A rail users’ group has given a cautious welcome to timetables changes on the Wharfe-dale line as a result of additional carriages arriving in West Yorkshire.

The Telegraph & Argus reported last week how an investment of £10 million will provide 20 extra carriages to the region by the end of the year, providing about 2,000 extra seats a day on rush hour trains.

One of the lines to benefit from the extra carriages will be the heavily overcrowded Wharfedale line, which runs between Ilkley to Leeds, passing the through Burley-in-Wharfedale, Menston and Guiseley.

Last night Northern Rail said from December an extra train would run from Ilkley at 7.55am and from Leeds at 5.47pm to help east the burden on the current infrastructure. They also confirmed the 7.46am service from Bradford Forster Square to Ilkley and the 8.24am return will use Class 322 electric trains due to arrive in December, increasing capacity from two carriages to four.

Peter Johnson, secretary of the Wharfe-dale Rail Users’ Group (WRUG) said commuters should be pleased with changes.

“WRUG is very pleased to see the additional services,” he said. “We are most appreciative of the work done by Northern and Metro with the Department of Transport to obtain these units, and of the support given by local MPs, particularly Philip Davies, who has been very active on our behalf.”

He said the group would continue to monitor how the changes affect travel and overcrowding on the Wharfedale lines and to Bradford.

He said anyone wishing to comment on the new services could go to wrug.ilkley.org.

  • Read the full story in Tuesday's T&A