Cottingley railway station

Cottingley National Rail
The view from the foot bridge
Location
Place Cottingley
Local authority City of Leeds
Coordinates 53°46′04″N 1°35′15″W / 53.7679°N 1.5876°W / 53.7679; -1.5876Coordinates: 53°46′04″N 1°35′15″W / 53.7679°N 1.5876°W / 53.7679; -1.5876
Grid reference SE272302
Operations
Station code COT
Managed by Northern
Number of platforms 2
DfT category F2
Live arrivals/departures, station information and onward connections
from National Rail Enquiries
Annual rail passenger usage*
2012/13 Decrease 95,770
2013/14 Increase 101,124
2014/15 Decrease 87,242
2015/16 Increase 88,810
2016/17 Increase 97,180
Passenger Transport Executive
PTE West Yorkshire Metro
Zone 2
History
Original company British Rail
25 April 1988 (1988-04-25) Station opened
National Rail – UK railway stations
* Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Cottingley from Office of Rail and Road statistics. Methodology may vary year on year.
UK Railways portal

Cottingley railway station serves the Cottingley area 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.

History

The station was opened by British Rail on 25 April 1988[1] with financial assistance from West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive and is currently managed by Northern, who provide most passenger services.

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).

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 limit the length of trains that can call here. The platforms were extended (towards Leeds) and can now accommodate three car trains easily. Network Rail are to further extend the platforms in October 2018.

Facilities

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 and these have recently been brought into use. Northern occasionally send mobile revenue staff to the station in peak periods to sell/check tickets. It is expected that Cottingley will become a penalty fare station in due course. 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, so unfortunately there’s no quick way of crossing from one side to the other without using it.

Services

As of May 2018 Monday to Saturday there’s an hourly Northern service from Cottingley to Leeds and to Southport via Brighouse, Hebden Bridge, Manchester Victoria, Atherton and Wigan Wallgate. Most Trans Pennine Express trains go through the station without stopping save for a few morning and evening peak hour and late evening services.

Since the start of the new timetable some journeys have become very difficult despite being only a very short distance. Cottingley to Batley (and vice versa) is one such journey. There are only a handful of direct trains Monday - Saturday.

On Sundays Cottingley now enjoys an hourly service provided exclusively by Trans Pennine Express. This mostly operates as a Leeds - Manchester Piccadilly service via Huddersfield and calls at all stations between Leeds and Huddersfield. In the late evening there are a few through trains to/from Hull, Middlesbrough and Manchester Airport.

References

  1. ↑ Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 69. ISBN 1-85260-508-1. R508.
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