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Pontefract Tanshelf railway station

Pontefract Tanshelf
National Rail
The view from platform 1, with a Class 156 diesel multiple unit (DMU) calling, August 2006
General information
LocationPontefract, City of Wakefield,
England
Coordinates53°41′38″N 1°19′08″W / 53.694°N 1.319°W / 53.694; -1.319
Grid referenceSE450221
ManagerNorthern Trains
Transit authority
West Yorkshire Metro
Platforms2
Other information
Station codePOT
Fare zone3
ClassificationDfT category F2
Key dates
17 July 1871Station opened as Tanshelf
1 December 1936Station renamed Pontefract Tanshelf
2 January 1967Station closed
11 May 1992Station reopened
Passengers
2020/21Decrease 8,388
2021/22Increase 30,440
2022/23Increase 85,368
2023/24Increase 91,090
2024/25Increase 98,558
Location
Map
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

Pontefract Tanshelf is the most central of the three railway stations that serve the market town of Pontefract, in West Yorkshire, England.[a] It lies on the Pontefract Line, 8 miles (13 km) east of Wakefield Kirkgate, with services operated by Northern Trains.[2] It is the nearest station to Pontefract Racecourse and Beechnut Lane, the home ground of Pontefract Collieries FC.

History

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The first station on the site was opened on 17 July 1871 as Tanshelf, being renamed Pontefract Tanshelf on 1 December 1936.[3]

In the days of coal mining in the Pontefract area, the station served the needs of the local workforce with regular and frequent services timed for the beginning and the end of mining shifts. The station is the closest to the former Prince of Wales Colliery which closed in August 2002.[4]

It was closed on 2 January 1967,[5] when the passenger services were diverted away from the direct line to Wakefield Kirkgate, via Featherstone, to serve Leeds via Castleford.[6]

A Class 141 DMU at the platform, June 1996

The present station was opened by West Yorkshire Metro on 11 May 1992, when the line between Wakefield Kirkgate and Pontefract Monkhill was reopened.

Both platforms of Tanshelf are step-free.

Services

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Class 142 and Class 150 DMUs in multiple at the station, July 2019

On Monday to Saturday, there is an hourly service to Wakefield Kirkgate and Leeds, and also hourly to Knottingley. On Sundays, there is a two-hourly service each way to the same destinations.[7]

Preceding station National Rail National Rail Following station
Northern Trains

Notes

[edit]
  1. ↑ The other stations in the town are Pontefract Monkhill and Pontefract Baghill.[1]

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ "Pontefract Turf Account". The Northern Echo. 13 March 2002. p. 3. ISSN 2043-0442.
  2. ↑ Padgett, David (2016). Railway track diagrams, book 2; Eastern (4 ed.). Frome: Trackmaps. ISBN 978-0-9549866-8-1.
  3. ↑ Quick, Michael (2019). "Railway Passenger Stations in England, Scotland and Wales; a Chronology" (PDF). Rchs.org.uk. p. 326. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
  4. ↑ Wainwright, Martin (31 August 2002). "Britain's oldest mine closes". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
  5. ↑ Haigh, AJ (2012). Railways in West Yorkshire: Leeds, Bradford, Wakefield, Huddersfield & the West Riding; an illustrated general history of the railways in the West Riding from the grouping to the present time (2 ed.). Xpress Publishing. p. 77. ISBN 978-1-901056-44-0.
  6. ↑ Body, Geoffrey (1989). Railways of the Eastern Region. Wellingborough: P. Stephens. p. 143. ISBN 1-85260-072-1.
  7. ↑ "Timetables". Northern Railway. 25 August 2026. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
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