Wakefield Kirkgate station

[Whistler40145]

There is nothing pleasant about Wakefield Kirkgate or the area surrounding it! I hope if anyone on here works for Network Rail, knock it down or spend money on it!

As many of you have commented, it's an absolute sh*thole & Westgate station isn't much better

 

[umontu]

Been there twice, once this week oddly, quite frankly it's a horrible station and the subway felt unsafe, fortunately I wasn't alone.

 

[Captain Chaos]

I can't say I have ever been to Kirkgate but judging by the pictures I have seen and what I have heard about it I should probably be counting myself lucky!

 

[Oswyntail]

One of the problems might be that the building is - quite rightly - listed. So it can't be knocked down and turned into a bus shelter. But this doesn't explain why no one has maintained it.
Wakefield itself has little to recommend it, and the area round Kirkgate is particularly bad, and I suspect this has a lot to do with it. The defeatist attitude that says there's no point, because the locals would only vandalise it. But a well-maintained staffed station, with constant use would both deter the local thugs and lead the improvement of the area.

 

[AlexS]

I suspect you'll find it's not economical to be staff for the reason that if staff work there, it has to be a fit and proper place for them to work, in reasonable condition, amenities etc. As it stands at the moment you'd be talking a hell of a lot of money to bring that station back into a condition where you could station employees in it. You'd also have to make the building stable and safe inside.

 

[yorksrob]

The quicker that it's razed to the ground and replaced by a little brick waiting shelter and having some high quality lighting and CCTV the better.

It has to be said, the large canopy on the Leeds bound platform is a lot more useful than a bus shelter, particularly considering the quite large number of people who actually use the station. It’s quite a busy interchange.

 

[wbbminerals]

After reading the fist page here's what I have to say:

Does anyone actually give a crap?

Yes me and a lot of Wakefield's population.

MCR Warrior:

Half your photos are out of date and one of them's mine (the weedy one with the pacer peaking through)! :P

The buildings are in a dire state but the station has been made a little (!) better since some of those shots! The station probably does have 500,000 users a year. Also it's fine in the day, I go there all the time. That said it is very rough around there and if you think the station's bad check out the boozer!

 

[knight2004]

i used to travrl around west yorkshgire alot me and my dad r elived out journeys a few yeard ago w eendde up having to wait for an hour coz of the crap connections for the pontefract line its a horrile plCE I'D HATE TO be there alone at night especially when cold. If i was in charge of Northern or thr PTE i'd make it a priority to sort it even if it meant me helping them to clean up i feel sorry for the place the signage to town is awful and so not obvious we tried this once but did not find the way successfully Thre needs to be a total knock down of it at least it would look more open and cleaner then

 

[Crossover]

Thats an excellent bit of spilling there knight2004 :P

Have to agree with everyone else here that something needs doing with it. As of yet I've not had the misfortune of coming across the place (although I'm sure in time I will do) and I have to say that given the option of travelling from London to Wakefield, I would probably go with EC just to avoid having to get off at Kirkgate - what a let down for a station with intercity services (probably needs a WSMR style sort out!)

Although the platforms are a little longer than are now necessary, I don't think the station is oversized for its use - certainly, there are other stations with more disused lines/platforms etc) and it does seem to be a fairly busy station, certainly during the weekdays with a relatively high level of service.

To answer a comment made a little earlier (I think it may have been by IPT) about one of the pictures looking like it has a ghost...incidentally the subway is said to be haunted by a lady in Victorian dress.

 

[wbbminerals]

The old subway was awful and smelled of stale urine. They put up loads of boards a few years ago so it's better now. They should improve the lighting and light up the blocked off areas at the ends of the platforms.

 

[Aictos]

Yes it needs investment but how should this occur?

For one there's talk of CCTV but I would say the area requires a stronger security presence such as help points, station staff as well as security staff.

Cause it would help if a citylink neighbourhood scheme was in operation as it would cover all of the city centre and would deliver net benefits to users of both stations.

Also what about station adoption schemes, little things like that can only lead to the regeneration of the area.

Northern and WYPTE could start by repainting the station and carrying out repairs which are needed.

I say with a given budget, it's actually very possible to turnround the status of the station, obviously the roof is going to take a lot of work to be fully back in use but give me 6 to 12 months and it will be a lot better then it is.

 

[Whistler40145]

wbbminerals, good job you can't transfer smells via the Forum! It doesn't bare thinking about!

 

[tom1649]

When and why was Kirkgate de-staffed in the first place? Was it because the buildings were falling to bits? Or was it due to a cut in funding? In which case why are there many smaller and less used WYPTE stations which are staffed?

 

[Whistler40145]

If Kirkgate station was ever refurbished, it would either have to be manned by the operating TOC or have the constant presence of BTP Officers.

 

[142094]

What Kirkgate needs is a lot of investment - a quick clean up and a paint job can only do so much. In an ideal world someone would buy the buildings and open something such as a bar or offices. If WYPTE had the money I'm sure they rather be spending it on running more services rather than putting their eggs all in one basket. Kirkgate has been underfunded even before privatisation, so IMO it is up to Network Rail to stump up the money to get it repaired. Perhaps then Northern might want to put staff there. Anyone who has been there will tell you that Kirkgate is mainly used as an interchange station with less people getting on/off than you think. Perhaps that is a reason why it is unstaffed at the present time.

 

[syorksdeano]

Wakefield Kirkgate needs a hell of a lot of work doing to it.

For a start the "Help Points" don't work. The so called "Public Payphone" is one of the BT Phonecard ones.....and the phone cards are no longer sold. Plus the phone doesn't actually work.

The place is falling to bits, and given that it's a listed building surely something can be done to force Network Rail into doing something to bring it back to life

 

[Invincibles]

How difficult would it be to put a flying junction in here?

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en...esult&ct=image&resnum=1&sqi=2&ved=0CB8Q8gEwAA

There seems to be a disused line linking from there into the line into Kirkgate. I am thinking that this could then take the local trains that run that way into Leeds and offer GC a quicker route from Huddersfield to London. The only problem is reversal at Kirkgate to head into Leeds so it would also be necessary to...

Then route more trains through Barnsley and to Leeds that way and there is a real use for Kirkgate as a proper station again.

My thinking then is that the free paths through Westgate can be used to make London - Leeds every 20 minutes. Eventually this approach to Leeds can be used for HS trains.

I think that Kirkgate does have good potential to become like Blackburn, but it would depend on being busier I think.

The big problem here is paths into Leeds from the east but I see that trains can come in through Holbeck? If that is true then it would work?

 

[wbbminerals]

Just to correct the perception of the subway here's what it's like now:

 

[142094]

Just to correct the perception of the subway here's what it's like now

That is actually a lot better than some other subways I've seen recently, such as Skipton and Morpeth.

 

[tbtc]

How difficult would it be to put a flying junction in here?

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en...esult&ct=image&resnum=1&sqi=2&ved=0CB8Q8gEwAA

There seems to be a disused line linking from there into the line into Kirkgate. I am thinking that this could then take the local trains that run that way into Leeds and offer GC a quicker route from Huddersfield to London. The only problem is reversal at Kirkgate to head into Leeds so it would also be necessary to...

Then route more trains through Barnsley and to Leeds that way and there is a real use for Kirkgate as a proper station again.

My thinking then is that the free paths through Westgate can be used to make London - Leeds every 20 minutes. Eventually this approach to Leeds can be used for HS trains.

I think that Kirkgate does have good potential to become like Blackburn, but it would depend on being busier I think.

The big problem here is paths into Leeds from the east but I see that trains can come in through Holbeck? If that is true then it would work?

Sorry, not sure where you are proposing a flying junction here (sounds interesting though)

 

[142094]

Sorry, not sure where you are proposing a flying junction here (sounds interesting though)

Same here, not sure where he is meaning.

GC got knocked back from the ORR when they asked to stop calling at Pontefract, so I don't see them going any other route for the near future.

 

[WestCoast]

That is actually a lot better than some other subways I've seen recently, such as Skipton and Morpeth

Still rather be at Skipton than Wakefield Kirkgate, its the area combined with the lack of staff.

 

[daccer]

NR have a massive chunk of money sitting in the NSIP which is being liberally splashed around the network. If ever a station met the criteria for this scheme surely it was Kirkgate. I think that the time is nigh where it will have to be done up or done in - to leave it as it is will not be acceptable

 

[MidnightFlyer]

A Facebook campaign to restaff the station has over 1,000 members:

http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=48902326434

 

[bluenoxid]

So many want to raze it yet it really needs barriering. I believe it is listed but a clean up and an ETFE roof could do wonders

 

[Invincibles]

Sorry, not sure where you are proposing a flying junction here (sounds interesting though)

If you trace the ECML south from Westgate through Sandall and Akbrigg you will see a presumably disused line crossing over the top of the ECML by Oakenshaw Lane

Unfortunately I can not zoom in enough to read the plate on the ECML bridge

By zooming out a little I see this had a junction into Kirkgate. The Google streetviews and satellite images might be quite old now though I suppose.

 

[wbbminerals]

If you trace the ECML south from Westgate through Sandall and Akbrigg you will see a presumably disused line crossing over the top of the ECML by Oakenshaw Lane

Unfortunately I can not zoom in enough to read the plate on the ECML bridge

By zooming out a little I see this had a junction into Kirkgate. The Google streetviews and satellite images might be quite old now though I suppose.

That 'disused line' is the present single tracked Monk Bretton branch which only runs to Monk Bretton. Most of the track was taken up in the late eighties. It used to run between Sheffield and Goose Hill Jn near Normanton. It has a speed limit of 40mph I believe which could possibly :-? be because of mining subsidence? Anyhow it'd be hard to do that now because there's a footpath that takes more or less the same route as the former track.

By the way this line is only served by a WBB Minerals sand train to Redfearn's glass works in Monk Bretton and that is where I got my username from!

 

[Invincibles]

That 'disused line' is the present single tracked Monk Bretton branch which only runs to Monk Bretton. Most of the track was taken up in the late eighties. It used to run between Sheffield and Goose Hill Jn near Normanton. It has a speed limit of 40mph I believe which could possibly :-? be because of mining subsidence? Anyhow it'd be hard to do that now because there's a footpath that takes more or less the same route as the former track.

By the way this line is only served by a WBB Minerals sand train to Redfearn's glass works in Monk Bretton and that is where I got my username from!

OK, thank you for that.

It does not look to be a too long section from the ECML line to Leeds and the other line into Kirkgate. Maybe if there is pressure for fast links to Huddersfield one day it might get done. 40mph by that point does not seem stupid given the proximity to Wakefield and a station stop.