheques!!

Joking aside they do have some reasonably good ideas, later services and a higher frequency on Sunday isn't too ambitious or too much to ask is it? A new station at Elland, been banging on about this one for ages, its a no brainer if you ask me, it should have been opened 15 year ago when the line was re-opened. Calderdale Council are desperate for a station at Elland but Metro just seem indifferent to the idea. It could be a real winner in fact I'm sure it would be.

Not sure of the benefit of the Preston to Huddersfield service or the East Lancs to Sheffield but what maybe a better and prove more value for money would be a Victoria to Wakefield service via Brighouse.

The Bradford cross city link is a good idea but its would be so costly and prove to so disruptive to the city it wouldn't just get off the ground.

Other ideas, although not in the Calder Valley would be to re-open the Spen Valley line, stations at Cleckheaton,Heckmondwike and Liversedge, its mainly intact with one or two incursions onto the track bed. The Horbury curve to be re-opened giving Bardford a link into South Yorkshire and the East Midlands, blue sky I know, but worth consideration and further study into.

[ratty]

Can't say that I ever remember the line through Elland ever closing, and I'm not 100% sure that the Greetland bank/curve was ever formally closed either. But I do remember the main line being used only by.goods and diversions, and the curve only being used by scrap metal trains fromLaisterdyke in the 80's and 90's. Not forgetting 'summer dated' services to Weymouth, and Halifax RLFC trips to Wembley 85/6.

[Burnside]

The line through Elland and Brighouse was never officially closed.

The stations were shut, however, the line remained open for freight, diversions and summer specials.

[Kenton Schweppes]

Yeah sorry, the line never officially closed, the curve into the Huddersfield line did but the track was never lifted. It was just used for freight and diversions, what I should have said is that when the line re-opened to passenger services a station at Elland should have been opened!! From memory it did take quite a bit of freight.

[glennh2]

I'm a HADRAG member and can vouch for their ambition to develop local services on the Caldervale line and campaign for Elland station

However a lot of the above suggestions have not come from us and the Upper Calder Valley STG is a totally different body as far as I know

[Kenton Schweppes]

Apologies glenn, I seem to be doing a lot of apologising on this thread, I assumed it was HADRAG who had made the suggestions.

What is the latest with Elland station?

[SF07]

The only recent story about Elland station was Calderdale Council putting aside £50,000 back in August for feasibility studies into the station.

www.halifaxcourier.co.uk/news/business/business-news/councillors-approve-50-000-funding-for-elland-train-station-1-5926474
www.examiner.co.uk/news/west-yorkshire-news/calderdale-council-cabinet-50000-help-5644861