Kirkstall Forge & Apperley Bridge

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Just to ensure we are all up to date on this thread, how near now is Kirkstall Forge to its opening.

 

[Grumpy]

Called in today around 1pm and there were 145 cars in the car park (none in the big disabled area).

Usage growing nicely.

Still increasing.197 in the car park today.

 

[Bantamzen]

Just to ensure we are all up to date on this thread, how near now is Kirkstall Forge to its opening.

Passing through over the last couple of weeks, little seems to have changed. The Leeds-bound platform still has temporary fencing around it, and works on the access road and intimidate site around it continue. I suspect little will happen until the spring at the earliest now. The recent floods haven't helped matters, quite a bit of ballast has had to be replaced on the lines nearby so I imagine other damage will have been suffered on site too.

Still increasing.197 in the car park today.

Catching the 07:01 from Shipley towards Leeds this morning, I counted at least 30 people waiting at Apperley. It's definitely gaining in popularity.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

I visited Apperley Bridge a couple of weeks ago, the station looks quite impressive but seems to be geared more towards park and ride than local residences (which are conspicuous by their absence). As none of the electronic screens were working, the lack of any timetable posters in the displays was a disappointment. The NRE app still doesn't recognise the station name but hopefully this will be sorted soon.

With regard to the PM sent to me by Paul Sidorczuk, Kirkstall Forge was passed at speed but there looked to be a fair bit still to do before it opens. This information is now two weeks out of date though, and with the slight improvement in weather since then there may have been progress made.

 

[swt_passenger]

I visited Apperley Bridge a couple of weeks ago, the station looks quite impressive but seems to be geared more towards park and ride than local residences (which are conspicuous by their absence).

However, it is worth noting that whilst Apperley Bridge and Kirkstall Forge new rail stations will be delivered as one package with the longer term objectives of encouraging modal shift from cars, they are rail stations of a very different nature.

Apperley Bridge is essentially a park and ride station.

Kirkstall Forge will be a local park and ride station with the specific objective of facilitating the development of a strategic brownfield redevelopment site at Kirkstall Forge to lever in £400m of private investment.

http://www.wymetro.com/uploadedFile...r Schemes - Revised Full Approval Form(1).pdf

No surprise there, that's the first part of the 'regional growth package' statement that allowed it to be built.

 

[Bantamzen]

I visited Apperley Bridge a couple of weeks ago, the station looks quite impressive but seems to be geared more towards park and ride than local residences (which are conspicuous by their absence). As none of the electronic screens were working, the lack of any timetable posters in the displays was a disappointment. The NRE app still doesn't recognise the station name but hopefully this will be sorted soon.

With regard to the PM sent to me by Paul Sidorczuk, Kirkstall Forge was passed at speed but there looked to be a fair bit still to do before it opens. This information is now two weeks out of date though, and with the slight improvement in weather since then there may have been progress made.

The main issue with Kirkstall Forge is that the access road to it is nowhere near ready. So work completing the platforms, particularly the eastbound one has not progressed. Ironically the car park looks good to go, complete with painted bays. But I'm sure once the station can be safely reached from the A65, things will move at a pace.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

I'd not be surprised if KLF has been held back by the flooding in the area, though as far as I'm aware the immediate site itself stayed relatively dry. One other thing I noticed about Apperley Bridge was the lack of access from the area behind the Leeds-bound platform. As far as I could tell though this is a private estate but it looked peculiar nonetheless. The car park was pretty much full, so as a park and ride it seems to be a success.

 

[Deerfold]

I visited Apperley Bridge a couple of weeks ago, the station looks quite impressive but seems to be geared more towards park and ride than local residences (which are conspicuous by their absence). As none of the electronic screens were working, the lack of any timetable posters in the displays was a disappointment. The NRE app still doesn't recognise the station name but hopefully this will be sorted soon.

There are the two new bus services to link local areas with the station.

http://www.wymetro.com/BusTravel/bustimetables/Bustimetable/948/

http://www.wymetro.com/BusTravel/bustimetables/Bustimetable/949/

 

[Old Yard Dog]

The train must go to the place that people want to go to ie Leeds.

Surely the purpose is to help those people who want to get away from Leeds!

 

[Tetchytyke]

As far as I could tell though this is a private estate but it looked peculiar nonetheless.

It's all part of the Esholt Water Treatment Works, an interesting place to walk through but obviously nobody lives there.

It's a great railhead for Greengates and Yeadon, though, and it seems to be doing very well. I reckon that car park will need expanding very soon.

 

[Deerfold]

Just to ensure we are all up to date on this thread, how near now is Kirkstall Forge to its opening.

Metro's continually changing announced date is currently "Easter 2016".
http://www.wymetro.com/news/projects/projectdetails/kirkstallforgerail/

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Metro's continually changing announced date is currently "Easter 2016".
http://www.wymetro.com/news/projects/projectdetails/kirkstallforgerail/

Has anyone told them that Easter is a moveable feast and comes quite early in the year in 2016. Quite a novel Metro idea using ecclesiastical feasts in their press releases.

 

[Deerfold]

Has anyone told them that Easter is a moveable feast and comes quite early in the year in 2016. Quite a novel Metro idea using ecclesiastical feasts in their press releases.

Whilst Easter moves around, I'm fairly sure that Easter 2016 doesn't and is 27th March this year.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Whilst Easter moves around, I'm fairly sure that Easter 2016 doesn't and is 27th March this year.

Perhaps Metro are thinking of asking a bishop to conduct the official opening...

 

[Deerfold]

Perhaps Metro are thinking of asking a bishop to conduct the official opening...

I think they tend to be quite busy at Easter.

 

[mm333]

There are the two new bus services to link local areas with the station.

http://www.wymetro.com/BusTravel/bustimetables/Bustimetable/948/

http://www.wymetro.com/BusTravel/bustimetables/Bustimetable/949/

I've seen those a few times around Idle and Greengates. I don't think I've seen a passenger on them at all.

 

[Welshman]

I think they tend to be quite busy at Easter.

But it would be quite a change for one to be involved with Stations of the Aire Valley rather than Stations of the Cross.

 

[snowball]

But it would be quite a change for one to be involved with Stations of the Aire Valley rather than Stations of the Cross.

I suppose the late Eric Treacy might have been.

 

[Welshman]

I suppose the late Eric Treacy might have been.

Yes, indeed.
At the risk of veering off the subject even further, I knew Bishop Eric well when he was at Wakefield.
It was often said he was more at home on the footplate than in the pulpit!

 

[johntea]

Quite amused to find that the displays at Apperley at currently being used to notify people that there is a problem...with the displays

 

[crehld]

Quite amused to find that the displays at Apperley at currently being used to notify people that there is a problem...with the displays

They've been like that for at least a week!

 

[4SRKT]

I heard that the three letter code for Kirkstall Forge will be KLF. If so, will the passengers be bound for Mu Mu Land?

 

[CaptainHaddock]

I heard that the three letter code for Kirkstall Forge will be KLF. If so, will the passengers be bound for Mu Mu Land?

That's nice. So as well as going to Leeds you'll also be able to catch the last train to transcentral.

 

[4SRKT]

That's nice. So as well as going to Leeds you'll also be able to catch the last train to transcentral.

Correct, but those staying up for 3 a.m. Eternal will find trains have stopped for the night and face a ruinous cab fare.

 

[Freightmaster]

Correct, but those staying up for 3 a.m. Eternal will find trains have stopped for the night and face a ruinous cab fare.

And they will find out the hard way that it's Grim Up North...

 

[Tetchytyke]

Correct, but those staying up for 3 a.m. Eternal will find trains have stopped for the night and face a ruinous cab fare.

They'd literally be burning money, for sure.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

I heard that the three letter code for Kirkstall Forge will be KLF. If so, will the passengers be bound for Mu Mu Land?

That's nice. So as well as going to Leeds you'll also be able to catch the last train to transcentral.

Correct, but those staying up for 3 a.m. Eternal will find trains have stopped for the night and face a ruinous cab fare.

And they will find out the hard way that it's Grim Up North...

They'd literally be burning money, for sure.

Get with the programme, people! I made similar comments six months ago...

With regard to the displays, I did notice that there's some shiny new display cases for timetables and whatnot but they're all empty. Not good when the electronic screens aren't set up yet, but then given that Metro seem to have stopped updating bus timetables at stops and even bus stations it's not surprising.

 

[matacaster]

If Metro are disappointed about passenger usage at the new stations, a quick look at the Metro website interactive map might be revealing.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

If Metro are disappointed about passenger usage at the new stations, a quick look at the Metro website interactive map might be revealing.

Good point. The last new station in the area, Glasshoughton, was added to online downloadable pdfs within days...

 

[Bantamzen]

If Metro are disappointed about passenger usage at the new stations, a quick look at the Metro website interactive map might be revealing.

Metro are not alone, NR still haven't updated their mobile app yet to list Apperley Bridge. Still despite this it is seeing ever growing numbers of passengers.

As for Kirkstall, work continues on the access road with some signs of tarmac going down, and work is continuing / being wrapped up on the traffic junction for it on the A65. Although passing a few days ago on a bus, a NR worker traveling on the same quipped that NR had made a mess of the job, but as he was alighting just past the junction he didn't elaborate why.