Leeds City

Samd22 · Post by **Samd22** » Wed Jun 28, 2006 6:55 pm

Why does it have a healthy amount of tracks approaching from the west side and only two from the east?

arabiandisco · Post by **arabiandisco** » Wed Jun 28, 2006 7:04 pm

because most of the trains approach from the west, presumably.

Samd22 · Post by **Samd22** » Wed Jun 28, 2006 7:16 pm

arabiandisco wrote:because most of the trains approach from the west, presumably.

But many trains originally come from the East but have to approach from the west.

arabiandisco · Post by **arabiandisco** » Wed Jun 28, 2006 7:36 pm

such is the railway geography - the line from Wakefield approaches from the west. The former midland route arrives on the approaches to the west. The Leeds North-West electrics come in from the west. The Bradford Interchange line approaches from the west... Going east from Leeds you only have the routes to York and Selby.

Samd22 · Post by **Samd22** » Wed Jun 28, 2006 7:47 pm

arabiandisco wrote:such is the railway geography - the line from Wakefield approaches from the west. The former midland route arrives on the approaches to the west. The Leeds North-West electrics come in from the west. The Bradford Interchange line approaches from the west... Going east from Leeds you only have the routes to York and Selby.

Seems a bit one sided and doesn't allow for many through journies via Leeds City.

arabiandisco · Post by **arabiandisco** » Wed Jun 28, 2006 7:50 pm

I expect Leeds is a destination for most journeys that involve it. That would almost certainly have been the view of the people who built it like that 150 years ago...

Post by **codrivermike** » Wed Jun 28, 2006 7:55 pm

And that is why GNER want the line from the ECML near Selby into Leeds electrifying. That way they will not need to swap ends at Leeds and also inprove pathing and turn round times.

Samd22 · Post by **Samd22** » Wed Jun 28, 2006 8:01 pm

codrivermike wrote:And that is why GNER want the line from the ECML near Selby into Leeds electrifying. That way they will not need to swap ends at Leeds and also inprove pathing and turn round times.

Is there any room to add extra tracks to the Eastern approach?

trainlover123 · Post by **trainlover123** » Wed Jun 28, 2006 8:19 pm

Not really, my Dad used to commute using the line a lot of the time and a lot of the line around Leeds is Raised...

Samd22 · Post by **Samd22** » Wed Jun 28, 2006 8:30 pm

trainlover123 wrote:Not really, my Dad used to commute using the line a lot of the time and a lot of the line around Leeds is Raised...

Yeah noticed that, just looking at satellite pictures it looks like it could be widened to carry four tracks from Leeds City to the wider section by the depot. Maybe also the Castleford-Garforth line could be re-opened at some point to allow trains to come in from the East if need be.

arabiandisco · Post by **arabiandisco** » Thu Jun 29, 2006 7:37 am

There's space for some 4 tracking east of neville hill - the LNER (or whoever it was before them - NER?) built 4 track formations but the extra tracks were never put in. Apparently.

The GNER services via Mickelfield would only be 1 tph (2 tph london to Leeds, with the other via Wakefield) so extra tracks for that wouldn't really be needed.

spartacus · Post by **spartacus** » Thu Jun 29, 2006 7:58 am

East of Leeds station there's a double track viaduct fo over half a mile, most of which is flanked very closely by buildings. I believe the viaduct dates from the 1st line into Leeds City, the Leeds & Selby. As early as the 19th century there were plans to quadruple the viaduct, but largely due to opposition various plans have always come to nothing. It's one thing knocking down city centre building for the city to get it's first railway, quite another to expand their operations. The latest idea is to reopen the former blue circle depot at marsh lane to passengers, but that would just create a suburban terminus and would be pretty useless fro any connections.

The main reason why there are so many line to the West of Leeds is that just about every company entering Leeds built it's own station, others swapped or combined with old stations becomeing goods yards. Even now the track capacity is becoming limiting again after the recent rebuilding. The Farnley Viaduct route is still out of use; a few bods on it in hi-vis vests a month ago might mean there are plans to reinstate it to enable diesel services to and from Wakefield Westgate to avoid Whitehall Jn and it's increasing number of freight trains.

salopiangrowler · Post by **salopiangrowler** » Thu Jun 29, 2006 3:27 pm

i believe the track is severely under used and is it possible for extra paths as last time i went to leeds there were 4 - 6 tph going over that viaduct then again saying that there isnt realy much need for more services except GNER's plan's unless Grand central run there sunderland - king'sX service through there.

spartacus · Post by **spartacus** » Thu Jun 29, 2006 4:02 pm

When did you go? There's usually about 20 per hour, sometimes more. You've Virgin, Transpennine, Northern, as well as stock moves to and from Neville Hill for those & GNER and MML, plus a few freights every day.

yorkie · Post by **yorkie** » Fri Jun 30, 2006 8:01 am

salopiangrowler wrote:i believe the track is severely under used and is it possible for extra paths as last time i went to leeds there were 4 - 6 tph going over that viaduct then again saying that there isnt realy much need for more services except GNER's plan's unless Grand central run there sunderland - king'sX service through there.

Problem is you have 2 stoppers, 1 semi fast (Garforth only), 1 Voyager, and 3 fast TPEs, per hour, a total of 7tph, but because 2 of them are stoppers they occupy the track for longer, so it is well utilised, the flat junction at Micklefield is another constraint. More trains in the peak.