Barnsley Interchange Explained

Barnsley Interchange
Symbol Location:gb
Symbol:rail
Borough:Barnsley, Barnsley
Country:England
Coordinates:53.5541°N -1.4776°W
Grid Name:Grid reference
Manager:Northern Trains
Platforms:2
Code:BNY
Zone:Barnsley
Classification:DfT category C2
Transit Authority:Travel South Yorkshire
Original:Sheffield, Rotherham, Barnsley, Wakefield, Huddersfield & Goole Railway
Pregroup:Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway
Postgroup:London, Midland and Scottish Railway
Opened:1850
Years:1 January 1850
Events:Opened as Barnsley
Years1:2 June 1924
Events1:Renamed Barnsley Low Town
Years2:1 August 1924
Events2:Renamed Barnsley Exchange
Years3:13 June 1960
Events3:Renamed Barnsley
Years4:20 May 2007
Events4:Renamed Barnsley Interchange
Footnotes:Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

Barnsley Interchange is a combined rail and bus station in the centre of Barnsley, South Yorkshire. It was first opened in 1850 as Barnsley Exchange railway station and is 16miles north of Sheffield. It is on the Hallam and Penistone Lines, both operated by Northern Trains. On 20 May 2007, the new bus station and refurbished railway station were officially opened by Travel South Yorkshire, with the combined facility renamed to Barnsley Interchange.

Earlier history

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, 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, is connected to the SYD&G line near . 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 to Barnsley.[1] [2] [3]

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, 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.

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.

South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive rebuilt the station in 2007 to improve interchange with bus services, and the redesign won a Civic Building award.[4]

Facilities

The station is fully staffed throughout the day, with the booking office open from 06:00 to 19:30 Mondays to Saturdays and from 08:45 to 19:00 on Sundays. There are several self-service ticket machines provided for use outside these times and for collecting advance purchase tickets, located on the platform 2 side of the foot-bridge, and outside the ticket office. In the main building on platform 1, there is a waiting room and toilets. A separate waiting room (with vending machines for drinks and snacks) is located on platform 2, with a fully accessible footbridge (equipped with lifts) linking them; there is step-free access from the entrance and bus station to all platforms. Train running information is provided by automated announcements, digital display screens and timetable posters. There are a number of shops a short walk over the footbridge to the bus station, these include a newsagents, Lloyds Pharmacy, Coopland Bakery and a Subway restaurant.[5]

In popular culture

In 2013 it was used as a filming location in Channel 4's cult drama series Utopia.[6]

Rail services

Rail services operate frequently through Barnsley Interchange station. On the Hallam line during the day from Monday to Saturday, there are three trains per hour northbound to . Two are express services, calling only at Wakefield Kirkgate en route to Leeds whilst the third is an all-stations local that runs via . On Sundays, the service reduces to one express service and one stopping service to Leeds each hour. One northbound Sunday service from Sheffield to Leeds extends to via the Settle & Carlisle line.

On the Penistone line, there is an hourly service northbound to Huddersfield, now provided seven days a week.[7]

Southbound there are four trains per hour (2 fast and 2 stopping). Two of these services terminate at Sheffield whilst one fast train carries on to Nottingham and the other fast service runs through to Lincoln. The service drops to three per hour (one fast & two stopping) on Sundays.

In May 1999, Midland Mainline commenced a daily weekday service to London St Pancras.[8] [9] The service was withdrawn by East Midlands Trains on 5 September 2008.[10]

Bus services

Barnsley Interchange
Symbol Location:bus
Address:Eldon Street North, Barnsley town centre
Borough:Barnsley (S70 1SE)
Country:United Kingdom
Owned:South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive
Operator:South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive
Bus Stands:24
Bus Operators:Globe Coaches, National Express, Powell's Bus, Stagecoach Yorkshire, TM Travel, Waterson Coaches
Parking:No
Bicycle:Yes
Accessible:Yes
Opened:20 May 2007

The new Barnsley Interchange was opened on 20 May 2007 by Secretary of State for Transport Douglas Alexander. The new building forms the entire new complex of Barnsley Interchange. Rail and bus users exit the interchange via the new car park or, for the town centre, the new entrance and exit is on Eldon Street. It has 24 bus stands.

The bus station features the latest in technology such as the South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive 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, including Lloyd's Pharmacy, GT News, Cowpuccino Espresso Bar, Cooplands and a Subway.

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

, the stand allocation is:

StandRouteDestination
A12
X17
A266
A37
67, 67a, 67b, 67c
94, 94a
A423a
24, 24a
96
A520
21, 21a
22
A693
95, 95a
A743, 44
A812
A911
A101
A11no services allocated
A12no services allocated
A1357
59, 59a
A1427, 27a, 27b
28, 28c
A1536
38
A1632
A176
A1822X
222
226
A19X19
X20
A20218, 218a
219, 219a
A21X10
A22no services allocated
A23National Express intercity coach services and rail replacement bus services
A24

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Marshall, John . John Marshall (railway historian) . The Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway, volume 1 . 1969 . . Newton Abbot . 0-7153-4352-1 . 214–5,217–8 .
  2. Book: Dow, George . George Dow . Great Central, Volume One: The Progenitors, 1813-1863 . 1959 . . Shepperton . 0-7110-1468-X . 150, 228 .
  3. Book: Butt, R.V.J. . The Directory of Railway Stations . 1995 . Patrick Stephens Ltd . Yeovil . 1-85260-508-1 . R508 . 28 .
  4. Web site: Jeffersons Heard . Barnsley Interchange wins Civic Building award. 2 February 2010. 3 June 2020.
  5. Web site: Barnsley Interchange station facilities. National Rail.
  6. Web site: Where Was Utopia Series 2 filmed? Our Production Services Team Have The Answers... . 14 July 2014 . Creative England. https://web.archive.org/web/20190222093252/http://www.creativeengland.co.uk/story/where-was-utopia-series-2-filmed--our-production-services-team-have-the-answers.... 22 February 2019.
  7. Web site: 43 - Train Times; Huddersfield to Sheffield (Penistone Line). Northern. 19 May 2019. Cloudfront.net.
  8. MML serves 6 new stations. Rail. 355. 21 April 1999. 10.
  9. Barnsley-London direct. Rail Express. 36. May 1999. 8.
  10. End of the line for Barnsley-London service. Today's Railways UK. 83. November 2008. 14.