 There were more passengers on the Leeds to Wetherby route but only six southbound and four northbound trains stopped each day and competition from bus services made passenger numbers unsustainable despite the increase in commuters living in Wetherby.All stations were manned, as were 16 signal boxes and three level crossings requiring 35 staff, the line had steep gradients requiring banking engines and it was considered uneconomical having an operating cost of £57,000 pa compared to receipts of £9,000.Through freight traffic via Wetherby was costly and slow because of steep gradients and became uneconomical following the quadrupling of the track between and in 1959.