[1] Mineral traffic was carried between Ripon and Thirsk on 5 January 1848, and this section officially opened on 31 May with public services starting the following day.

The York & North Midland Railway opened Harrogate station in the town centre at Brunswick, which was accessed via a line over the Crimple Viaduct.

[3] Extension of the line into Leeds was delayed by problems encountered during the construction of the 3,761-yard (3.439 km) long Bramhope Tunnel.

[4][5] The Leeds and Thirsk presented a bill in 1845–46 for a line from Wath (later Melmerby) to join the Stockton and Hartlepool Railway at Billingham.

Under pressure from Hudson the route was changed so that the GNER would be used between Thirsk and Northallerton and the Leeds and Hartlepool Railway Act 1846 (9 & 10 Vict.

[8] A Leeds Northern branch from Harrogate (now Starbeck) opened to Knaresborough on 4 August 1851,[9] which was also served by the York & North Midland after completion of the E&WYJR viaduct over the River Nidd on 1 October 1851.

[10] At Yarm a 760-yard (690 m) viaduct, designed by Thomas Grainger and John Bourne of Edinburgh, was built across the River Tees.

The deal was rejected by the shareholders of the Leeds Northern, who felt their seven per cent share of revenue too low; joint operation was agreed instead of a full merger and Harrison appointed General Manager.

The benefits of this joint working allowed Harrison to raise the offer to the Leeds Northern shareholders and by royal assent on 31 July 1854 the three companies merged and became the North Eastern Railway; with 703 route miles (1,131 route km) of line, becoming the largest railway company in the country.

[18] The former Leeds Northern and York & North Midland lines in Harrogate were connected, the permission being given by an Act on 8 August 1859.

Eighteen freight trains a day use the route to travel between the East Coast Main Line and Teesside and Tyneside.