FAQs

New proposals for Halifax Railway Station are currently at a preliminary design stage. In early 2021 we are asking interested parties and individuals for their views about the design proposals through a public consultation. The feedback we receive will help inform the development of the design. 

Once the design has been finalised, there will be an additional public consultation held in the summer of 2021 before a planning application is made to improve the station facilities. 

Work could start on the improvements in late 2022. 

Calderdale Council is developing the scheme with Network Rail and Northern Trains who respectively manage the tracks and the station. Adjacent landowners are also involved in the improvements. The improvements are funded by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s Transforming Cities Fund and the West Yorkshire Plus Transport Fund.

The station will be operational with normal service timetable throughout the improvement works, although facilities and access routes will be altered. 

It may not be possible to provide step free access at all times during the improvement works. Station users will be notified in advance of temporary access changes and alternative arrangements will be made. 

The existing station car-parking provision on the vehicle approach bridge will be relocated within the current Eureka! car park (northern car park) in front of the new station building at ground floor level. Spaces will be available for staff and station users.

There will be high quality parking spaces with accessible walkways, well defined bays, improved lighting, and CCTV. Provision will also be made for EV charging and wider bays to accommodate parent and child spaces as well as disabled user spaces.   

The management and payment arrangements for station car-parking at Halifax is being discussed with Network Rail, Northern Trains and West Yorkshire Combined Authority.

There will be four new bus stops created nearby, two on Alfred Street East and two on Horton Street. The new bus stops are improvements proposed as part of the A629 Phase 2 Programme. New signage will be installed at the station directing people to the bus stops. Installation of real time bus information at the railway station is being investigated.

There will be a dedicated pick-up and drop-off area for taxis immediately outside the station ground floor entrance. When train services are occasionally replaced by buses, the buses will also use the pick-up and drop-off area.

A new town footbridge will provide direct and accessible connectivity between the town centre and the railway station. 

A lift will take people from the western underpass entrance beneath the station to the ground floor level and first floor level.

There will be an improved and more spacious waiting lounge inside the station building at both ground and first floor level, providing passengers with a view of the platforms outside. The new facilities will include real time journey information boards. Passengers can wait for trains on the platforms or in the improved waiting lounge.

The station will have a new ticket office, ticket machines and passenger turnstiles.

There will be new toilets installed in the station building for passenger use. The facilities will include accessible toilets and a Changing Place.

A lift will take people from the western underpass entrance beneath the station to the ground floor level and first floor level. The station facilities will be compliant with modern accessibility standards.

The platforms will be able to accommodate 10 railway carriages in total. Not all the carriage doors will be in use on longer trains, as is common at many stations. The platforms are long enough for future train demand. The new station has been designed so Platform 3 can be brought back into use in the future if required.

Improved CCTV will be installed in the station building, car park, and within the reopened underpass. Better lighting will also be installed within the station building, car park and within the reopened underpass.

Cyclists will benefit from better cycle storage facilities and improved connectivity to local cycle routes, including the Hebble Trail and A629.

An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) screening has been undertaken which has determined that an EIA is required for the improvements to Halifax Railway Station. The EIA will form part of the planning application. Ecology and tree surveys have also been undertaken to inform the design. This will enable a greater variety of plants species to be located in and around the station.

A scoping exercise has been undertaken to identify potential transport impacts. Further surveys and assessments are currently being undertaken. These will help to inform the Transport Impact Assessment. The details will be submitted with a future planning application.

The proposed improvements to Halifax Railway Station have been made possible through funding from the West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s Transforming Cities Fund and the West Yorkshire Plus Transport Fund.

The funding has been allocated and is subject to confirmation of scheme details as follows:

• Up to £22.5 million Transforming Cities Fund
• £10.6 million West Yorkshire Plus Transport Fund

The TCF is a major new programme of transport infrastructure investment aimed at providing a viable alternative to car journeys. Find out more information at www.westyorks-ca.gov.uk/TCF

By the time the station is completed, we would anticipate rail demand being back to pre-COVID levels.  Increased railway use will be an important part of our Carbon Neutral agenda so having a facility fit for future demand is important.  We will, however, ensure that plans are resilient to take account of any likely changes in demand and any future public health requirements.

Over the past few years, several press releases about the Halifax Railway Station scheme have been issued and reported by the local press, for example in the Halifax Courier and Huddersfield Examiner.  Images shown in previous press releases have been superseded by the plans that have been shared as part of the current consultation.    

The redevelopment of Halifax Railway Station is part of an exciting wider investment portfolio for Halifax funded by Calderdale Council, West Yorkshire Combined Authority, HM Government and others.  This includes investment already delivered at the Piece Hall and Northgate House, and planned investment in the town centre infrastructure, Halifax Bus Station, Borough Market and Victoria Theatre. To see some of the schemes proposed for Halifax and Calderdale visit http://www.calderdalenextchapter.co.uk/.

All interested parties and individuals can participate in the public consultation. Whether you live at, work in or visit Halifax, your views, opinions and feedback are valuable to help shape the improvements. 

Please share the link www.yourvoice.westyorks-ca.gov.uk/hsg with anyone you think would be interested in taking part in the public consultation. If you intend to submit a joint response on behalf of a group or organisation, please share the link with your colleagues or members so they have the opportunity to provide an individual response, should they wish to do so.

If you have any other queries, please email: rachel.pechey@mottmac.com