Steeton and Silsdenrailway station serves the village of Steeton and the town of Silsden in West Yorkshire, England. It is situated closer to Steeton than to Silsden, and is on the Airedale Line. The station, and all trains serving it, are operated byNorthern. Steeton & Silsden closed on 20 March 1965 but reopened in 1990. The current station platforms built by British Rail are located on the site of the old A6068 level crossing, which was replaced by the current road bridge in 1988 as part of the Aire Valley Trunk Road project. Until its closure, both platforms were situated to the north of the former crossing, although the original station building was located on the Keighley side. Because the station is the first station within the West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive subsidised ticketing region on the line into Leeds and Bradford from Skipton, there are perceived to be problems with car parking at the station, as people from outside the region drive in from North Yorkshire and Lancashire to take advantage of the subsidised ticketing. An extension to the Metro area, to include Skipton, was hoped to alleviate that when it took effect on 17 May 2009. However, the crowded car park problem still exists, so the West Yorkshire Combined Authority will build a new multi-storey car park with 247 spaces by the end of 2020, costing £3.89 million. Until recently, the station lacked full access for disabled users, which led some to catch trains in the opposite direction to change platforms. Access is now possible via a fairly steep ramp to the Leeds & Bradford-bound platform. Though the station is normally unstaffed, there are ticket machines available at the station for passengers to use. The station has digital information screens and a long-line PA system.
Services
During Monday to Saturday in the daytime, there is a half-hourly service to both Leeds and Bradford Forster Square in one direction and four trains an hour towards Skipton. In the evening, there is a half-hourly service to Leeds, an hourly service to Bradford Forster Square and three trains per hour to Skipton. On Sundays, there is an hourly service to both Leeds and Bradford Forster Square, with two trains per hour to Skipton. The services are mostly operated by Northern Class 333electric multiple units, but Class 321 and Class 322 sets are used on some weekday workings. Most regional services to destinations beyond Skipton do not stop here - connections are available at Skipton. A limited number do stop though - one early a.m Carlisle service and one afternoon Morecambe train call on weekdays and Saturdays, whilst on Sundays the first morning trains to each destination do so. Services are provided by a variety of Diesel Multiple Units.
