Batley railway station

Batley
The entrance
General information
Location	Batley, Kirklees England
Coordinates	53.709910°N 1.623020°W / 53.709910; -1.623020
Grid reference	SE249237
Managed by	Northern Trains
Transit authority	West Yorkshire Metro
Platforms	2
Other information
Station code	BTL
Fare zone	2
Classification	DfT category F1
History
Opened	1848
Passengers
2018/19	0.342 million
2019/20	0.342 million
2020/21	90,188
2021/22	0.241 million
2022/23	0.265 million
Location
Notes Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

The station in 1961

Batley railway station serves the market town of Batley in West Yorkshire, England. Situated 8 miles (13 km) south-west of Leeds on the main line to Huddersfield and Manchester, the station was opened by the London and North Western Railway in 1848.

The station is now managed by Northern Trains, who operate the service from Leeds to Wigan Wallgate via Manchester Victoria. Services via Huddersfield are currently provided by TransPennine Express.

Facilities

Batley railway station is unstaffed. The main buildings on the eastbound platform (1) are used as a waiting area and entrance and there is a self-service ticket machine. Car parking is available for visitors directly outside the railway station entrance. Platform 2 has a shelter and both platforms have digital display screens and timetable posters showing train service information. Only Platform 1 has step-free access; the subway to Platform 2 has stairways.

Services

The service here, which changed substantially in May 2018, was altered again at the December 2018 timetable change after issues with punctuality and service reliability. The net effect has been to essentially restore the pattern that formerly served the station prior to the May 2018 changes, which was one Leeds to Huddersfield stopping train per hour each way (now operated by TransPennine Express and calling at all local stations) and one Northern Trains service between Leeds, Manchester Victoria and Wigan Wallgate via Brighouse. The former Southport trains now terminate at Wigan, whilst the TPE services now run through to Hull eastbound and Manchester Piccadilly westbound.

On Sundays, there is an hourly service each way.

History

The station was at one time rather larger than it is today, as it was also served by the Great Northern Railway branch line from Bradford to Wakefield via Dewsbury Central from December 1864 to 7 September 1964, when it fell victim to the Beeching Axe. It was also the junction for branch lines to Birstall (opened in 1852, closed to passengers as a wartime economy measure in 1917 and to all traffic in 1963) and to Tingley and Beeston (opened in 1890, closed in 1951). The station was significantly enlarged (with the addition of three extra platforms) on the opening of the latter route in August 1890, but reverted to the present twin-platform configuration after the closure and abandonment of the Bradford - Wakefield line in 1964/5.Few traces of any of these routes remain today, but the abutments of the former bridge that took the Bradford line across the line from Leeds near Batley signal box (east of the station) can still be seen.

In June 2018, a protest was held by Batley and Spen MP Tracy Brabin following weeks of disruption to its services after Northern announced the roll out of a new timetable. The Labour MP argued people who live in the north of the country are fed up of being at the bottom of the pile when it comes to transport investment.

In 2023, Network Rail announced plans to replace the Lady Anne level crossing with a footbridge, and to demolish the signal box, as part of a programme of work to upgrade the TransPennine Line.

Gallery

• 
  Platform 2 in 2006
• 
  Platform 2 in 2018
• 
  Platform 2 in 2021

External links

• Train times and station information for Batley railway station from National Rail

Preceding station		National Rail		Following station
Dewsbury		TransPennine Express North TransPennine (Huddersfield - Leeds)		Morley
		Northern Trains Wigan North Western - Leeds
	Disused railways
Upper Batley Line and station closed		Great Northern Railway Batley Branch Chickenley Heath Branch		Chickenley Heath Line and station closed
		Great Northern Railway Batley Branch Dewsbury & Batley Branch		Batley Carr Line and station closed

Railways in North Kirklees
Past, present and future
Great Northern Railway to Bradford Leeds New Line to Leeds Howden Clough Upper Batley to Leeds Birstall Town Birstall Carlinghow to Leeds Gomersal Chickenley Heath to Wakefield Batley Lancashire & Yorkshire Rly to Bradford Cleckheaton Central Cleckheaton Spen Liversedge Liversedge Spen Batley Carr Staincliffe and Batley Carr Heckmondwike Central Heckmondwike Spen Dewsbury Wellington Road Dewsbury Central Dewsbury Market Place Northorpe North Road Earlsheaton to Wakefield Ravensthorpe Lower Dewsbury Goods (NMR) Huddersfield Line to Wakefield Ravensthorpe original proposed Thornhill Northorpe Higher North Midland Railway to Royston and Notton Mirfield Battyeford Leeds New Line to Huddersfield Huddersfield Line to Huddersfield