Ripon railway station

Ripon
The remains of the station buildings
Location
Place	Ripon
Coordinates	54°08′44″N 1°30′52″W / 54.145483°N 1.514418°WCoordinates: 54°08′44″N 1°30′52″W / 54.145483°N 1.514418°W
Grid reference	SE318723
Operations
Original company	Leeds and Thirsk Railway
Pre-grouping	North Eastern Railway
Post-grouping	London and North Eastern Railway
Platforms	2
History
1 June 1848 [1]	Opened
6 March 1967	Closed to passengers
5 September 1969	Closed completely
Disused railway stations in the United Kingdom
Closed railway stations in Britain A B C D–F G H–J K–L M–O P–R S T–V W–Z
UK Railways portal

Ripon railway station was a railway station that served Ripon, North Yorkshire, England on the Leeds-Northallerton Line that ran between Harrogate and Northallerton.

History

Opened by the Leeds and Thirsk Railway on 1 June 1848.

On 11 August 1866 Prince Edward and Princess Alexandra arrived at the station for a short visit to Studley Royal. They returned the day afterwards to catch the Royal Train to Barnard Castle^[2]

It was taken over by the North Eastern Railway, which became part of the London and North Eastern Railway during the Grouping of 1923. The line then passed on to the Eastern Region of British Railways on nationalisation in 1948. It was then closed by the British Railways Board in 1967 as part of the Beeching Axe.

Proposals for re-opening

Today much of the route of the line through the city is now a relief road and although the former station still stands, it is now surrounded by a new housing development. The issue remains a significant one in local politics and there are movements wanting to restore the line.^[3] Reports suggest the reopening of a line between Ripon and Harrogate railway station would be economically viable, costing £40 million and could initially attract 1,200 passengers a day, rising to 2,700.^[3][4][5] Campaigners call on MPs to restore Ripon railway link.^[6]

On 26 October 2015, North Yorkshire County Council included the reopening in its Strategic Transport Prospectus which was submitted to Transport for the North.^[7] On 2 February 2016 the County Council included it in its Local Transport Plan, but it is accepted that it is unlikely to happen until after 2030.^[8]

References

1. "Opening of the Leeds and Thirsk Railway". Leeds Times. Leeds. 3 June 1848. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
2. "The Prince and Princess of Wales's Visit into Yorkshire". Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser. British Newspaper Archive. 14 August 1866. Retrieved 20 August 2016 – via British Newspaper Archive. (subscription required (help)).
3. "Reopening line makes economic sense, says study". NorthernEcho.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2 January 2010. Retrieved 1 February 2009.
4. "Backing for restoring rail link". BBC News Online. BBC. 11 May 2004. Retrieved 4 January 2010.
5. "Railway plan may be back on track". The Northern Echo. 7 April 2003. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
6. "Campaigners call on MPs to restore Ripon railway link". Yorkshire Post. 18 January 2014. Retrieved 7 December 2015.
7. "County Council include reopening of Ripon railway in transport plans". Ripon Gazette. Ripon. 29 October 2015. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
8. "Reopened Ripon rail link back on the agenda". Harrogate Advertiser. Harrogate. 4 February 2016. Retrieved 20 August 2016.