Plan to create extra parking spaces at Castleford rail station during works

10 March 2020

A change to the order of works to upgrade Castleford Rail Station means that some additional spaces will be made available for station users during the project.

Bringing forward the planned demolition of the old station building, will enable contractors The Input Group to create the additional parking spaces that valid permit holders will be able to use free of charge.

Creating these spaces will mean The Input Group closing the existing car park from the evening of Thursday 12 March to the morning of Tuesday 17 March to guarantee people’s safety. During this time, permit holders displaying a valid permit will be able to park free of charge at the nearby Castlefields car park.

A West Yorkshire Combined Authority spokesperson said: “This £2.8 million scheme will transform Castleford’s rail station into an attractive and welcoming gateway to the town with new, high-quality passenger waiting facilities, a ticket vending machine, a disabled toilet and sheltered cycle parking.

 “We are pleased to see that Northern Rail have come up with this solution after more spaces than expected were taken up by The Input Group’s works compound for this scheme, which will reduce inconvenience while this important scheme is carried out.”

Pete Myers, Stakeholder Manager at Northern said: “For Northern and for our customers the balance is always a fine one between getting the job done and providing a service in the interim. 

“This is undoubtedly a fantastic project and when complete will offer a facility far more fitting to the town that it serves, but to do it there is a fair degree of construction necessary.  For all of this I feel that the balance here will work, but clearly I do apologise in advance to anyone inconvenienced while the works are undertaken.”

Cllr Matthew Morley, Cabinet Member for Planning and Highways at Wakefield Council, said: “This is the latest stage of an improvement scheme that will make a difference to Castleford – by upgrading an important gateway into the town and bringing a wide range of benefits, including supporting better connectivity and links to places within and outside the area.”

The scheme also includes a major upgrade of the subway link to nearby residential areas to the south of Castleford’s town centre, including the installation of CCTV. Better links with the town centre and the Combined Authority’s award-winning bus station will be created along with improvements to the area around the station.

As a later stage of the work, the car park will be closed and refurbished. During this time, valid permit holders will once again be able to park free of charge at the nearby Castlefields car park.

Financed through investment from the West Yorkshire-plus Transport Fund, the Castleford Rail Station Gateway scheme is a joint West Yorkshire Combined Authority, Northern, Network Rail and Wakefield Council initiative.

The West Yorkshire-plus Transport Fund is supported through the Leeds City Region Local Enterprise Partnership Growth Deal – a £1 billion package of Government investment delivered in partnership with the West Yorkshire Combined Authority to accelerate growth and create jobs across Leeds City Region.

More about West Yorkshire-plus Transport Fund schemes.