Morley railway station

Patronage growth

Patronage at Morley station has increased remarkably in recent years; this is shown in annual figures published by the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR).

Recorded usage in 2002/03 was 27,296 journeys per year (average of entries and exists). By 2005/06 this had increased to 68,664 journeys per year, an increase of 252% in four years. The figures for 2010/11 increased by 21% on the previous year, to 328,558 journeys per year. Actual growth may be higher since the ORR data does not accurately take account of the multi-modal 'MetroCard' season tickets issued by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, which are valid for journeys to and from this station.

Current problems

The increase in recorded and actual passengers, combined with growth elsewhere on the line, means that overcrowding in the morning peak for commuters heading towards Leeds is now a serious problem.

Despite commuter growth, very little has been done to bring this station into the 21st century. For example, only one platform is accessible for disabled passengers, there is insufficient parking, access routes to the station are often overgrown with weeds, and there are frequent drainage problems which all combine to make the station not as pleasant as other stations in West Yorkshire. In 2012 a "Friends of Morley station" group was formed, and is addressing some of these issues. Work to improve the car park and drainage commenced in February 2013.

The Morley Observer & Advertiser stated on 12 January 2011 that plans are now in place to update the station, starting with the installation of CCTV. This was later installed.

The outlying location of the station is a major problem to potential users; the station lies over half a mile from the centre of Morley by the most direct route. Also, the most direct route from the station to the centre is both incompletely signposted and—owing to about 40 steps along the way—treacherous in poor conditions. There is no bus service to the station, with the nearest bus stops also half a mile away. Morley station has neither a taxi rank nor a cab office in the vicinity.

Services

Morley railway station is on the Huddersfield Line. As of September 2011, it was served by hourly services throughout the day between Leeds and Huddersfield, and between Leeds and Manchester Victoria via Brighouse. These two services combine to offer a half-hourly service to Leeds, Batley, Dewsbury and Mirfield.

The hourly Huddersfield service continues into the late evening, and runs every two hours on Sundays. The Manchester Victoria service ends in the early evening (the last departure in the 2015-16 timetable is at 18:32 westbound, 20:50 eastbound) and does not run on Sundays, necessitating a change of train at Dewsbury or Huddersfield to reach Manchester. Likewise, it is necessary to change at Dewsbury or Huddersfield to use express trains operated by TransPennine Express between Leeds and Manchester Piccadilly that pass through Morley, but do not stop.

Tickets

Morley railway station does not have a ticket office; passengers are able to purchase tickets on the train from the conductor or on the platform in the morning from station staff with portable ticket machines. This would otherwise present a problem at peak times, as one person cannot possibly sell tickets to every passenger on a crowded train; passengers travelling into Leeds therefore would have to queue up at the excess fares kiosk in Leeds to purchase tickets on arrival, in order to pass through the ticket barriers. It is, however, possible to buy tickets to or from Morley in the usual way at any manned station, with the nearest manned stations being Dewsbury and Leeds. It is also possible to buy tickets in advance online; however, there is no facility to collect pre-purchased tickets at Morley, and opting to have tickets mailed may incur an additional charge.

An alternative is to purchase a 'MetroCard' season ticket offered by West Yorkshire Metro. As Morley is in Zone 2, all MetroCard tickets that include rail travel are valid at Morley. National Rail also offers a wide selection of rail-only season tickets, allowing unlimited travel between Morley and another named station.

West Yorkshire residents who hold a Metro-issued Concessionary Pass are entitled, after the morning peak, to purchase a ticket for any rail journey wholly within West Yorkshire for half the normal fare. This can be combined with a standard ticket beyond West Yorkshire, and hence longer journeys can also be made slightly cheaper. For example, travelling from Morley to Manchester Victoria costs significantly less by travelling to Todmorden on the concessionary rate, leaving only the relatively short Todmorden to Manchester journey to be paid for.

History

Morley railway station was opened by the London and North Western Railway on 15 September 1848. Originally named Morley, it was renamed Morley Low on 30 September 1951, owing to it being far below the town, under which the Morley Tunnel passes.

The town's other station (known as "Morley Top"), which was situated nearer to the town centre and served by trains on the Bradford-to-Ardsley line of the Great Northern Railway, was closed by British Rail on 2 January 1961.

In 2003, plans were in place to upgrade Morley station's facilities by introducing cycle stands, CCTV, and improvements to the car park. As only one platform is accessible to mobility-impaired users, Morley Town Council lobbied (unsuccessfully) to have the upgrade include the installation of wheelchair ramps to platform 2. Only the cycle stands were completed at that time. In January 2011, plans were laid out once again for CCTV cameras to be installed, and these were installed in the following months.