junction diagram showing (lower right) railways in the vicinity of Pontefract Baghill (shown here as
S&K Jnt.) The station was opened together with the Ferrybridge to Moorthorpe section of the
Swinton and Knottingley Joint Railway. Public passenger train services began on 1 July 1879; freight traffic had already started by then. The design of the station followed basic principles of the
North Eastern Railway; it was, however, larger than the other stations opened on the line at the same time. Pontefract Baghill was also once linked to the
Wakefield, Pontefract & Goole main line, by means of a short chord to Monkhill, near the intersection of the two lines as shown on the above Railway Clearing House map. This connection closed in November 1964, but the bay platform it once used at the northern end can still be found. Two short curves north of the station near Ferrybridge connect the Dearne Valley Line to the western end of westbound and the eastern end of Monkhill station (both on the Pontefract Line), but are now only in use for freight and diverted passenger services. In the
Strategic Rail Authority's 2002/3 financial year, only 15 people bought tickets for journeys from the station and 21 bought tickets for journeys ending there. It was the sixth
least-used station in Great Britain at that time. The annual usage in recent years is still considerably lower than that of Monkhill and Tanshelf stations. ==Facilities==