Closed for over 20 years, the disused platform at Castleford will see a full rebuild in order to increase capacity and reliability for passengers.
The project will see Castleford railway station served by a second platform for the first time in more than 20 years.
The newly built platform will be connected via a fully accessible footbridge and will feature stairs and lifts and comes as part of the station's recent improvements to both station and facilities.
Customers using Castleford railway station have had just one platform for travel in both directions for decades now, this problematic layout often leads to delays as trains try to access the only platform.
The reintroduction of the second platform for the first time since the 1970s will no doubt be welcomed by customers as it will bring both increased capacity and efficiency for passengers by allowing more trains to operate services to and from Castleford.
Engineers began work on the 16th of October in order to prepare the station for the final stage of the major upgrade project. The brand new footbridge will be put into position over two weekends during October and further work will also be carried out to improve tracks and to upgrade signalling which will see three days of work from Friday the 28th and Sunday the 30th of October.
During the work, trains will be diverted and will not be able to call at Castleford as follows:
Sunday the 23rd of October:
- Rail replacement Buses will replace trains between Leeds and Knottingley via Castleford.
- Stopping trains between Leeds and Sheffield via Barnsley will operate Castleford to Sheffield, with rail replacement buses replacing trains from Leeds to Castleford.
- Trains between Leeds and Nottingham will be diverted and will not call at Castleford.
Friday the 28th of October:
- No trains will call at Castleford, trains between Leeds and Knottingley via Castleford will be replaced by rail replacement buses.
- Trains between Leeds and Sheffield and Nottingham will be diverted and will not call at Castleford.
Saturday the 29th of October:
- Trains between Leeds and Knottingley via Castleford will be replaced by rail replacement buses all day.
- Until 6pm, trains between Leeds, and Sheffield & Nottingham will be diverted and will not call at Castleford.
- After 6pm, trains between Leeds and Sheffield & Nottingham will start at Wakefield Kirkgate instead of Leeds.
- Rail replacement buses will be in operation between Leeds and Wakefield Kirkgate.
On Sunday 30 October:
- No trains will call at Castleford, trains between Leeds and Knottingley via Castleford will be replaced by rail replacement buses all day.
- Trains between Leeds and Sheffield and Nottingham will start at Wakefield Kirkgate instead of Leeds.
- Rail replacement buses will operate between Leeds and Wakefield Kirkgate.
An earlier part of the project saw a new crossover installed to the west of the station at Cutskye which will let trains access either platform. The new signalling system once installed will also enable more trains to operate from the station.
The project comes as part of the huge Transpennine Route Upgrade and will see the Castleford line used to divert trains in order to keep passengers on the move during major work on the main line between York to Leeds.
The project will finally be completed with its new platform and bridge open for use in 2023.
In order for the new footbridge to be installed safely it will be necessary for the car park to close on the following dates:
- All day on Saturday the 22nd of October and until noon on Sunday the 23rd of October
- From 21:00 on Thursday the 27th of October until noon on Friday the 28th of October
Phil Bates, Senior Sponsor on Transpennine Route Upgrade said: “The opening of the second platform and the re-signalling of the route between Castleford and Milford and is a huge moment for the town of Castleford and the surrounding areas. Furthermore, the reopened platform will be fully accessible following the installation of a footbridge with lifts on both sides.
“It also means we'll be able to keep passengers moving on trains by diverting them via Castleford while we deliver major Transpennine Route Upgrade improvements on the main line.”
Rob Warnes, Strategic Development Director for Northern said: “We are grateful to our customers for their patience whilst this work takes place. Once the new platform and lifts are commissioned, both sides of the upgraded Castleford station will be fully accessible for all, with more resilience built into the station allowing us to run a better service for our customers.”
Who says the second platform was forgotten?
The article says there were delays there. No, there weren’t. The system was working fine.
JM23 says that that ugly old signal box is “listed”. It’s hideous. How ridiculous.
It would be nice to see passenger trains to York reintroduced.
Unfortunately their not restoring the entire platform length, demolishing the listed signal box, and not installing anymore shelters or toilets. People are already making bets on how long it’ll be until the lift’s are vandalised non operational.
Ahh…the folly of reducing station platforms to one only for both directions of travel! Along with singling of lines these measures were popular as cost saving ones in the 1960s and 70s. A bad example of “platform singling” is at Dore & Totley on the Hope Valley line, which is still double track until the approach to the station from the Hope Valley, where it reduces to a single line through the station, creating a bottleneck that feeds back through the whole Hope Valley line. In this case the second platform was actually demolished so re-instating it will be harder than at Castleford.