Walsden railway station
Encyclopedia
Walsden railway station serves the village of Walsden
, Todmorden
in West Yorkshire
, England
, on the edge of the Pennines
.
It is served by the Caldervale Line
operated by Northern Rail
. The station is 32 miles (51.5 km) west of Leeds and 17.25 miles (28 km) north east of Manchester Victoria. Walsden is the last station before the boundary with Greater Manchester
. The station was opened by Metro (West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive
) on 10 September 1990 as a replacement for an earlier structure that closed on 6 August 1961. This earlier station, which was opened in 1845 by the Manchester & Leeds Railway, predecessor of the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway, was situated between the level crossing and the north portal of Winterbutlee Tunnel, a few yards south of the present station.
northbound with extra trains during peak times in each direction.
. This is presumed to be because a German plane had a bomb left over after a raid and dropped it there based on the possibility that the station might be useful to Britain's war effort.
Walsden
Walsden is a large village in the town of Todmorden in the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale, West Yorkshire, England, close to the Greater Manchester border...
, Todmorden
Todmorden
Todmorden is a market town and civil parish, located 17 miles from Manchester, within the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale, in West Yorkshire, England. It forms part of the Upper Calder Valley and has a total population of 14,941....
in 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...
, on the edge of the Pennines
Pennines
The Pennines are a low-rising mountain range, separating the North West of England from Yorkshire and the North East.Often described as the "backbone of England", they form a more-or-less continuous range stretching from the Peak District in Derbyshire, around the northern and eastern edges of...
.
It is served by 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...
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...
. The station is 32 miles (51.5 km) west of Leeds and 17.25 miles (28 km) north east of Manchester Victoria. Walsden is the last station before the boundary with Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
. 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 10 September 1990 as a replacement for an earlier structure that closed on 6 August 1961. This earlier station, which was opened in 1845 by the Manchester & Leeds Railway, predecessor of the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway, was situated between the level crossing and the north portal of Winterbutlee Tunnel, a few yards south of the present station.
Services
There is an hourly service to Manchester Victoria southbound and to Leeds via HalifaxHalifax railway station
Halifax railway station serves the town of Halifax in West Yorkshire, England. It lies on the Caldervale Line and is west from .The station at Halifax is an example of a single island platform acting as two platforms. Platform 2 heads eastbound, towards Bradford while Platform 1 heads westbound...
northbound with extra trains during peak times in each direction.
December 2008 Service Changes
Northern Rail implemented changes to the Caldervale line services from December 2008. Three trains per hour now ran between Leeds and Manchester Victoria - one was the current stopping service (which is the one that calls here), one runs via Dewsbury and Brighouse (and include stops at Moston, Mills Hill and Castleton) and one was a limited stop service - between Bradford and Manchester the service will only call at Halifax, Hebden Bridge, Todmorden and Rochdale. Walsden passengers now have a poorer service, especially for those commuters who travel back from Manchester opposed to the half hourly service currently operated (July 2008).History
It was the only place in Todmorden to be bombed during the Second World War BlitzThe Blitz
The Blitz was the sustained strategic bombing of Britain by Nazi Germany between 7 September 1940 and 10 May 1941, during the Second World War. The city of London was bombed by the Luftwaffe for 76 consecutive nights and many towns and cities across the country followed...
. This is presumed to be because a German plane had a bomb left over after a raid and dropped it there based on the possibility that the station might be useful to Britain's war effort.