Watch moment new footbridge at Castleford Station is installed to open 'ghost' platform for first time since 1970

Platform 2 closed when services on the Wakefield to York line ended and Castleford became a terminus rather than a through station. Today, trains on the Pontefract and Hallam lines, which serve Leeds, Wakefield, Barnsley and Sheffield, all approach the station from the west, use Platform 1 and reverse.

The reinstatement of Platform 2, which is being fully rebuilt, will boost capacity and reliability.

The new footbridge has now been lifted into place to link the two platforms as part of the Transpennine Route Upgrade and a new signalling system will also become operational in 2023. A new track crossover has been installed at Cutsyke to allow trains to use either platform.

Network Rail has now released time-lapse footage of the project, which required the station’s closure over three days while work took place.

Principal programme sponsor Andrew Morgan said: “A new platform and better signalling will revitalise rail for those travelling to, through or from Castleford station. This latest milestone marks a huge moment in a scheme which will ultimately offer a fully accessible, better served station for people in the town.

“It also means that going forward, we’ll be able to keep passengers moving on trains by diverting them via Castleford while we deliver the major Transpennine Route Upgrade.I’d like to thank passengers for their patience as we installed the new footbridge and revamped the signalling.”

Northern's strategic development director Rob Warnes added: “We are grateful to our customers for their patience whilst this work took place. Once the new platform and lifts come into service, both sides of the upgraded Castleford station will be fully accessible for all, with more resilience built into the station allowing us to run a better service for our customers.”