Burley Park Railway Station
The line is heavily used by commuters into Leeds. It is also near the Headingley Stadium for rugby and cricket fans when Headingley station is busy.
It is near to the districts of Burley, Hyde Park and the southern end of Headingley. The journey time to Headingley station is 2 minutes, and around 5 minutes to Leeds station, which is typically much faster than driving or taking the bus. This station is near to main bus routes on Cardigan Road, Burley Road and Kirkstall Road, and parking is limited to the surrounding streets.
The station occasionally plays the role of Hotten railway station in the TV series Emmerdale.
History
The line between Leeds and Harrogate was built by the Leeds & Thirsk Railway in 1849. A station named Royal Gardens existed on the site of the current station, serving the southern entrance of the Leeds Zoological and Botanical Gardens. This halt closed in 1858 with the zoo.
The new Burley Park station was opened by British Rail on 25 November 1988 as part of a project which also saw the opening of other suburban Leeds stations such as East Garforth and Cottingley.
Facilities
The station is not staffed and has no ticket office. A ticket machine is available on the East side only (direction of Leeds railway station). Revenue protection staff are sent to the station to sell tickets at rush hours and when events are held at Headingley stadium. Shelters and digital information screens are located on each platform and both have step-free access from the street. The station does not operate PERTIS or Promise to Pay machines. Due to the close proximity to Leeds, the station is a Penalty fare station.
Services
As of the May 2023 timetable change, there is a half-hourly daytime service southbound towards Leeds and northbound towards Harrogate/Knaresborough/York (dropping to hourly in the evening). Due to the number of stops to York it is generally quicker to travel via Leeds when travelling to York, as an express service via Cross Gates and Garforth is then available.
Intercity services, such as LNER's Azuma pass through the station, but do not call at Burley Park.
The murder of Deborah Wood
On 14 January 1996 the body of Deborah Wood was found on a embankment, adjacent to the station, doused in petrol and set alight. Police said the case remains under investigation and a forensic review is ongoing. Her murder remains unsolved. Her case was covered in In the Footsteps of Killers - Series 2: Episode 3 present by Emilia Fox and Dr Graham Hill in which Burley Park station was shown.
| Preceding station |  National Rail
|
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leeds | Northern Harrogate Line |
Headingley | ||
References
- ^ Bradford, Eveleigh (February 2014). "They Lived in Leeds: Tommy Clapham (1817-1895)". North Leeds Life. p. 8. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
- ^ "Train". Headingley. 15 February 2018. Archived from the original on 3 June 2020. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
- ^ "History of Leeds Rail Schemes for New Stations and Lines: Appendices to the Minutes of Evidence". Select Committee on Environment, Transport and Regional Affairs. House of Commons. 1999. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
- ^ Burley Park station information National Rail Enquiries; Retrieved 30 November 2016
- ^ "Timetables". www.northernrailway.co.uk. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
- ^ "Deborah Wood: Appeal to trace killer 25 years on". BBC News. BBC. 14 January 2021. Retrieved 16 October 2024.
- ^ Mills, Kelly-Ann (1 January 2024). "Heartbroken brother begs killer to confess to murdering his sister 28 years ago". The Mirror. The Mirror. Retrieved 16 October 2024.
- ^ "In the Footsteps of Killers". Retrieved 16 October 2024.
External links
- Train times and station information for Burley Park railway station from National Rail