The Hallam Line is a railway connecting

Leeds Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...

and

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, situated south of Leeds and east of Manchester. The city is the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire and some of its so ...

via

Castleford Castleford is a town within the City of Wakefield district, West Yorkshire, England. It had a population of 45,106 at a 2021 population estimate. Historic counties of England, Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, to the north of the t ...

in the West Yorkshire Metro area of northern England. It is a slower route from Leeds to Sheffield than the Wakefield line. Services on this line are operated by

Northern Trains Northern Trains, Trade name, trading as Northern, is a British train operating company that operates Commuter rail, commuter and Inter-city rail, medium-distance intercity services in the North of England. It is owned by DfT Operator for the Dep ...

. Services from Leeds to also use the line. West Yorkshire MetroCards are available on trains between Leeds and Darton, north of

Barnsley Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. It is the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. The town's population was 71,422 in 2021, while the wider boroug ...

and South Yorkshire Travelmaster tickets are available in the South Yorkshire area.

Origin of name

The line is named after the manor of Hallam which included Sheffield at the time of the

Domesday Book Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...

(1086). At this time the local area was known as ''

Hallamshire Hallamshire (or Hallam) is the historical name for an area of South Yorkshire, England, approximating to the current City of Sheffield local government area. The origin of the name is uncertain. The English Place-Name Society describe "Hall ...

''—the names ''Hallam'' and ''Hallamshire'' are still used today by many local companies and organisations.

History

Before the 1923 grouping the route followed by the line was owned as follows: * Leeds–Methley:

Midland Railway The Midland Railway (MR) was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 in rail transport, 1844. The Midland was one of the largest railway companies in Britain in the early 20th century, and the largest employer in Derby, where it had ...

* Methley–Normanton:

* Methley–Castleford–Normanton: North Eastern Railway :(alternate route since 1988) * Normanton–Barnsley:

Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (L&YR) was a major History of rail transport in Great Britain, British railway company before the Railways Act 1921, 1923 Grouping. It was Incorporation (business)#Incorporation in the United Kingdom, incorpo ...

* Barnsley, Jumble Lane to Quarry Junction:

Great Central Railway The Great Central Railway in England was formed when the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway changed its name in 1897, anticipating the opening in 1899 of its Great Central Main Line, London Extension. On 1 January 1923, the company ...

* Barnsley, Quarry Junction to Sheffield:

After 1921, the entire route, except Methley to Normanton via Castleford, and the short stretch from Barnsley (Jumble Lane) to Quarry Junction, became part of the

London, Midland and Scottish Railway The London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMSIt has been argued that the initials LMSR should be used to be consistent with London and North Eastern Railway, LNER, Great Western Railway, GWR and Southern Railway (UK), SR. The London, Midland an ...

until nationalisation in 1948. Midland Railway trains made use of station to avoid contact with Great Central or LNER rails. The route that now exists as the Hallam Line was not possible until 1960 when BR added a connection at Barnsley (Quarry Junction) to allow trains to use Exchange station and reach the Midland line to Sheffield.

Route details

Trains on the line serve the following places; some stations may no longer be open: *

Leeds railway station Leeds railway station (also known as Leeds City railway station) is the mainline railway station serving the city centre of Leeds in West Yorkshire, England. It is located on New Station Street to the south of City Square, at the foot of Park Ro ...

: in MR days trains would have operated from ''Wellington station''. Here there is a triangular junction with the line to

Bradford Bradford is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in West Yorkshire, England. It became a municipal borough in 1847, received a city charter in 1897 and, since the Local Government Act 1972, 1974 reform, the city status in the United Kingdo ...

. The line from here to Castleford is also served by Pontefract Line services. *

Hunslet Hunslet () is an inner-city area in south Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is southeast of the Leeds city centre, city centre and has an industrial past. It is situated in the Hunslet and Riverside (ward), Hunslet and Riverside ward of Lee ...

(Closed) * here was the junction with the ''East & West Yorkshire Union Railway'' (MidR/ Great Northern Railway (GNR) joint: it was a direct connection to

Wakefield Wakefield is a cathedral city in West Yorkshire, England located on the River Calder. The city had a population of 109,766 in the 2021 census, up from 99,251 in the 2011 census. The city is the administrative centre of the wider Metropolit ...

via Rothwell * *

Methley Methley is a dispersed village in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough, south east of Leeds, in West Yorkshire, England. It is located near Rothwell, West Yorkshire, Rothwell, Oulton, West Yorkshire, Oulton, Woodlesford, Mickletown and Aller ...

: station closed * between here and Castleford there were several junctions: with the ''Methley Joint Railway'' (GNR/L&YR/North Eastern Railway (NER); with the NER line Leeds to

York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...

; and with the '' Swinton & Knottingley Railway'' to

Pontefract Pontefract is a historic market town in the City of Wakefield, a metropolitan district in West Yorkshire, England. It lies to the east of Wakefield and south of Castleford. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is one of the ...

* Either goes to a branch towards where it then reverses towards Normanton which stopping trains use or alternatively goes a more direct route bypassing Castleford and past the former Altofts railway station which closed in 1990 towards Normanton station that Leeds–Sheffield fast trains use. * * here the MidR main line to Sheffield branched off: our route now uses the L&YR metals * (Also served by the

and Huddersfield lines) * Horbury Junction (closed) for the L&YR main line to Manchester * Crigglestone (Closed) * A pair of parallel single-track tunnels, ''Woolley Tunnels'' (1745 yd; 1570 m), which take the line directly under Woolley Edge services, a

motorway service station Motorway service areas (MSA) also known as services or service stations, are rest areas in the UK and Ireland where drivers can leave a motorway to refuel/recharge, rest, eat and drink, shop, use the toilet or stay in an on-site overnight hotel ...

on the

M1 motorway The M1 motorway connects London to Leeds, where it joins the A1(M) motorway, A1(M) near Aberford, to connect to Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle. It was the first inter-urban motorway to be completed in the UK; the first motorway in the count ...

, and under the motorway itself * (Closed) * * here was ''Silkstone Junction'' for the freight line to

Silkstone Silkstone is a village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley in South Yorkshire, England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, between the towns of Barnsley and Penistone. The parish includes the village of Sil ...

. *

: formerly , traffic arrived not only from Leeds but via the

line from Penistone. This is nowadays known as the Penistone Line. Stations from here to Sheffield are also on the Penistone line: * Swaithe Viaduct – carries the line over the Worsborough Branch of the Great Central. * * was ''Elsecar & Hoyland'' * – also known as ''Wentworth & Hoyland Common'' and ''Wentworth & Tankersley''. (Closed) * : formerly Chapeltown South to distinguish from Chapeltown Central on the former South Yorkshire Railway, later G.C.R. line. Chapeltown station was rebuilt nearer to the town centre roundabout in the 1970s as the first railway project of the, then, new South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Authority. Much of the original remains. From here the two railways – MidR and GCR had parallel lines to Sheffield. The latter line is closed and lifted. *

Ecclesfield Ecclesfield is a village and civil parish in the City of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, approximately 6 miles (9 km) north of Sheffield City Centre. Ecclesfield civil parish had a population of 32,073 at the 2011 Census. Ecclesfiel ...

– known as ''Ecclesfield West'' to distinguish from Ecclesfield East on the former South Yorkshire Railway, later G.C.R. line. (Closed) * Meadowhall: partly built on the site of '' Wincobank and Meadow Hall'' * (Closed) * (Closed) * Sheffield Midland station (also served by the

and Dearne Valley lines) Leeds RJD 40.jpg, Railway lines in Leeds in 1913 Cutsyke, Crofton, Normanton, Altofts, Methley, Lofthouse, Oakenshaw & Wakefield RJD 52.jpg, Railway lines through Methley, Castleford, Normanton, Wakefield in 1912 Barnsley, Penistone, Batley RJD 3.jpg, Railway lines through Barnsley in 1912 Brightside, Shefield & Blackburn Valley Treeton RJD 67.jpg, Railway lines in Sheffield in 1912

References

External links

Includes a map of the line and gives details of Metrocard fares
{{West Yorkshire railway stations Rail transport in West Yorkshire Rail transport in South Yorkshire Rail transport in Sheffield Barnsley Transport in Leeds Transport in the City of Wakefield Railway lines in Yorkshire and the Humber