In 1884 an ambitious plan was authorised, to make a north to south railway through Halifax connecting Holmfield to the planned Hull and Barnsley Railway at a Central Station in George Square, Halifax. In addition there would be a local branch to St Paul's, also in the high level part of Halifax. The Huddersfield part of the project was abandoned as too expensive, and the railway was authorised as the Halifax High Level & North & South Junction Railway on 7 August 1884. The Hull and Barnsley Railway was unable to complete its planned lines and by an Act of 1886, the Halifax High Level Railway was reduced to the Holmfield to St Paul's section. Authorised capital was £360,000. The line would be worked jointly by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway and the Great Northern Railway, although the L&YR only ran goods trains on the route.