Elland railway station

Elland railway station served the town of Elland in West Yorkshire, England until 1962.^[1] Since 1995, Calderdale council has announced a series of plans to open it.

Elland
Elland signal box, at the east end of the former location of Elland railway station.
General information
Location	Elland, Calderdale England
Coordinates	53.6906°N 1.8386°W / 53.6906; -1.8386
Grid reference	SE107215
Platforms	2
Other information
Status	Disused
History
Original company	Manchester and Leeds Railway
Pre-grouping	Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway London and North Western Railway
Post-grouping	London, Midland and Scottish Railway
Key dates
5 October 1840 (1840-10-05)	Opened
1 August 1865	Resited
28 June 1962	Goods facilities withdrawn
10 September 1962	Closed
14 March 2023	New station gains planning approval
c. 2026	Proposed reopening date
Location

History

The station was originally opened on 5 October 1840 by the Manchester and Leeds Railway.^[2][3] It was resited 607 ft (185 m) east on 1 August 1865,^[2][3] by which time the line had become part of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway which had taken over the Manchester and Leeds on 9 July 1847.^[4] Upon the grouping in 1923, it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway.^[5]

Elland station closed to passengers on 10 September 1962.^[2][3] Goods facilities were withdrawn on 28 June 1962.^[6]

Preceding station	Historical railways			Following station
Greetland Line open, station closed		Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Manchester and Leeds Railway		Brighouse Line and station open

Proposed reopening

Plans to reopen the station in 2000 (at the same time as Brighouse railway station) were cancelled due to lack of funds.^[7]

In 2006, Clayton Homes offered to build a station in return for planning permission for residential development.^[8] This did not materialise but Calderdale Council continued consulting on possible plans.^[8]

Reopening of the station is supported by the Halifax & District Rail Action Group and local campaign group "Give Elland a Rail Station".^[7] The New Stations Study undertaken for West Yorkshire Metro in 2014 found that Elland provided the strongest business case of a potential thirteen sites on the Calder Valley line, and was recommended for further study along with stations at Haxby, East Leeds/Thorpe Park, and Cross Hills, with a projected cost of reopening of £6 million.^[9]

In June 2017, the West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) allocated £20 million towards re-opening the station, with planned opening date in 2022.^[10] In November 2017, the government announced Elland was one of four new stations proposed in the Government's ‘Connecting People: Strategic Vision for Rail’.^[11] In 2021, a planning application was submitted for two platforms, lifts, and a 116 space car park.^[12]

In March 2023, Calderdale council approved its planning application for the new station, and construction was expected to begin in 2024, with an opening date in December 2025.^[13]

In November 2024, WYCA announced that the completion date for this scheme had been delayed until late 2026 "...because of a variety of factors, including design changes and supply chain challenges."^[14] On 9 September 2024, Calderdale Council announced that WYCA had appointed a contractor, Keltbray Infrastructure Services Limited, for the final stage of development work.^[15]

In May 2025, Calderdale council said that the station would reopen in late 2026, and would be able to accommodate the six-car trains required by the WYCA on the Calder Valley route.^[16]

Preceding station	Future services			Following station
Halifax		Northern Caldervale Line		Brighouse
Sowerby Bridge