Cottingley railway station

Notes
	Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

Cottingley
Cottingley
	The view from the foot bridge
General information
Location	Cottingley, City of Leeds; England
Coordinates	53°46′04″N 1°35′15″W / 53.7679°N 1.5876°W
Grid reference	SE272302
Managed by	Northern Trains
Transit authority	West Yorkshire Metro
Platforms	2
Other information
Station code	COT
Fare zone	2
Classification	DfT category F2
History
Original company	British Rail
Key dates
25 April 1988	Station opened
Passengers
2019/20	101,830
2020/21	26,172
2021/22	51,756
2022/23	61,416
2023/24	57,294
Location
Location
Notes
Notes
	Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

Cottingley railway station serves the Cottingley and Churwell areas of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It lies 3 miles (5 km) south west of Leeds on the Huddersfield Line. It is the nearest railway station to Leeds United F.C.'s Elland Road stadium.

White Rose railway station is planned 2,460 feet (750 m) south of Cottingley station, to open in 2024 and following a review,^[1] West Yorkshire Combined Authority has decided that Cottingley station will subsequently close on the grounds of its inaccessibility and that White Rose station will be better connected to businesses and places of education.^[2]

History

The station was opened by British Rail on 25 April 1988^[3] with financial assistance from West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive and is currently managed by Northern Trains; however, most trains that call at Cottingley are now operated by TransPennine Express apart from three peak hour services.

Following the approval of plans for a new White Rose railway station 770 yards (700 m) to the south.^[4] Cottingley Station was set to close in 2023, but still remains open in 2024 owing to the problems encountered at White Rose railway station. The decision was originally made due to the station's poor accessibility and the improved location for the new station.^[2]

Patronage growth

Patronage at Cottingley station (off Cottingley Drive) has increased significantly in recent years, and this is reflected by the figures published by the Office of the Rail Regulator (ORR). Recorded usage in 2002/03 was 9,467 journeys per year (average of entries and exits).^[5]

By 2005/06, this had increased to 73,894 journeys per year, an increase of 781% (almost eightfold) in four years. Actual growth may be higher, since the ORR data does not accurately take account of the multi-modal 'MetroCard' season tickets issued by WYPTE which are valid for journeys to and from this station. From 2008/9, such MetroCard data are included, but only an estimation is made.

Recent growth can also be attributed in part by a significant new housing development adjacent to the railway station, called Churwell New Village.

That, combined with growth elsewhere on the line, means that overcrowding in the morning peak for commuters heading towards Leeds is now a serious problem. Efforts to address this have been hampered by the relatively short platforms at the station, which limited the length of trains that can call here. The platforms have since been extended (towards Leeds) and can now accommodate three car trains easily. Network Rail further extended the platforms in November/December 2018.^[6]

Facilities

Signage at the entrance to Cottingley railway station

The station is unmanned and has only basic shelters on each platform. Platform 1 is the ‘down’ platform for trains to Leeds and platform 2 is the ‘up’ platform for trains to Dewsbury, Huddersfield, Brighouse and Manchester.

There are ticket machines on both sides. Automatic announcements, timetable posters and dot matrix display screens provide train running information.

Step-free access is available to both platforms; however they are linked by a stepped footbridge.

Services

A TransPennine Express service at Cottingley in 2018

As of December 2020, from Monday to Friday and on Saturdays, there is an hourly service from Cottingley to Leeds and to Huddersfield calling at all intermediate stations. Two early morning services and one evening peak service are operated by Northern, with the remainder operated by TransPennine Express. The service on a Sunday is similar but starts later.^{[citation needed]}

Preceding station		National Rail		Following station
Morley		Northern Trains Calder Valley Line (Southport – Leeds)		Leeds
Morley		TransPennine Express Huddersfield line (Huddersfield – Leeds)		Leeds

Scheduled closure

The scheduled opening of the White Rose railway station would, if Cottingley railway station was to remain, mean that there would be two stations within half a mile. As a result, a decision to close Cottingley was taken owing to the perceived advantages of the location of White Rose Station over Cottingley.^[1]^[2] The proposed White Rose station will primarily serve commercial premises in the form of the White Rose Business Park and the White Rose Shopping Centre, whereas Cottingley station chiefly served residential areas in Cottingley and Churwell. It is proposed to retain the footbridge to keep a right of way between the Cottingley Estate and the new housing developments in Churwell.

The Office of Road and Rail in February 2023 ratified the future closure of the station.^[7]

References

^ ^a ^b Clark, Jess (5 July 2018). "Details of two new Leeds stations revealed". New Civil Engineer. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
^ ^a ^b ^c Yorkshire railway Station to close as part of plans to create new stop half a mile down the track. Yorkshire Post (5 October 2021). Retrieved 5 October 2021.
^ Butt, R. V. J. (October 1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 69. ISBN 978-1-85260-508-7. OCLC 60251199. OL 11956311M.
^ Johnston, Howard (25 August 2021). "Regional News". Rail Magazine. No. 938. Peterborough: Bauer Media. p. 26. ISSN 0953-4563.
^ Station Usage figures 2002–2003 spreadsheet Office of Rail Regulation
^ "North of England Platform Extension Programme" Archived 19 November 2018 at the Wayback Machine Network Rail press release, retrieved 18 November 2018
^ "Closure Ratification Notice – Cottingley station" (PDF). Network Rail. 27 February 2023. Retrieved 13 March 2023.

External links

Train times and station information for Cottingley railway station from National Rail

[:0-1] Clark, Jess (5 July 2018). "Details of two new Leeds stations revealed". New Civil Engineer. Retrieved 10 July 2018.

[YP1-2] Yorkshire railway Station to close as part of plans to create new stop half a mile down the track. Yorkshire Post (5 October 2021). Retrieved 5 October 2021.

[3] Butt, R. V. J. (October 1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 69. ISBN 978-1-85260-508-7. OCLC 60251199. OL 11956311M.

[4] Johnston, Howard (25 August 2021). "Regional News". Rail Magazine. No. 938. Peterborough: Bauer Media. p. 26. ISSN 0953-4563.

[5] Station Usage figures 2002–2003 spreadsheet Office of Rail Regulation

[6] "North of England Platform Extension Programme" Archived 19 November 2018 at the Wayback Machine Network Rail press release, retrieved 18 November 2018

[7] "Closure Ratification Notice – Cottingley station" (PDF). Network Rail. 27 February 2023. Retrieved 13 March 2023.

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