Barnsley Interchange

Barnsley Interchange
Location
Place	Barnsley
Local authority	Barnsley
Coordinates	53°33′15″N 1°28′39″W / 53.554080°N 1.477590°WCoordinates: 53°33′15″N 1°28′39″W / 53.554080°N 1.477590°W
Grid reference	SE347065
Operations
Station code	BNY
Managed by	Northern Rail
Number of platforms	2
DfT category	C2
Live arrivals/departures, station information and onward connections from National Rail Enquiries
Annual rail passenger usage*
2004/05	0.783 million
2005/06	0.868 million
2006/07	0.822 million
2007/08	0.876 million
2008/09	1.320 million
2009/10	1.336 million
2010/11	1.394 million
2011/12	1.448 million
2012/13	1.464 million
2013/14	1.350 million
2014/15	1.502 million
Passenger Transport Executive
PTE	Travel South Yorkshire
Zone	Barnsley
History
Key dates	Opened 1850
Original company	Sheffield, Rotherham, Barnsley, Wakefield, Huddersfield & Goole Railway
Pre-grouping	Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway
Post-grouping	London, Midland and Scottish Railway
1 January 1850	Opened as Barnsley
2 June 1924	Renamed Barnsley Low Town
1 August 1924	Renamed Barnsley Exchange
13 June 1960	Renamed Barnsley
20 May 2007	Renamed Barnsley Interchange
National Rail – UK railway stations
* Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Barnsley Interchange from Office of Rail and Road statistics. Methodology may vary year on year.
UK Railways portal

Barnsley Interchange (formerly Barnsley Exchange Station) lies in the centre of the town of Barnsley, in South Yorkshire, England. The station was opened in 1850 and is 16 miles (26 km) north of Sheffield. It is on both the Hallam and Penistone Lines operated by Northern Rail. In 2013 it was used as a filming location in Channel 4's cult drama series Utopia.^[1]

Earlier history

A 1912 Railway Clearing House Junction Diagram showing (left) railways in the vicinity of Barnsley. The present station is shown here as L&Y STA, on the line coloured blue.

The Sheffield, Rotherham, Barnsley, Wakefield, Huddersfield & Goole Railway was formed in 1846 with the aim of providing access to the South Yorkshire coalfield. It was to link the Manchester and Leeds Railway (M&LR) near Horbury, with the Sheffield and Rotherham Railway near Brightside, by way of Barnsley. Whilst the railway was still at the planning stage, it was split in two at Barnsley, the northern portion being leased to the M&LR and the southern to the South Yorkshire, Doncaster & Goole Railway (SYD&G). The northern section opened first, and Barnsley station was opened with the line on 1 January 1850. The route of the southern section was changed, and instead it connected to the SYD&G line near Mexborough. This section opened on 1 July 1851, and Barnsley then became a through station, although the two sections of line were operated by different railways. On 1 July 1854, the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway (MS&LR) opened a line from Penistone to Barnsley.^[2][3][4]

Each of these railway companies went through various takeovers and amalgamations, until the early 20th century, when the station at Barnsley was co-owned by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (LYR, successor to the M&LR), and the Great Central Railway (GCR, successor to the MS&LR and SYD&G). At the 1923 grouping, the GCR became part of the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER), whilst the LYR formed part of the new London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS), as did the Midland Railway (MR). The LYR and MR each contributed one station in Barnsley to the LMS, and since the ex-MR station was already distinguished as Barnsley Court House, the LMS renamed the former LYR station to Barnsley Low Town on 2 June 1924. Just two months later, on 1 August 1924, it was again renamed, this time to Barnsley Exchange.^[4]

Barnsley Court House station closed on 19 April 1960, following the commissioning of a new chord line south of the town near Quarry Junction that linked the former SYR route down the Blackburn Valley with the ex-Midland Railway line from Sheffield Midland, allowing services on the latter route to serve the station (and continue northwards to Wakefield & Leeds). Subsequently on 13 June 1960, Barnsley Exchange was renamed Barnsley.^[4]

Barnsley Interchange rail services

The railway platforms at Barnsley Interchange, photographed in 1998.

Rail services operate frequently through Barnsley's Interchange station. On the Hallam line during the day on Monday to Saturday, there are three trains per hour northbound to Wakefield Kirkgate and Leeds. Two services are operated as "fast" therefore not stopping at some stations (such as Normanton and Castleford) en route. During the evening there is generally an hourly service, whilst there are one or two trains per hour (one express, one stopping every second hour) on Sundays.^[5]

On the Penistone line, there is an hourly service northbound to Huddersfield from Monday to Saturday and a two-hourly service on Sundays. Barnsley also marks the last continuous dual running track (except for parts) for trains heading towards Huddersfield, or the first continuous dual running track for trains heading towards Sheffield

Southbound there are four trains per hour. Three of these services terminate at Sheffield whilst one carries on to Nottingham. The service drops to half hourly in the late evening and there are two or three per hour (one/two fast & one stopping) on Sundays.

In May 1999, Midland Mainline commenced a daily weekday service to London St Pancras. The service was not seen as necessary by the new operator East Midlands Trains and the service was withdrawn, with the last service running on 5 September 2008.

Preceding station		National Rail		Following station
Wombwell		Northern Rail Hallam Line		Darton
		Northern Rail Penistone Line		Dodworth
Meadowhall		Northern Rail Leeds-Nottingham		Wakefield Kirkgate

Barnsley Interchange bus services

The new Barnsley Interchange opened at 08:00 on 20 May 2007. The new building forms the entire new complex of Barnsley Interchange, rail and bus users will exit the interchange via the new car park or for the town centre, the new entrance and exit on Eldon Street.

The bus station features the latest in technology such as the SYPTE scheme of "Your Next Bus", tracking buses with GPS to check what time they are due to arrive and depart. Several shops occupy retail units within the interchange, these include a Lloyd's Pharmacy, GT News, Cowpuccino Espresso Bar, Cooplands and a Subway.

Work has since been completed on the link road known as Schwäbisch Gmünd Way (formerly Interchange Way, renamed in honour of Barnsley's twin town in Germany) to enable buses to enter or leave the Interchange quickly without having to use the busy level crossing at Jumble Lane.

Arriva Yorkshire, First South Yorkshire, Stagecoach Yorkshire, Tates Travel, TM Travel and Waterson’s operate services from the station.

References

1. "Where Was Utopia Series 2 filmed? Our Production Services Team Have The Answers...". Creative England. 14 July 2014.
2. Marshall, John (1969). The Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway, volume 1. Newton Abbot: David & Charles. pp. 214–5,217–8. ISBN 0-7153-4352-1.
3. Dow, George (1959). Great Central, Volume One: The Progenitors, 1813-1863. Shepperton: Ian Allan. pp. 150, 228. ISBN 0-7110-1468-X.
4. Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 28. ISBN 1-85260-508-1. R508.
5. GB National Rail Timetable December 2015 - May 2016, Table 34

External links

• Train times and station information for Barnsley Interchange from National Rail
• Travel South Yorkshire website