By Christopher Young
The Wortley Curve – a disused stretch of rail line that was once a key part of rail links in Leeds and Bradford – has been sold at auction for £47,000.
The line connected the Wakefield to Leeds line to the Bradford to Leeds line, but was closed in 1985.
In recent years there have been calls for the link to be re-instated, as it would allow trains to travel from Bradford to Wakefield and beyond without passing through Leeds city centre.
The three-acre parcel of land – including the rail line – had most recently belonged to Railway Paths Ltd, a charity that owns and manages former railway land.
On Tuesday, the land was listed in an online auction, with a £15,000 guide price.
On Wednesday the online auction ended, with the land fetching £47,000 – well over the guide price.
It has not yet been revealed who bought the land.
There had been calls for either West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) or Bradford Council to purchase the site.
At a meeting of the Council last week, bosses said it would not be appropriate for the authority to carry out compulsory purchase powers to buy the curve as there were no current plans to re-instate the line.
WLD has contacted WYCA for a comment.
A big mystery then? Unnamed buyer. Which just happens to be Network Rail.