Ripon railway station was a railway station that served

Ripon Ripon () is a cathedral city in the Borough of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England. The city is located at the confluence of two tributaries of the River Ure, the Laver and Skell. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, the city ...

North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is the largest ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county (lieutenancy area) in England, covering an area of . Around 40% of the county is covered by National parks of the United Kingdom, national parks, including most of ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

on the Leeds-Northallerton Line that ran between

Harrogate Harrogate ( ) is a spa town and the administrative centre of the Borough of Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England. Historic counties of England, Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, the town is a tourist destination and its visitor at ...

and

Northallerton Northallerton ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the Hambleton District of North Yorkshire, England. It lies in the Vale of Mowbray and at the northern end of the Vale of York. It had a population of 16,832 in the 2011 census, an increase ...

History

Opened by the

Leeds and Thirsk Railway The Leeds Northern Railway (LNR), originally the Leeds and Thirsk Railway, was an English railway company that built and opened a line from Leeds to Stockton via Harrogate and Thirsk. In 1845 the Leeds and Thirsk Railway received permission for ...

on 1 June 1848. The foundation stone for the station buildings was laid on 18 September 1854 by Mrs. A. B. Patience, wife of the station master. On 11 August 1866 Prince Edward and Princess Alexandra arrived at the station for a short visit to

Studley Royal Studley Royal Park including the ruins of Fountains Abbey is a designated World Heritage Site in North Yorkshire, England. The site, which has an area of features an 18th-century landscaped garden, some of the largest Cistercian ruins in Europe ...

. They returned the day afterwards to catch the Royal Train to Barnard Castle. It was taken over by the North Eastern Railway, which became part of the

London and North Eastern Railway The London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) was the second largest (after LMS) of the " Big Four" railway companies created by the Railways Act 1921 in Britain. It operated from 1 January 1923 until nationalisation on 1 January 1948. At th ...

during the

Grouping Grouping may refer to: * Muenchian grouping * Principles of grouping * Railways Act 1921, also known as Grouping Act, a reorganisation of the British railway system * Grouping (firearms), the pattern of multiple shots from a sidearm See also ...

of 1923. The line then passed on to the

Eastern Region of British Railways The Eastern Region was a region of British Railways from 1948, whose operating area could be identified from the dark blue signs and colour schemes that adorned its station and other railway buildings. Together with the North Eastern Region ( ...

nationalisation Nationalization (nationalisation in British English) is the process of transforming privately-owned assets into public assets by bringing them under the public ownership of a national government or state. Nationalization usually refers to pri ...

in 1948. It was closed by the

British Railways Board British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

to passenger trains in 1967, and freight trains in 1969, as part of the

Beeching Axe The Beeching cuts (also Beeching Axe) was a plan to increase the efficiency of the nationalised railway system in Great Britain. The plan was outlined in two reports: ''The Reshaping of British Railways'' (1963) and ''The Development of the ...

Station Masters

*Mr. Patience ca. 1854 – 1859 *Matthew Peacock 1860 – 1872 *Peter Donaldson 1872 – 1887 *James Kitson 1888 – 1902 *Henry Routledge 1902 - 1905 (formerly station master at Market Weighton) *Thomas Aitchison 1905 – 1925 *John Proudfoot 1925 – 1933 (formerly station master at Haverton Hill and Port Clarence, afterwards station master at Malton) *H.J. Horsley 1933 – 1948 *R.B. King ???? – 1961 (afterwards station master at Harrogate) *W.E. Wood 1961 – ????

Proposals for re-opening

Today much of the route of the line through the city is now a relief road and although the former station is still standing, it is now surrounded by a new housing development. The issue remains a significant one in local politics and there are movements wanting to restore the line. Reports suggest the reopening of a line between Ripon and

Harrogate railway station Harrogate railway station serves the town of Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England. Located on the Harrogate Line it is north of Leeds. Northern Trains operate the station and provide local passenger train services, with a London North Easte ...

would be economically viable, costing £40 million and could initially attract 1,200 passengers a day, rising to 2,700. Campaigners call on MPs to restore Ripon railway link. In October 2015, North Yorkshire County Council included the reopening in its Strategic Transport Prospectus which was submitted to Transport for the North. In February 2016 the County Council included it in its Local Transport Plan, but it is accepted that it is unlikely to happen until after 2030.

References

{{Railway stations in the Borough of Harrogate Disused railway stations in North Yorkshire Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1848 Railway stations in Great Britain closed in 1967 Former North Eastern Railway (UK) stations Beeching closures in England Ripon