It was opened by the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway on 6 June 1848 and running powers were granted to the Great Northern Railway (with which it made an end-on junction at Askern) giving the latter company its initial access to Leeds (using part of the current Pontefract Line) and the former to Doncaster.
The Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway opened this route on June 6, 1848, and the Great Northern Railway was granted operational rights, allowing it to connect Leeds through a portion of the current Pontefract Line while also providing access for the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway to Doncaster.