The station was rather larger than it is today, as it was also served by the
Great Northern Railway branch line from
Bradford to
Wakefield via Dewsbury Central from December 1864 to 7 September 1964, when it fell victim to the
Beeching Axe. It was also the junction for branch lines to
Birstall (opened in 1852, closed to passengers as a wartime economy measure in 1917 and to all traffic in 1963) and to
Tingley and Beeston (opened in 1890, closed in 1951). The station was significantly enlarged, with the addition of three extra platforms, on the opening of the latter route in August 1890, but reverted to the present twin-platform configuration after the closure and abandonment of the Bradford-Wakefield line in 1964/5. Few traces of any of these routes remain today, but the abutments of the former bridge that took the Bradford line across the line from Leeds near Batley
signal box (east of the station) can still be seen. In June 2018, a protest was held by
Batley and Spen MP
Tracy Brabin following weeks of disruption to its services after Northern Trains announced the roll out of a new timetable. The
Labour MP argued people who live in the north of the country are fed up of being at the bottom of the pile when it comes to transport investment. In 2023,
Network Rail announced plans to replace the Lady Anne
level crossing with a footbridge, and to demolish the signal box, as part of a programme of work to upgrade the
TransPennine Line. ==Facilities==