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 inaugurated this route on June 6, 1848, and the Great Northern Railway was granted operational rights, enabling it to connect Leeds via part of the current Pontefract Line while also offering access for the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway to Doncaster.