The Hallam Line is a railway connecting Leeds and Sheffield via Castleford in the West Yorkshire Metro area of northern England. It is a slower route from Leeds to Sheffield than the Wakefield line. Services on this line are operated by Northern. Services from Leeds to Nottingham also use the line. West Yorkshire MetroCards are available on trains between Leeds and Darton, north of Barnsley and South Yorkshire Travelmaster tickets are available in the South Yorkshire area. Origin of name The line is named after the manor of Hallam which included Sheffield at the time of the Domesday Book (1086). At this time the local area was known as Hallamshire—the names Hallam and Hallamshire are still used today by many local companies and organisations. History Before the 1923 grouping the route followed by the line was owned as follows: Leeds–Methley: Midland Railway Methley–Normanton: Midland Railway Methley–Castleford–Normanton: North Eastern Railway (alternate route since 1988) Normanton–Barnsley: Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Barnsley, Jumble Lane to Quarry Junction: Great Central Railway Barnsley, Quarry Junction to Sheffield: Midland Railway After 1921 the entire route, except Methley to Normanton via Castleford, and the short stretch from Barnsley (Jumble Lane) to Quarry Junction, became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway until 1948 when the network was nationalised. Midland Railway trains made use of Barnsley Court House station and so avoided any contact with Great Central / L.N.E.R. metals. (Note: The route that exists today was not possible until 1960 when B.R. added a connection at Barnsley (Quarry Junction) to allow trains to use Exchange station and reach the Midland line to Sheffield). Route details Trains on the line serve the following places; some stations may no longer be open: Leeds railway station: in MR days trains would have operated from Wellington station. Here there is a triangular junction with the line to Bradford. The line from here to Castleford is also served by Pontefract Line services. Hunslet (Closed) here was the junction with the East & West Yorkshire Union Railway (MidR/Great Northern Railway (GNR) joint: it was a direct connection to Wakefield via Rothwell Woodlesford Methley: station closed between here and Castleford there were several junctions: with the Methley Joint Railway (GNR/L&YR/North Eastern Railway (NER); with the NER line Leeds to York; and with the Swinton & Knottingley Railway to Pontefract Either goes to a branch towards Castleford where it then reverses towards Normanton which