Metro is the passenger information brand used by the
West Yorkshire Combined Authority
The West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) is the combined authority for West Yorkshire in England. It was established by statutory instrument under the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009 on 1 April 2014. It is a s ...
in England. It was formed on 1 April 1974 as the West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive (WYPTE) at the same time as the metropolitan county of West Yorkshire.
The ''Metro'' brand has been used from the outset, and since the formal abolition of the WYPTE on 1 April 2014, it has been the public facing name of the organisation. The transport authority of West Yorkshire, responsible for setting transport policy, is the
West Yorkshire Combined Authority
The West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) is the combined authority for West Yorkshire in England. It was established by statutory instrument under the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009 on 1 April 2014. It is a s ...
. The WYCA is also responsible for delivery of transport policies.
Governance
![Oxenhope Metro Bus Line](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d7/Oxenhope_Metro_Bus_Line.jpg)
Metro is a public transport brand of the
West Yorkshire Combined Authority
The West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) is the combined authority for West Yorkshire in England. It was established by statutory instrument under the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009 on 1 April 2014. It is a s ...
which is, through its transport committee, the transport authority for
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. It is an inland and upland county having eastward-draining valleys while taking in the moors of the Pennines. West Yorkshire came into exi ...
. It replaced the West Yorkshire Integrated Transport Authority on 1 April 2014. The
West Yorkshire County Council
West Yorkshire County Council (WYCC) – also known as West Yorkshire Metropolitan County Council (WYMCC) – was the top-tier local government administrative body for West Yorkshire from 1974 to 1986. A strategic authority, with responsibilitie ...
was the transport authority from 1 April 1974 until 1 April 1986. It was replaced by the West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Authority that was made up of elected councillors from the districts of West Yorkshire. The West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Authority was renamed the West Yorkshire Integrated Transport Authority following the
Local Transport Act 2008
The Local Transport Act 2008 (c 26) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
Section 134 - Commencement
Orders made under this section:The Local Transport Act 2008 (Commencement No. 1 and Transitional Provisions) Order 2009(S.I. 2009/ ...
. The Metro brand was adopted in 1988.
MetroBus History
Buses are operated by private companies, with early morning, late evening, Sunday and rural services often supported by Metro. There is a special rural bus section, which promotes a combination of minor local links and major long distance routes.
On 1 April 1974, the West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive was created by merging the municipal bus fleets of
Bradford City Transport,
Leeds City Transport,
Huddersfield Corporation Passenger Transport
Huddersfield is a market town in the Kirklees district in West Yorkshire, England. It is the administrative centre and largest settlement in the Kirklees district. The town is in the foothills of the Pennines. The River Holme's confluence into t ...
and
Halifax Joint Omnibus Committee, which earlier in the 1970s swallowed up Todmorden Joint Omnibus Committee. The operation was divided into four districts and a new livery of cream and verona green replaced the Bradford light blue & cream, Huddersfield red & cream, Leeds two-tone green and Halifax & Calderdale orange, green & cream. Created following the
Local Government Act 1972
The Local Government Act 1972 (c. 70) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974. It was one of the most significant Acts of Parliament to be passed by the Heath Gov ...
, the Executive had to operate within the policy guidelines of the County Council Public Transport Committee, coordinating the operation of all public transport in the county. The Executive inherited approximately 1,500 buses along with 6,000 staff and the associated garages and street furniture.
The Executive relinquished ownership of local buses following the
Transport Act 1985
The Transport Act 1985 was an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom. It introduced privatised and deregulated bus services throughout Great Britain and came into effect in October of 1986.
The Act was created as a response to growing concern ...
, creating arms-length operating companies. It continued to coordinate public transport as the West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Authority when the metropolitan county was abolished in 1986.
New buses were purchased in large numbers at the outset. In 1976 Baddeley Brothers of
Holmfirth
Holmfirth is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, West Yorkshire, England, on the A635 and A6024 in the Holme Valley, at the confluence of the River Holme and Ribble, south of Huddersfield and west of Barnsley. It mostly cons ...
was purchased providing the PTE with additional coaching and stage-carriage duties. In 1980 the Baddeley Brothers business was also disposed of, although the Metrocoach operation was retained.
Fleet livery
![Buses on Boar Lane - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/de/Buses_on_Boar_Lane_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1154835.jpg)
In 1976 modifications were made to the livery. Originally there were three stripes at the sides of the destination box, which wrapped round to the sides and swept down. This took time to apply, and a trial was made with one thin line. In 1977 the lines were removed and the green area at the skirting of was raised up, so there was slightly more green. The other change was the fleet name to MetroBus in 1976, removing the district names.
On 25 April 1977, the PTE acquired the old-established
Kinsley based United Services from WR & P Bingley. As well as providing the PTE with more coaching operations, this took it into an area of West Yorkshire where it had previously had no presence. United Services was maintained as a separate subsidiary and retained its distinctive blue livery, whilst a new livery of red & ivory was adopted for the PTE's coaches, which operated under the "Metrocoach" banner, with brown added for "Metrocoach Executive". Later Bingley's depot received double-deckers transferred from the Leeds District. In early 1981 a reorganisation of operating districts was implemented with the East District becoming responsible for the
Leeds
Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...
depots and United Services, whilst the West District took control of
Bradford
Bradford is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Bradford district in West Yorkshire, England. The city is in the Pennines' eastern foothills on the banks of the Bradford Beck. Bradford had a population of 349,561 at the 2011 ...
,
Halifax,
Todmorden
Todmorden ( ; ) is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Upper Calder Valley in Calderdale, West Yorkshire, England. It is north-east of Manchester, south-east of Burnley and west of Halifax, West Yorkshire, Hal ...
and
Huddersfield
Huddersfield is a market town in the Kirklees district in West Yorkshire, England. It is the administrative centre and largest settlement in the Kirklees district. The town is in the foothills of the Pennines. The River Holme's confluence into ...
. Three new
Leyland National
The Leyland National is an integrally-constructed United Kingdom, British high-floor, step-floor single-decker bus manufactured in large quantities between 1972 and 1985. It was developed as a joint project between two UK nationalised industri ...
2s were acquired for United Services, in blue livery.
New integrated bus system
In July 1981, MetroBus and the
National Bus Company (NBC) formed a new integrated transport system known as the "Metro-National Transport Company Limited". All PTE and NBC buses began to appear with a new emblem, which consisted of the MetroBus WY's in one box and the NBC "double N" or "N-blem" appearing in another to the right of the PTE emblem, and slightly lower. The boxes were linked to show the integration. They also appeared with MetroBus fleetnames with "''The easy way from here to there in West Yorkshire''". The new "Metrobus" fleetname being applied not only to PTE owned vehicles on which WYPTE lettering was carried beneath the fleet name, but also buses of NBC subsidiaries
West Yorkshire Road Car Company
The West Yorkshire Road Car Company was a major bus operator operating in North Yorkshire, North and West Yorkshire between 1906 and 1987.
History West Yorkshire
The Harrogate Road Car Company was formed in 1906, running at first steam buses in ...
,
West Riding Automobile Company
The West Riding Automobile Company was a bus company that served the Wakefield area of Yorkshire, England from 1922.
Company history
The West Riding Automobile Company was formed as a subsidiary of the Yorkshire (West Riding) Electric Tramways ...
, Yorkshire Woollen Transport Company and
Yorkshire Traction
Yorkshire Traction was a bus operator in Yorkshire that operated from 1902 until 2005.
History
In March 1902 the Barnsley & District Electric Traction Company Limited was formed. It operated trams around the Barnsley area until around 1930 ...
, carrying "West Yorkshire", "West Riding", "Yorkshire" and "Yorkshire Traction" names below the Metrobus name. Some years later some of those buses (excluding Yorkshire Traction) were repainted into the PTEs verona cream and buttermilk livery so as to present a corporate image. From this date the "WY" logo on the front of buses was replaced by the "Metro-National" emblem in mid-1983, to celebrate 100 years of public transport in Huddersfield, MetroBus paint two vehicles in old liveries:
Leyland Atlantean
The Leyland Atlantean is a predominantly double-decker bus
A double-decker bus or double-deck bus is a bus that has two storeys or decks. They are used for mass transport in the United Kingdom, the United States, New Zealand, Europe, Asi ...
s carried Huddersfield Corporation red livery and
Huddersfield Corporation Tramways
Huddersfield Corporation Tramways operated a tramway service in Huddersfield, England, between 1883 and 1940. It initially used steam locomotives pulling unpowered tramcars, but as the system was expanded, a decision was taken to change to elec ...
livery. They became "Building on a Great Tradition" vehicles and were in those liveries until the late 1990s.
Deregulation
Deregulation
Deregulation is the process of removing or reducing state regulations, typically in the economic sphere. It is the repeal of governmental regulation of the economy. It became common in advanced industrial economies in the 1970s and 1980s, as a ...
occurred on 26 October 1986. The WYPTE bus division was renamed
Yorkshire Rider
Yorkshire Rider was a bus company in West Yorkshire, England.
History
To comply with the Transport Act 1985, the West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive transferred its bus operations to an arms length company named Yorkshire Rider on 26 ...
and with it a new livery of dark olive green and cream and a stylised "YR" emblem. Five double-decker buses were operated in each of the municipal council's colours (already included were the two Huddersfield buses), with words on the sides between the decks saying "Building on a Great Tradition". The bus services and fare/bus pass/timetables division was renamed Metro.
Fleetlist
![WYPTE Metrobus 6268 PUA 268W Leyland Atlantean Roe - Flickr - bowlagoogly](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/95/WYPTE_Metrobus_6268_PUA_268W_Leyland_Atlantean_Roe_-_Flickr_-_bowlagoogly.jpg)
*
Leyland Titan PD3 1974–1976
*
Daimler Fleetline
The Daimler Fleetline (known as the Leyland Fleetline from circa 1975) is a rear-engined double-decker bus chassis which was built between 1960 and 1983.
It was the second of three bus models to have a marque name as well as an alphanumeric i ...
1974–1976
*
AEC Regent III
The AEC Regent III (also known as Regent 3 or Regent Mark III) was a type of double-decker bus chassis manufactured by AEC.
It was mainly built for operation outside London and overseas. It could be fitted with AEC's 9.6-litre diesel engine ( ...
1974–1976
*
Leyland Atlantean
The Leyland Atlantean is a predominantly double-decker bus
A double-decker bus or double-deck bus is a bus that has two storeys or decks. They are used for mass transport in the United Kingdom, the United States, New Zealand, Europe, Asi ...
1974–1986
*Daimler CVG.VI 1974–1976
*Daimler SRG.VI 1974–1976
*
AEC Swift
The AEC Swift was a rear-engined step entrance single-decker bus chassis manufactured by AEC between 1964 and 1980. The chassis design was closely related to the Leyland Panther. It was available in and lengths, with an AEC AH505 or AH691 e ...
1974–1976
*
Leyland Panther
The Leyland Panther was a rear-engined single-decker bus chassis manufactured by Leyland between the years 1964 and 1972. A version with a smaller engine was released as the Leyland Panther Cub.
History
The Leyland Panther was introduced in ...
1974–1976
*
Leyland Leopard
The Leyland Leopard was a mid-engined single-decker bus and single-decker coach chassis manufactured by Leyland between 1959 and 1982.
History
The Leyland Leopard was introduced in 1959. It was developed from the Leyland Tiger Cub, one of ...
1974–1976
*
Leyland Royal Tiger
The Leyland Royal Tiger was a rear-engined coach chassis manufactured by Leyland between 1982 and 1987. It was intended to counter the offerings of foreign competitors such as the Jonckheere or Van Hool bodied DAF, Scania and Volvo touring co ...
1974–1976
*
AEC Reliance
The AEC Reliance was a mid-underfloor mounted engined single-decker bus and coach chassis manufactured by AEC between 1953 and 1979. The name had previously been used between 1928 and 1931 for another single-decker bus chassis.
History
Two ...
1974–1976
*
Seddon Pennine RU
The Seddon Pennine RU was a rear-engined single-decker bus built by Seddon Diesel Vehicles/Seddon Atkinson between 1969 and 1974.
History overview of Seddon/Seddon Atkinson bus production
Seddon Diesel Vehicles were, like Atkinson Lorries, ERF ...
1974–1976
*
Guy Arab
The Guy Arab was a bus chassis manufactured by Guy Motors. It was introduced in 1933 as a double deck chassis.
In 1942, Guy launched a modified version with wartime constraints requiring components previously made of aluminium to be made from ...
Mk IV 1974–1976
*
Scania Metropolitan
The Scania Metropolitan was the first double decker bus model built jointly by MCW and Scania. It was built between 1973 and 1978.
It was the second bus model jointly built by these two companies. The first model was the Metro-Scania singl ...
1975–1985
*
Leyland Olympian
The Leyland Olympian was a 2-axle and 3-axle double-decker bus chassis manufactured by Leyland between 1980 and 1993. It was the last Leyland bus model in production.
Construction
The Olympian had the same chassis and running gear as t ...
1980–1986
*
MCW Metrobus
The MCW Metrobus is a two and three-axle double-decker bus manufactured by Metro Cammell Weymann (MCW) between 1977 and 1989, with over 4,000 built. The original MkI was superseded by the MkII which had a symmetrical windscreen with an arched ...
1980–1986
*
Duple Dominant
The Duple Dominant was a design of a coach (and less commonly bus) bodywork built by Duple between 1972 and 1987. It introduced an all-steel structure and replaced the wooden-framed Duple Vega, Viceroy and Vista models.
Chassis
Duple Dominant ...
1983–1986
Bank Holidays
Generally speaking:
*Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year's Day – no service. Some free services are provided by volunteers using buses from the Keighley Bus Museum Trust during Christmas Day daytime. In 2007 Metro have agreed to provide trial services on main routes in Huddersfield and Leeds on
Boxing Day
Boxing Day is a holiday celebrated after Christmas Day, occurring on the second day of Christmastide (26 December). Though it originated as a holiday to give gifts to the poor, today Boxing Day is primarily known as a shopping holiday. It ...
2007.
*Christmas and New Year's Eves – Saturday service (or Sunday service if these days fall on a Sunday), but with early finish.
*Weekdays between Christmas and New Year – Saturday service. Any Bank Holidays in lieu of Christmas Day falling on a weekend will have a Sunday service
*Bank Holiday Mondays – Sunday service (except Saturday service on Harrogate and District, and where otherwise stated).
*Good Friday – normal service.
In August Metro start to Issue A ticket called Metro Active. This ticket is Available after 09:30 and is used by children (under 11) with parents, children aged 11–16 with a young persons photocard and teenagers aged 17–19 with a Scholars Photocard. The cost of the ticket is just £1 and can be used on all operators services within West Yorkshire (Also includes Barnsley and Doncaster).
'My bus' school bus services
![My bus at Bingley](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c3/My_bus_at_Bingley.jpg)
My bus is a
school bus
A school bus is any type of bus owned, leased, contracted to, or operated by a school or school district. It is regularly used to transport students to and from school or school-related activities, but not including a charter bus or transit bus ...
service provided by West Yorkshire Metro with certain features which set it apart from normal
school transport services in the United Kingdom:
*a dedicated fleet of
school bus
A school bus is any type of bus owned, leased, contracted to, or operated by a school or school district. It is regularly used to transport students to and from school or school-related activities, but not including a charter bus or transit bus ...
es (rather than ordinary
transit bus
Transit may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Film
* ''Transit'' (1979 film), a 1979 Israeli film
* ''Transit'' (2005 film), a film produced by MTV and Staying-Alive about four people in countries in the world
* ''Transit'' (2006 film), a 2006 ...
es or
coach
Coach may refer to:
Guidance/instruction
* Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities
* Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process
** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers
Transportation
* Co ...
es borrowed from other duties); additional use of these vehicles is limited to school and young-person focussed activities and all have
low floor
Accessibility is the design of products, devices, services, vehicles, or environments so as to be usable by people with disabilities. The concept of accessible design and practice of accessible development ensures both "direct access" (i. ...
s and
seat belt
A seat belt (also known as a safety belt, or spelled seatbelt) is a vehicle safety device designed to secure the driver or a passenger of a vehicle against harmful movement that may result during a collision or a sudden stop. A seat belt reduc ...
s
*drivers with enhanced
DBS checks, who permanently assigned to each route, assisted on some routes by
volunteer
Volunteering is a voluntary act of an individual or group freely giving time and labor for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency rescue. Others serve ...
escorts
*a bus seat is permanently assigned to each student
*in-school education campaign to support the service
The service, using buses painted yellow with coordinated ''My bus''
brand
A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create an ...
ing gained significant mode shift: 64% of primary school users were previously driven by car. Under this scheme, these buses were not allowed to be used for non-school purposes.
West Yorkshire Metro claims benefits from 'My bus' ranging from reductions in car use,
traffic congestion
Traffic congestion is a condition in transport that is characterized by slower speeds, longer trip times, and increased vehicular queueing. Traffic congestion on urban road networks has increased substantially since the 1950s. When traffic de ...
,
air pollution
Air pollution is the contamination of air due to the presence of substances in the atmosphere that are harmful to the health of humans and other living beings, or cause damage to the climate or to materials. There are many different types ...
,
traffic accidents,
social exclusion
Social exclusion or social marginalisation is the social disadvantage and relegation to the fringe of society. It is a term that has been used widely in Europe and was first used in France in the late 20th century. It is used across discipline ...
,
truancy
Truancy is any intentional, unjustified, unauthorised, or illegal absence from compulsory education. It is a deliberate absence by a student's own free will (though sometimes adults or parents will allow and/or ignore it) and usually does not refe ...
and late student arrivals and improvements to
education
Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Va ...
, safety for pedestrians and cyclists,
integration
Integration may refer to:
Biology
*Multisensory integration
*Path integration
* Pre-integration complex, viral genetic material used to insert a viral genome into a host genome
*DNA integration, by means of site-specific recombinase technology, ...
of people with
special needs
In clinical diagnostic and functional development, special needs (or additional needs) refers to individuals who require assistance for disabilities that may be medical, mental, or psychological. Guidelines for clinical diagnosis are given in ...
and children's experiences of
public transport
Public transport (also known as public transportation, public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) is a system of transport for passengers by group travel systems available for use by the general public unlike private transport, typical ...
.
My bus contractors: City Travel,
First Student UK
First Student UK was the brand used by FirstGroup for student transport in the United Kingdom. The brand was originally used in the United States for school transport there, and was expanded to the United Kingdom in 2000. First Student UK was ...
(
First Calderdale & Huddersfield
First West Yorkshire operates both local and regional bus services in West Yorkshire, England. It is a subsidiary of the FirstGroup, and is made up of three sub-division brands: First Bradford, First Halifax, Calder Valley & Huddersfield and Firs ...
,
First Leeds
First West Yorkshire operates both local and regional bus services in West Yorkshire, England. It is a subsidiary of the FirstGroup, and is made up of three sub-division brands: First Bradford, First Halifax, Calder Valley & Huddersfield and Firs ...
),
HCT Group
HCT Group was a social enterprise providing transport services and community services in several areas of the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1982 as Hackney Community Transport in the London Borough of Hackney, to provide transport services f ...
,
Keighley Bus Company
The Keighley Bus Company operates both local and regional bus services in West Yorkshire, England. It is a subsidiary of Transdev Blazefield, which operates bus services across Greater Manchester, Lancashire, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire. ...
, Rollinson Safeway,
Tiger Blue and
TLC Travel
TLC may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Television
* ''TLC'' (TV series), a 2002 British situational comedy television series that aired on BBC2
* TLC (TV network), formerly the Learning Channel, an American cable TV network
** TLC (Asia), an A ...
Current operators
As of 2012 the following companies are owned by WYPTE, subject to Metro conditions and ticketing:
*Metroconnect Accessbus in WYPTE Area.
Rail service
![BR 308143 EMU](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a3/BR_308143_EMU.jpg)
Local and inter-urban rail services within
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. It is an inland and upland county having eastward-draining valleys while taking in the moors of the Pennines. West Yorkshire came into exi ...
and the surrounding areas, part funded by Metro, were advertised under MetroTrain brand. In the 1990s, some
Class 141,
144 144 may refer to:
* 144 (number), the natural number following 143 and preceding 145
* AD 144, a year of the Julian calendar, in the second century AD
* 144 BC, a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar
* 144 (film), ''144'' (film), a 2015 Indian com ...
,
155,
158,
308,
321
Year 321 ( CCCXXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. In the Roman Empire, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Crispus and Constantinus (or, less frequently, year 1074 ' ...
and
333s were painted in Metro livery. All apart from the 333s were later repainted in
Northern Rail
Northern Rail, branded as Northern, was an English train operating company owned by Serco-Abellio that operated the Northern Rail franchise from 2004 until 2016. It was the primary passenger train operator in Northern England, and operated th ...
livery. Some of the 144s and 155s were originally purchased by the WYPTE but have since been sold to
Porterbrook
Porterbrook is a British rolling stock company (ROSCO), created as part of the privatisation of British Rail. Together with Angel Trains and Eversholt Rail Group, it is one of the three original ROSCOs.
Porterbrook was established in March 19 ...
. Metro retained ownership of the 158 and 321s which were leased to the
Northern franchise holder.
Routes
There are 12 commuter railway lines serving West Yorkshire:
Airedale
Airedale is a geographic area in Yorkshire, England, corresponding to the river valley or dale of the River Aire.
The valley stretches from the river's origin in Aire Head Springs, Malham which is in the Yorkshire Dales, down past Skipton on ...
,
Calder Valley Line
The Calder Valley line (also previously known as the Caldervale line) is a railway route in Northern England between the cities of Leeds and Manchester as well as the seaside resort of Blackpool. It is the slower of the two main rail routes ...
,
Dearne Valley
The Dearne Valley is an area of South Yorkshire, England, along the River Dearne. It encompasses the towns of Wombwell, Wath-upon-Dearne, Swinton, Conisbrough and Mexborough, the large villages of Ardsley, Bolton on Dearne, Goldthorpe, T ...
,
Hallam,
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 ...
,
Huddersfield
Huddersfield is a market town in the Kirklees district in West Yorkshire, England. It is the administrative centre and largest settlement in the Kirklees district. The town is in the foothills of the Pennines. The River Holme's confluence into ...
,
Leeds-Bradford,
Penistone
Penistone ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England, which had a population of 22,909 at the 2011 census. Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is west of Barnsley, n ...
,
Pontefract
Pontefract is a historic market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England, east of Wakefield and south of Castleford. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is one of the towns in the City of Wake ...
,
Wakefield
Wakefield is a cathedral city in West Yorkshire, England located on the River Calder. The city had a population of 99,251 in the 2011 census.https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/census/2011/ks101ew Census 2011 table KS101EW Usual resident population, ...
,
Wharfedale
Wharfedale ( ) is the valley of the upper parts of the River Wharfe and one of the Yorkshire Dales. It is situated within the districts of Craven and Harrogate in North Yorkshire, and the cities of Leeds and Bradford in West Yorkshire. It is ...
and
York & Selby.
The majority of these lines run into Leeds and most continue into neighbouring areas, serving towns and cities such as
Barnsley
Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. As the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. In Barnsley, the population was 96,888 while the wider Borough has ...
,
Blackpool
Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...
,
Doncaster
Doncaster (, ) is a city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, it is the administrative centre of the larger City of Doncaster. It is the second largest settlement in South Yorkshire after Sheffield. Doncaster is situated in ...
,
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 ...
,
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
,
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
,
Nottingham
Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east ...
,
Preston,
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...
and
York
York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...
and
Manchester Airport
Manchester Airport is an international airport in Ringway, Manchester, England, south-west of Manchester city centre. In 2019, it was the third busiest airport in the United Kingdom in terms of passenger numbers and the busiest of those n ...
. Some lines overlap each other, which means that stations such as Castleford, Huddersfield and Wakefield Westgate are served by more than one line.
Most lines have frequent services, but the Dearne Valley line has a limited service of two trains a day in each direction.
In the following list of routes in West Yorkshire, places shown in bold are where services terminate, places shown in ''italics'' are stations located outside of West Yorkshire.
Notes:
Re-opened stations
![View from Bridge MVN 2-176 - Gooder Lane - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/36/View_from_Bridge_MVN_2-176_-_Gooder_Lane_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1378376.jpg)
WYPTE has had a programme of reopening railway stations throughout its existence and has opened or reopened over 20 stations:
*1982 –
Deighton,
Fitzwilliam,
Crossflatts
Crossflatts is a ribbon development in Airedale along the old route of the A650 road between Bingley and Keighley, in the Metropolitan Borough of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The opening of the Aire Valley Trunk road in 2004 has seen a r ...
and
Slaithwaite
Slaithwaite , locally ''Slawit'' (Old Norse: Timber-fell clearing), is a village within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it lies in the Colne Valley, lying acr ...
*1983 –
Bramley
*1984 –
Saltaire
*1987 –
East Garforth,
Sandal & Agbrigg and
Frizinghall
Frizinghall is a district in the Heaton ward of the City of Bradford, West Yorkshire, lying north of the city centre close to the town of Shipley, itself a part of the City of Bradford Metropolitan District along with such other nearby towns ...
*1988 –
Burley Park,
Outwood,
Cottingley and
Cononley
Cononley ( or ) is a village and civil parish in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, Cononley is in the Aire Valley south of Skipton and with an estimated population of 1,080 (20 ...
(just outside West Yorkshire but since 2009 part of the WYPTE area, which now extends to
Skipton
Skipton (also known as Skipton-in-Craven) is a market town and civil parish in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. Historically in the East Division of Staincliffe Wapentake in the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is on the River Air ...
)
*1989 –
Berry Brow
Berry Brow is a semi-rural village in West Yorkshire, England, situated about south of Huddersfield. It lies on the eastern bank of the Holme Valley and partially straddles the A616 road to Honley and Penistone.
The village has a Victori ...
*1990 –
Walsden
Walsden (; ) is a large village in the civil parish of Todmorden in the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale, West Yorkshire, England, though historically partially administered in Lancashire (the Walsden Water as tributary to the Calder servin ...
and
Steeton & Silsden
*1992 –
Streethouse
Streethouse is a semi rural village in West Yorkshire, England that is situated to the east of Wakefield, the west of Featherstone and the south-west of Castleford
Castleford is a town within the City of Wakefield, West Yorkshire, Engl ...
,
Featherstone
Featherstone is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the City of Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England, two miles south-west of Pontefract. Historic counties of England, Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, in 2011 ...
,
Pontefract Tanshelf
Pontefract Tanshelf railway station is the most central station in the town of Pontefract, West Yorkshire, England, and serves Pontefract Races, the racecourse located just down the street from the station. It lies on the Pontefract Line ope ...
, on 12 May, when the line between
Pontefract Monkhill
Pontefract Monkhill railway station is the busiest station in the town of Pontefract, West Yorkshire, England. The station is on the Pontefract Line managed by Northern (train operating company), Northern but is also served by Grand Central (tr ...
and
Wakefield Kirkgate reopened to passengers
*2000 –
Brighouse
Brighouse is a town within the metropolitan borough of Calderdale, in West Yorkshire, England. Historically within the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is situated on the River Calder,
east of Halifax. It is served by Junction 25 of the M62 m ...
, when the
Halifax to
Huddersfield
Huddersfield is a market town in the Kirklees district in West Yorkshire, England. It is the administrative centre and largest settlement in the Kirklees district. The town is in the foothills of the Pennines. The River Holme's confluence into ...
link re-opened to passengers
*2005 –
Glasshoughton
Glasshoughton is a neighbourhood of Castleford in West Yorkshire, England, that borders on Pontefract. The appropriate Wakefield ward is called Castleford Central and Glasshoughton. It is home to the Xscape leisure centre and ski slope, the J ...
*2015 –
Apperley Bridge
Apperley is a village in Gloucestershire, England, about southwest of Tewkesbury, south of Deerhurst and east of the River Severn. It is the largest settlement in Deerhurst civil parish. In 2020 it had an estimated population of 625.
The p ...
*2016 –
Kirkstall Forge
Kirkstall Forge is a 57-acre mixed-use development located in Kirkstall in Leeds, West Yorkshire. The site is one of the oldest most continuously used industrial sites in England. It was operated by Kirkstall Forge Engineering, a metalworking bus ...
*2017 –
Low Moor
Three new stations in the Leeds area are planned - at
Thorpe Park
Thorpe Park Resort, commonly known as Thorpe Park, is an amusement park located in the village of Thorpe between the towns of Chertsey and Staines-upon-Thames in Surrey, England, southwest of Central London. It is operated by Merlin Entertai ...
,
White Rose Centre
The White Rose Centre is a shopping centre in the Beeston area of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It spans two floors and is near the M621 motorway. It takes its name from the White Rose of York, the traditional symbol of Yorkshire. Most ...
and a station serving
Leeds Bradford Airport. Also proposed is a station at
Elland
Elland is a market town in Calderdale, in the county of West Yorkshire, England. It is situated south of Halifax, by the River Calder and the Calder and Hebble Navigation. Elland was recorded as ''Elant'' in the Domesday Book of 1086. It ha ...
.
Operators
Most local services are run by
Northern Trains
Northern Trains, branded as Northern, (legally Northern Trains Limited) is a State-owned enterprises of the United Kingdom, publicly owned train operating company in England. It is owned by DfT OLR Holdings for the Department for Transport (DfT) ...
, and longer-distance routes are served by
TransPennine Express
TransPennine Express (TPE), legally First TransPennine Express Limited, is a British train operating company owned by FirstGroup that operates the TransPennine Express franchise. It runs regional and inter-city rail services between the major ci ...
,
London North Eastern Railway
London North Eastern Railway (LNER) is a British train operating company. It is owned by the DfT OLR Holdings for the Department for Transport (DfT). The company's name echoes that of the London and North Eastern Railway, one of the Big Four ...
,
CrossCountry and
Grand Central.
Leeds Supertram
In 2001, Metro came up with
Leeds Supertram
The Leeds Supertram was a proposed light rail/tram system in Leeds and West Yorkshire in England. It would have been a three-line, system with 50 stations. It received provisional government approval in 2001, and was specifically for corridor ...
, with the idea of bringing back a tram network for Leeds. After the original scheme exceeded its budget, the Government asked Metro to look at ways of reducing costs. In spring 2005 Metro went back to the Government with a re-costed plan but the
Secretary of State for Transport
The Secretary of State for Transport, also referred to as the transport secretary, is a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, with overall responsibility for the policies of the Department for Transport. The incumbent i ...
Alistair Darling
Alistair Maclean Darling, Baron Darling of Roulanish, (born 28 November 1953) is a British politician who served as Chancellor of the Exchequer under Prime Minister Gordon Brown from 2007 to 2010. A member of the Labour Party, he was a Member ...
rejected the proposal after the
2005 general election. Darling responded by pointing to plans by a private bus operator for a bus system where the vehicles were designed to look like trams.
This is not the first time such a scheme has been unsuccessfully pursued. In the mid-1980s the PTE was interested in bringing back
trolleybuses in Bradford
The Bradford trolleybus system served the city of Bradford, Yorkshire, England for much of the 20th century. It was one of the first two trolleybus systems to be opened in the United Kingdom, along with the Leeds system.
Both systems commenc ...
with
Yorkshire Rider
Yorkshire Rider was a bus company in West Yorkshire, England.
History
To comply with the Transport Act 1985, the West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive transferred its bus operations to an arms length company named Yorkshire Rider on 26 ...
awarded a contract to operate, but nothing came of it.
Rider wins Bradford
''Commercial Motor
''Commercial Motor'' is a weekly magazine serving the road transport industry in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1905 by Edmund Dangerfield, it is notable for having been "the first journal to be devoted exclusively to the commercial vehicle eng ...
'' 8 June 1989
References
External links
West Yorkshire Metro website
West Yorkshire Buses
{{authority control
Companies owned by municipalities of England
Public transport executives in the United Kingdom
Transport in West Yorkshire
1974 establishments in England