Vision of coordinated timetable Bradford, Halifax, upper Calderdale, Elland and Brighouse, with additional connectivity by changing trains
The proposed May 22 timetable has trains from Halifax to Hebden Bridge at 17, 27, and 44 min past each the standard hour, in the reverse direction from HBD at 27, 42 and 50: three trains in less than half an hour then nothing for more than half an hour. On the Brighouse route Elland station should open soon. Like Sowerby Bridge, Brighouse and Elland each serve a population equivalent to about 2 council wards, i.e. as many potential passengers as Todmorden and Hebden Bridge combined. The present hourly service on each of two routes through Brighouse is inadequate.
We suggest the following as an unfinished idea which could be developed when TransPennine Route Upgrade delivers additional capacity through Mirfield:
East-west via Bradford, Halifax and Hebden Bg
York/Hull/Leeds-Halifax to Blackpool/Manchester/Chester/Manchester etc
3+ trains/hr(could be 3/hr west of Hfx if evenly spaced) Blackpool, York, Hull, Chester, MIA each 1/hr
East-west via Brighouse and Hebden Bg
Could be present Wigan-Leeds, plus additional train Preston-Burnley-Leeds or to York via Wakefield and Castleford. Or possible Bradford-Brighouse-Wakefield-York service. Pending completion of TRU Mirfield area enhanced service to Wakefield/York could be more helpful.
2 trains/hr
North-south Bradford-Brighouse-Huddersfield
Could be present Bradford-Huddersfield shuttle doubled (2nd could be Hull-Hfx extended to Huddersfield)
2 trains/hr
Connections between N-S and E-W routes at Brighouse/Elland (or Halifax) giving a half-hourly link to Huddersfield from upper Calderdale, Lancashire and Rochdale. Alternatively, how about an hourly service upper Calderdale-Huddersfield, connecting at Elland/Brighouse with a Bradford-Halifax-Wakefield-York?
Sunday services should evolve towards weekday off-peak frequency.
*“Taktfahrplan” means the timetable repeats and connects regularly. We propose at least 5 trains/hr through Halifax and Hebden Bridge and 2/hr N-S and 2/hr E-W though Elland and Brighouse. Freight and open-access (Grand Central) would be extra.
Dare we dream this might be possible? HADRAG would welcome the opportunity to discuss the above ideas in more detail with Northern, Great British Railways, West Yorkshire Combined Authority and TfN.
Header Image: “York Station Clock” flickr photo by ahisgett https://flickr.com/photos/hisgett/5441620708 shared under a Creative Commons (BY) license
Halifax and District Rail Action Group 