The Great Northern Railway Trail

The Great Northern Railway Trail is a cycleway and footpath in the Bradford District of West Yorkshire, England. The path follows the route of a former railway, that of the Great Northern railway line between Bradford and Keighley that went via Queensbury and Cullingworth. The path has been designated as part of the National Cycle Route number 69.

The Great Northern Railway Trail
Hewenden Viaduct looking north - the deck has been tarmacked for The Great Northern Railway Trail
Established2005
Length6.2 miles (10 km)
DesignationUK National Cycle Route 69
TrailheadsCullingworth
Queensbury
UseCycling, pedestrians, horse trail
Cycling details
SurfaceTarmacked (on designated sections)

History

The Great Northern Railway (GNR) opened up its lines connecting Bradford, Halifax and Keighley between 1878 and 1884.[1] This involved a triangular junction at Queensbury railway station. As the GNR lines were built after other railways had been constructed in the valley's, many of their lines were built to traverse the high valley sides and as such, had many steep gradients and tunnels which led to them acquiring the nickname of The Alpine Lines.[2]

Passenger traffic on these lines had ceased by 1955, with complete closure of the lines by 1972 and much of the trackbed was abandoned and the tunnels bricked up. In 2005, Sustrans and Bradford Council re-opened a section of the former track from the site of Cullingworth railway station to the former station of Wilsden as the Great Northern Railway Trail. In 2008, a smaller section through Thornton village and across the viaduct there was opened,[3] along with a second stretch between the former Queensbury railway station and a point just south of Thornton Viaduct.[4] The final stretch to connect the two sections from Thornton Viaduct to the former station site at Queensbury opened in October 2012.[5]

Eventually the trail will cover 6.2 miles (10 km),[6] but currently this is split into two sections some 2 miles (3.5 km) apart.[7] Although the whole trail is seen as one through route, only the sections between Cullingworth and Hewenden Viaduct, and Queensbury station and the northern edge of Thornton Viaduct are designated clear of road traffic. The section between these two is accomplished on footpaths for walkers, but cycle traffic must take to local roads to connect between the two sections.[8]

Sign at the start of the trail in Cullingworth

Since the initial re-opening in 2005, smaller sections have opened in a piecemeal fashion which add to either end of the two split sections.[9] The route connects with two other long distance paths; the Calder/Aire Bridleway in Cullingworth[10] and the Bronte Way at Thornton.[7]

Infrastructure

There are three viaducts on the route; Cullingworth,[11] Hewenden and Thornton.[12] Both Hewenden and Thornton viaducts are grade II listed structures[13][14] and Thornton is particularly noted for its 'S' shaped curvature and its views over the Pinch Beck valley.[15] A platform has been installed at Hewenden to allow for a greater views across the viaduct and westwards across Hewenden reservoir.[16]

The missing section between the south end of Hewenden Viaduct and the north end of Thornton viaduct includes five disused tunnels; Well Head (662 yards (605 m)), Hamer's Hill (153 yards (140 m)), Doe Park No 1 (140 yards (130 m)), Doe Park No 2 (33 yards (30 m)) and Doe Park No 3 (112 yards (102 m)).[16]

Future

Sustrans, Bradford Council and local campaigners are all lobbying to get the route opened fully between Bradford and Keighley, with an extension through the 2,501-yard (2,287 m) long Queensbury tunnel towards Halifax.[17] A Sustrans report into re-opening the route (and Queensbury Tunnel) revealed that the best case scenario would cost £11.6 million over 30 years, but this would yield £37.6 million in economic, health and tourism benefits over the same time period.[18][19]

Because of damage inside Queensbury tunnel and the lack of maintenance, the current owners of the tunnel (Highways Agency Heritage Railway Estate) have suggested that the tunnel be sealed off with concrete which would cost £3 million. Campaigners state that it would be more beneficial for the community to convert the tunnel into the longest underground cycleway in Europe. The southern portal of the tunnel is in a deep cutting and is prone to flooding (as deep as 40 feet (12 m) of water at times) and so would need remediation to make it safe again.[20]

An extension south westwards from Queensbury is planned (with or without the tunnel) to Holmfield in Halifax.[21]

References
  1. Cobb, M H (2003). The railways of Great Britain : a historical atlas at a scale of 1 inch to 1 mile vol. 2. Shepperton: Ian Allan Publishing. p. 395. ISBN 0-7110-3003-0.
  2. "Highs and lows of 'alpine route'". Bradford Telegraph and Argus. 24 May 2005. Retrieved 21 September 2017.
  3. "Hundreds to visit 'spectacular trail'". Keighley News. 25 November 2008. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
  4. "Viaduct vistas to be enjoyed soon". The Yorkshire Post. 11 August 2008. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
  5. "New section of Sustrans rail trail is opened". Keighley News. 20 October 2012. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
  6. "BBC - Bradford and West Yorkshire - Features - The Great Northern Trail reopened". www.bbc.co.uk. May 2005. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
  7. "288" (Map). Bradford & Huddersfield. 1:25,000. Explorer. Ordnance Survey. 2015. ISBN 9780319244852.
  8. "Great Northern Railway Trail" (PDF). bradford.gov.uk. Sustrans. p. 1. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
  9. Thomas, Rhys (1 August 2013). "Pupil set to open new Great Northern Railway Trail cycle route". Keighley News. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
  10. "Keighley link to the Calder/Aire Bridleway route at Bingley St. Ives" (PDF). thedms.co.uk. Bradford Council. p. 6. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
  11. Knights, David (22 September 2016). "Cullingworth councillors check out state of Great Northern RailwayTrail following nearby building work". Keighley News. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
  12. "Disused Stations: Cullingworth Station". www.disused-stations.org.uk. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
  13. Historic England. "Hewenden Viaduct  (Grade II) (1199507)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
  14. Historic England. "Thornton Railway Viaduct  (Grade II) (1151855)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
  15. "Great Northern Railway Trail" (PDF). bradford.gov.uk. Sustrans. p. 2. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
  16. Bairstow, Martin (2015). The Great Northern Railway in the West Riding; the Queensbury Lines. Farsley: Bairstow. p. 62. ISBN 978-1-871944-44-0.
  17. Mason, David (11 July 2017). "Future of historic tunnel up for debate at pub". Keighley News. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
  18. "News Releases - Study examines economic case for tunnel path". www.queensburytunnel.org.uk. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
  19. Wilde, Claire (17 August 2017). "VIDEO: New study looks at costs and benefits of ambitious rail tunnel cycle path plan". Bradford Telegraph and Argus.
  20. Stokes, Spencer (20 February 2014). "Tunnel vision for Pennine cyclists". BBC News. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
  21. Vintner, Jeff (2017). Vinter's Railway Gazetteer: A Guide to Britain's Old Railways That You Can Walk or Cycle (2 ed.). Stroud: The History Press. p. 101. ISBN 978-0-7509-6976-5.
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