Pontefract Tanshelf railway station
Encyclopedia
Pontefract Tanshelf railway station is the most central station in the town of Pontefract
, West Yorkshire
, England
, and serves Pontefract Races
, the racecourse located just down the street from the station. It lies on the Pontefract Line
operated by Northern Rail
and is 8 miles (12.9 km) east of Wakefield Kirkgate
. 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 was opened by Metro (West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive
) on 12 May 1992, the line between Wakefield
and Pontefract was re-opened.
The other stations in the town are Pontefract Monkhill
and Pontefract Baghill
.
and to Knottingley
, but there are no trains to Tanshelf Station on Sunday, despite the fact Pontefract Races have regular Sunday meetings throughout the spring and summer.
The original service used to run from Wakefield Westgate, but instead, now starts (from) and terminates (at) Wakefield Kirkgate Station. Train services to Knottingley via Pontefract, are timed to arrive and leave Kirkgate Station for connecting trains to Huddersfield
, Halifax
, Bradford
, and Leeds
, for the benefit of shoppers, tourists, and racegoers.
Pontefract
Pontefract is an historic market town in West Yorkshire, England. Traditionally in the West Riding, near the A1 , the M62 motorway and Castleford. It is one of the five towns in the metropolitan borough of the City of Wakefield and has a population of 28,250...
, 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...
, and serves Pontefract Races
Pontefract Racecourse
Pontefract Racecourse is a thoroughbred horse racing venue located in Pontefract, West Yorkshire, England.Pontefract is one of the best appointed courses of its kind in the country. There are modern bars and refreshment areas in all enclosures....
, the racecourse located just down the street from the station. It lies on the Pontefract Line
Pontefract Line
The Pontefract Line is the name given to one of the rail services in the West Yorkshire Metro area of northern England. The service is operated by Northern Rail, and links Wakefield and Leeds with Goole via Pontefract...
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...
and is 8 miles (12.9 km) east of Wakefield Kirkgate
Wakefield Kirkgate railway station
Wakefield Kirkgate railway station is a railway station in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England. Unlike the nearby Wakefield Westgate railway station, Kirkgate is unstaffed and served mostly by local trains...
. In the days of coal mining
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
in the Pontefract area, the station served the needs of the local workforce
Workforce
The workforce is the labour pool in employment. It is generally used to describe those working for a single company or industry, but can also apply to a geographic region like a city, country, state, etc. The term generally excludes the employers or management, and implies those involved in...
with regular and frequent services timed for the beginning and the end of mining shifts.
The station was opened by Metro (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...
) on 12 May 1992, the line between Wakefield
Wakefield
Wakefield is the main settlement and administrative centre of the City of Wakefield, a metropolitan district of West Yorkshire, England. Located by the River Calder on the eastern edge of the Pennines, the urban area is and had a population of 76,886 in 2001....
and Pontefract was re-opened.
The other stations in the town are Pontefract Monkhill
Pontefract Monkhill railway station
Pontefract Monkhill railway station is the busiest station in the town of Pontefract, West Yorkshire, England. The station is on the Pontefract Line operated by Northern Rail and is south east of Leeds....
and Pontefract Baghill
Pontefract Baghill railway station
Pontefract Baghill railway station is the least busy of the three railway stations in Pontefract, West Yorkshire, England. The other stations, Monkhill and Tanshelf, both lie on the Pontefract Line, while Baghill lies on the Dearne Valley Line south of York towards Sheffield...
.
Services
On Monday to Saturday, there is an hourly service to Wakefield KirkgateWakefield Kirkgate railway station
Wakefield Kirkgate railway station is a railway station in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England. Unlike the nearby Wakefield Westgate railway station, Kirkgate is unstaffed and served mostly by local trains...
and to Knottingley
Knottingley railway station
Knottingley railway station serves the town of Knottingley in West Yorkshire, England. It lies on the Pontefract Line, operated by Northern Rail, and is south east of Leeds railway station....
, but there are no trains to Tanshelf Station on Sunday, despite the fact Pontefract Races have regular Sunday meetings throughout the spring and summer.
The original service used to run from Wakefield Westgate, but instead, now starts (from) and terminates (at) Wakefield Kirkgate Station. Train services to Knottingley via Pontefract, are timed to arrive and leave Kirkgate Station for connecting trains to 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....
, 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...
, Bradford
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...
, and Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, for the benefit of shoppers, tourists, and racegoers.