On Friday 18^th December the school were invited to officially open Apperley Bridge Station along with Cllr Keith Wakefield, Chair, West Yorkshire Combined Authority Transport Committee, Cllr Val Slater Transport Portfolio, Bradford Council, Rob McIntosh, Regional Director for Infrastructure Projects Network Rail and Natalie Loughborough, Customer Service Director, Northern Rail. The school had held a drawing competition for our lower school pupils and the winners’ artwork was displayed on a banner at the station opening.

The new station includes a 297-space car park and a pickup/drop off point and, fully-accessible platforms with both staircases and ramps. It also has secure cycle parking and waiting shelters. Two trains per hour, between Leeds and Bradford Forster Square, will call at Apperley Bridge in each direction Monday to Saturday and hourly on Sundays. A Monday to Saturday evening service will run hourly between the station, Leeds and Skipton.

Mark Tarry, Route Managing Director for Network Rail, said:

“We know how important this station is to the local community in order to improve access to jobs and education as well as travel for leisure. We are pleased services are now calling at the station.”

Together with Kirkstall Forge Rail Station, which will open in early 2016, Apperley Bridge is part of a £15.9m Rail Growth Package which was given DfT approval in May 2014. New bus services 948 and 949 run from Apperley Bridge Station to Greengates, Idle, Thorpe Edge and Eccleshill Hospital, Monday to Saturday daytime.

The school has been working with Northern Rail to ensure that our pupils and staff are informed of all the legislations and best practices to ensure our community can optimise the use of this fantastic service.  The station is a short 5mins walk from the school grounds and can be accessed by a pedestrian crossing, thus providing all our pupils and staff with an additional transport means directly to Bradford, Leeds and beyond.   We are delighted that the station has been re-opened after 50 years and that once again our pupils can come to school by train.