Bradford Forster Square railway station
Encyclopedia
Bradford Forster Square station is a railway station in Bradford
, West Yorkshire
, England
. The majority of services to/from the station use Class 333
electrified trains operated by Northern Rail
, on the Airedale Line
to Skipton
, the Wharfedale Line
to Ilkley and the Leeds-Bradford Line to Leeds.
The other main railway station in the city is Bradford Interchange, about 10 minutes by foot from Forster Square, from where services operate along the Caldervale Line
to Leeds, Halifax
, Huddersfield
, Manchester Victoria and Blackpool
. Bradford Interchange is situated at a higher level, across the city centre, than Forster Square. Although technically possible, any proposal
to link to the two stations together would be very expensive and cause great upheaval.
on 1 July 1846. The line approached the town from the north, up Bradforddale from Shipley
, and terminated at a station on Kirkgate, opposite the end of Market Street. There were hourly services to Leeds Wellington Station, and through trains to London Euston
via Derby and Rugby
.
The first station building was an imposing neoclassical
building designed by William Andrews.
By 1853, the Midland Railway
had acquired the Leeds and Bradford, and had rebuilt the station. The new building was larger, but apparently less interesting architecturally.
In 1890, the station was again replaced. The Midland Railway's architect
Charles Trubshaw
designed a large complex containing the passenger station, goods station, and the Midland Hotel
. The station had six platforms and an overall glazed roof of the ridge and furrow pattern; the roof was dismantled in the 1960s and replaced with utilitarian 'butterfly' awnings. The station was also used by the North Eastern Railway
. The station began to be called Market Street Station at this time, but local maps and directories do not confirm this (see Station name below).
By 1906, Forster Square
had been built just south-east of the station, but the name Forster Square Station was not used until 1924.
In March 1963, the Beeching Report recommended closure of all railways serving Wharfedale and of several other services out of Forster Square; in 1965, many stations closed, and local services to Leeds ceased. However, for some of the lines, the decision was deferred, and trains continued to run. In 1972, Bradford Corporation (now City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council
), together with several other local authorities in the area, determined to subsidise the Wharfedale and Airedale lines. The lines have remained open, and in the ensuing years, a number of stations have been reopened. From April 1974, the new West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive
(now known as Metro
) took responsibility for these services.
Forster Square Station was truncated
in 1990, when a new station was built somewhat to the north of the former station. The new station has three modern platforms, two of which are able to accommodate intercity trains. The old station was later demolished to make way for a shopping centre called 'Broadgate'. Because of the early 1990s recession, that development was cancelled, and the site was subsequently used as a car park. A new tax office was later built on the site. Part of the screen arcade that fronted the 1890 station, as wells as the Midland Hotel, remains. In 2005, these became much more visible, when the city centre redevelopment began and Forster House was demolished. It is unclear how visible they will remain as the development continues.
The line into Forster Square was electrified in 1994, as part of the electrification of the Airedale Line
and Wharfedale Line
, allowing through electric trains to London via the newly-electrified East Coast Main Line
.
Historically, services have been as follows:
However, contemporary sources do not seem to use the name. The Bradford Post Office Directory says that the Midland terminal is at "Station, bottom of Kirkgate" (1856, 1863, 1898) or "Station, Forster Square" (1916, 1927); only in 1928 did a directory use the name "Forster Square Station". (In contrast, from 1879/80 onward the directories show the other terminal as "Exchange Station, Drake St"). Neither nor gives a name for the station other than 'Midland Station', though the latter does name Exchange Station.
It seems likely that the original station was called simply 'Bradford', at least until the Lancashire & Yorkshire
station opened at Drake Street
in 1850. After that time it would have been the Midland Station. At some time, it apparently came to be called 'Bradford Market Street', but this does not appear to have been official. Bradshaw's July 1922 Railway Guide, in a timetable footnote refers to Market Street, giving the distance to Exchange Station.
and East Coast
. Most trains are run by Northern Rail; these are towards Leeds (on the Leeds-Bradford Line), Skipton
(on the Airedale Line
) and Ilkley
(on the Wharfedale Line
). During Monday to Saturday daytimes, trains operate every 30 minutes on each route. During the evenings, there are trains every hour to each of Skipton and Ilkley; on Sundays these run every two hours. At these times, there are no trains to Leeds; passengers have to change at Shipley
.
East Coast operate one service per day via Leeds and the East Coast Main Line
to London Kings Cross.
Bradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
, West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The majority of services to/from the station use Class 333
British Rail Class 333
The British Rail Class 333 electric multiple units were built by Siemens and CAF are based on the Class 332 trains operated by Heathrow Express.-Description:...
electrified trains operated by Northern Rail
Northern Rail
Northern Rail is a British train operating company that has operated local passenger services in Northern England since 2004. Northern Rail's owner, Serco-Abellio, is a consortium formed of Abellio and Serco, an international operator of public transport systems...
, on the Airedale Line
Airedale Line
The Airedale Line is the name given to one of the rail services in the Metro area of northern England. The service is operated by Northern Rail, on the route connecting Leeds and Bradford with Skipton in the North of England. Some services along the line continue to Morecambe or Carlisle...
to Skipton
Skipton
Skipton is a market town and civil parish within the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. It is located along the course of both the Leeds and Liverpool Canal and the River Aire, on the south side of the Yorkshire Dales, northwest of Bradford and west of York...
, the Wharfedale Line
Wharfedale Line
The Wharfedale Line is the name given to one of the rail services in the West Yorkshire Metro area of northern England. The service connects Ilkley with Leeds and Bradford, and is operated by Northern Rail. West Yorkshire Metrocards are available for use on the line, covering Zones 3 - 5...
to Ilkley and the Leeds-Bradford Line to Leeds.
The other main railway station in the city is Bradford Interchange, about 10 minutes by foot from Forster Square, from where services operate along the Caldervale Line
Caldervale Line
The Caldervale Line is a railway route in Northern England between the cities of Leeds and Manchester as well as the seaside resort of Blackpool...
to Leeds, Halifax
Halifax, West Yorkshire
Halifax is a minster town, within the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale in West Yorkshire, England. It has an urban area population of 82,056 in the 2001 Census. It is well-known as a centre of England's woollen manufacture from the 15th century onward, originally dealing through the Halifax Piece...
, Huddersfield
Huddersfield
Huddersfield is a large market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England, situated halfway between Leeds and Manchester. It lies north of London, and south of Bradford, the nearest city....
, Manchester Victoria and Blackpool
Blackpool
Blackpool is a borough, seaside town, and unitary authority area of Lancashire, in North West England. It is situated along England's west coast by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre estuaries, northwest of Preston, north of Liverpool, and northwest of Manchester...
. Bradford Interchange is situated at a higher level, across the city centre, than Forster Square. Although technically possible, any proposal
Bradford Crossrail
Bradford Crossrail is an idea to link together Bradford's two railway stations, Bradford Forster Square and Bradford Interchange. Both these stations are truncated versions of former station sites, Bradford Forster Square station and Bradford Exchange...
to link to the two stations together would be very expensive and cause great upheaval.
History
The first rail service into Bradford was opened by the Leeds and Bradford RailwayLeeds and Bradford Railway
The Leeds and Bradford Railway was formed in 1843 to bring the railway to Bradford: the line opened on 1 July 1846. The company was always closely allied with the Midland Railway, and within ten years the L&BR had been absorbed into the Midland, and disappeared.-History:The line and the two...
on 1 July 1846. The line approached the town from the north, up Bradforddale from Shipley
Shipley railway station
Shipley railway station serves the town of Shipley in West Yorkshire, England.Train services are mostly commuter services between Leeds and Bradford, the Airedale Line , and the Wharfedale Line...
, and terminated at a station on Kirkgate, opposite the end of Market Street. There were hourly services to Leeds Wellington Station, and through trains to London Euston
Euston railway station
Euston railway station, also known as London Euston, is a central London railway terminus in the London Borough of Camden. It is the sixth busiest rail terminal in London . It is one of 18 railway stations managed by Network Rail, and is the southern terminus of the West Coast Main Line...
via Derby and Rugby
Rugby railway station
Rugby railway station serves the town of Rugby in Warwickshire, England. It opened during the Victorian era, in 1885, replacing earlier stations situated a little further west...
.
The first station building was an imposing neoclassical
Neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
building designed by William Andrews.
By 1853, the Midland Railway
Midland Railway
The Midland Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 to 1922, when it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway....
had acquired the Leeds and Bradford, and had rebuilt the station. The new building was larger, but apparently less interesting architecturally.
In 1890, the station was again replaced. The Midland Railway's architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
Charles Trubshaw
Charles Trubshaw
Charles Trubshaw was an architect specifically associated with railway buildings on the London and North Western Railway and Midland Railway lines...
designed a large complex containing the passenger station, goods station, and the Midland Hotel
Midland Hotel, Bradford
The Midland Hotel is a 90-bedroom three-star Victorian hotel in Bradford City Centre, owned and managed by London-based Peel Hotels.The architect was Charles Trubshaw, who was contracted to design many stations for Midland Railway Company...
. The station had six platforms and an overall glazed roof of the ridge and furrow pattern; the roof was dismantled in the 1960s and replaced with utilitarian 'butterfly' awnings. The station was also used by the North Eastern Railway
North Eastern Railway (UK)
The North Eastern Railway , was an English railway company. It was incorporated in 1854, when four existing companies were combined, and was absorbed into the London and North Eastern Railway at the Grouping in 1923...
. The station began to be called Market Street Station at this time, but local maps and directories do not confirm this (see Station name below).
By 1906, Forster Square
Forster Square, Bradford
Forster Square, Bradford was a square in central Bradford that disappeared in the current Broadway development, but gives its name to Bradford Forster Square railway station and a retail park.- History :...
had been built just south-east of the station, but the name Forster Square Station was not used until 1924.
In March 1963, the Beeching Report recommended closure of all railways serving Wharfedale and of several other services out of Forster Square; in 1965, many stations closed, and local services to Leeds ceased. However, for some of the lines, the decision was deferred, and trains continued to run. In 1972, Bradford Corporation (now City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council
City of Bradford
The City of Bradford is a local government district of West Yorkshire, England with the status of a city and metropolitan borough. It is named after its largest settlement, Bradford, but covers a far larger area which includes the towns of Keighley, Shipley, Bingley, Ilkley, Haworth, Silsden and...
), together with several other local authorities in the area, determined to subsidise the Wharfedale and Airedale lines. The lines have remained open, and in the ensuing years, a number of stations have been reopened. From April 1974, the new West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive
West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive
The West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive is the Passenger Transport Executive for the county of West Yorkshire, England. It is the executive arm of the West Yorkshire Integrated Transport Authority and was originally formed on 1 April 1974 as the West Yorkshire Passenger Transport...
(now known as Metro
West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive
The West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive is the Passenger Transport Executive for the county of West Yorkshire, England. It is the executive arm of the West Yorkshire Integrated Transport Authority and was originally formed on 1 April 1974 as the West Yorkshire Passenger Transport...
) took responsibility for these services.
Forster Square Station was truncated
Truncated railway station termini
A truncated railway station terminus is when an original station site is sold for redevelopment and a new, usually smaller station is constructed back down the line. Whilst there are many examples of station buildings and other structures, such as the redundant platforms at Whitby being sold for...
in 1990, when a new station was built somewhat to the north of the former station. The new station has three modern platforms, two of which are able to accommodate intercity trains. The old station was later demolished to make way for a shopping centre called 'Broadgate'. Because of the early 1990s recession, that development was cancelled, and the site was subsequently used as a car park. A new tax office was later built on the site. Part of the screen arcade that fronted the 1890 station, as wells as the Midland Hotel, remains. In 2005, these became much more visible, when the city centre redevelopment began and Forster House was demolished. It is unclear how visible they will remain as the development continues.
The line into Forster Square was electrified in 1994, as part of the electrification of the Airedale Line
Airedale Line
The Airedale Line is the name given to one of the rail services in the Metro area of northern England. The service is operated by Northern Rail, on the route connecting Leeds and Bradford with Skipton in the North of England. Some services along the line continue to Morecambe or Carlisle...
and Wharfedale Line
Wharfedale Line
The Wharfedale Line is the name given to one of the rail services in the West Yorkshire Metro area of northern England. The service connects Ilkley with Leeds and Bradford, and is operated by Northern Rail. West Yorkshire Metrocards are available for use on the line, covering Zones 3 - 5...
, allowing through electric trains to London via the newly-electrified East Coast Main Line
East Coast Main Line
The East Coast Main Line is a long electrified high-speed railway link between London, Peterborough, Doncaster, Wakefield, Leeds, York, Darlington, Newcastle and Edinburgh...
.
Historically, services have been as follows:
Station name
There is some disagreement about what names were used when. Most of the modern references state that one or more of them were called 'Market Street', but there is disagreement as to exactly when this name was in use:- says it was 'Market Street' from the rebuilding in 1890 until 1924.
- p. 42, shows one of the three stations as 'Market Street' in red, which in that book indicates that the station and the name passed out of use before 1901.
However, contemporary sources do not seem to use the name. The Bradford Post Office Directory says that the Midland terminal is at "Station, bottom of Kirkgate" (1856, 1863, 1898) or "Station, Forster Square" (1916, 1927); only in 1928 did a directory use the name "Forster Square Station". (In contrast, from 1879/80 onward the directories show the other terminal as "Exchange Station, Drake St"). Neither nor gives a name for the station other than 'Midland Station', though the latter does name Exchange Station.
It seems likely that the original station was called simply 'Bradford', at least until the Lancashire & Yorkshire
Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway
The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway was a major British railway company before the 1923 Grouping. It was incorporated in 1847 from an amalgamation of several existing railways...
station opened at Drake Street
Bradford Interchange railway station
Bradford Interchange is a combined railway, coach and bus station in Bradford, England. Designed in 1962 and hailed as a showpiece of European design, the building was opened in 1971.-Bus station:...
in 1850. After that time it would have been the Midland Station. At some time, it apparently came to be called 'Bradford Market Street', but this does not appear to have been official. Bradshaw's July 1922 Railway Guide, in a timetable footnote refers to Market Street, giving the distance to Exchange Station.
Services
Trains from Bradford Forster Square are operated by Northern RailNorthern Rail
Northern Rail is a British train operating company that has operated local passenger services in Northern England since 2004. Northern Rail's owner, Serco-Abellio, is a consortium formed of Abellio and Serco, an international operator of public transport systems...
and East Coast
East Coast (train operating company)
East Coast is a British train operating company running high-speed passenger services on the East Coast Main Line between London, Yorkshire, the North East and Scotland...
. Most trains are run by Northern Rail; these are towards Leeds (on the Leeds-Bradford Line), Skipton
Skipton railway station
Skipton railway station serves the town of Skipton in North Yorkshire, England on the Airedale Line. It is operated by Northern Rail and is situated north-west of Leeds....
(on the Airedale Line
Airedale Line
The Airedale Line is the name given to one of the rail services in the Metro area of northern England. The service is operated by Northern Rail, on the route connecting Leeds and Bradford with Skipton in the North of England. Some services along the line continue to Morecambe or Carlisle...
) and Ilkley
Ilkley railway station
Ilkley railway station is a railway station in Ilkley, in the City of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. On the Wharfedale Line, it is served by Class 333 electric trains run by Northern Rail, who also manage the station.-Services:...
(on the Wharfedale Line
Wharfedale Line
The Wharfedale Line is the name given to one of the rail services in the West Yorkshire Metro area of northern England. The service connects Ilkley with Leeds and Bradford, and is operated by Northern Rail. West Yorkshire Metrocards are available for use on the line, covering Zones 3 - 5...
). During Monday to Saturday daytimes, trains operate every 30 minutes on each route. During the evenings, there are trains every hour to each of Skipton and Ilkley; on Sundays these run every two hours. At these times, there are no trains to Leeds; passengers have to change at Shipley
Shipley, West Yorkshire
Shipley is a town in West Yorkshire, England, by the River Aire and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, north of Bradford and north-west of Leeds....
.
East Coast operate one service per day via Leeds and the East Coast Main Line
East Coast Main Line
The East Coast Main Line is a long electrified high-speed railway link between London, Peterborough, Doncaster, Wakefield, Leeds, York, Darlington, Newcastle and Edinburgh...
to London Kings Cross.
Further reading
- Firth, Gary (1997) A History of Bradford Phillimore. ISBN 1-86077-057-6
- Smith, F.W. & Bairstow, Martin The Otley and Ilkley Joint Railway Martin Bairstow. ISBN 1-871944-06-6.