An abandoned (or disused) railway station is a building or structure which was constructed to serve as a railway station but has fallen into disuse. There are various circumstances when this may occur – a railway company may fall bankrupt, or the station may be closed due to the failure of economic activity such as insufficient passenger numbers, operational reasons such as the diversion or replacement of the line. In some instances, the railway line may continue in operation while the station is closed. Additionally, stations may sometimes be resited along the route of the line to new premises – examples of this include opening a replacement station nearer to the centre of population, or building a larger station on a less restricted site to cope with high passenger numbers.
Notable cases where railway stations have fallen into disuse include the Beeching Axe, a 1960s programme of mass closures of unprofitable railway lines by the British Government. The London Underground system is also noted for its list of closed stations. During the time of the Berlin Wall, a number of Berlin U-Bahn stations on West Berlin lines became "ghost stations" (Geisterbahnhöfe) because they were on lines which passed through East Berlin territory. According to Stefania Ragozino and Stefania Oppido, "The abandonment of the railways network, stations and tollbooth rails is a widespread phenomenon at national and international level, determined by social, economic and technological developments that have changed the local infrastructure systems."[1]
Dereliction and alternative usesedit
As the GTR never reached Bath, this station was built in an awkward rural location.
Railway stations and lines which fall into disuse may become overgrown.
In rural areas, former railway station buildings are often converted into private residences. Examples include many of the stations on the closed Didcot, Newbury and Southampton Railway in England.[2] Architecturally and historically notable station buildings may present a problem if they are protected under building preservation laws but fall into disuse. Such buildings are often simply demolished (such as Broad Street railway station in London), or they may be preserved as part of a heritage railway.
Many abandoned railway stations and line are now being brought back into operational service, notably in the UK where environmental policy is driving the reversal of some of the Beeching closures of the 1960s. In London the Docklands Light Railway made use of disused railway infrastructure for much of its construction; in Manchester it is proposed to expand the Metrolinklight rail system by re-opening abandoned rail lines; and in Scotland, the Scottish Government has brought the Waverley Line partially back into passenger service.
Cultural significanceedit
Some railfans have a particular fascination with abandoned railway stations, lines, and tunnels. In some cases – particularly with underground structures – these were never actually abandoned. Rather they were constructed to allow for future expansion, but never actually used. The underground aspect is often of particular interest, and extends beyond railbuffs to urban speleologists.[citation needed]
The mass closure of stations during the 1960s can evoke a nostalgic response in British culture, as expressed in the elegiac song "Slow Train" written by Flanders and Swann, which lists a number of railway stations across Britain and laments their demise.[3]
^Williams, Michael (2011). On the Slow Train: Twelve Great British Railway Journeys. Random House. p. 1. ISBN9781848092082. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
External linksedit
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Disused train stations.
UK
Subterranea Britannica: Disused Stations
Abandoned Stations in East Anglia
London Underground
Underground History
London's Abandoned Tube Stations
BBC h2g2: Ghost Underground Stations
New York City Subway
Abandoned New York City Subway Stations
February 23, 2024
abandoned, railway, station, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Abandoned railway station news newspapers books scholar JSTOR May 2016 Learn how and when to remove this template message An abandoned or disused railway station is a building or structure which was constructed to serve as a railway station but has fallen into disuse There are various circumstances when this may occur a railway company may fall bankrupt or the station may be closed due to the failure of economic activity such as insufficient passenger numbers operational reasons such as the diversion or replacement of the line In some instances the railway line may continue in operation while the station is closed Additionally stations may sometimes be resited along the route of the line to new premises examples of this include opening a replacement station nearer to the centre of population or building a larger station on a less restricted site to cope with high passenger numbers The overgrown remains of Lilbourne station in Northamptonshire on the former LNWR line from Rugby to Market Harborough UK which closed in 1966 one of thousands of rural stations and lines to be closed by the Beeching AxeThe former train shed at Communipaw Terminal in New Jersey US Contents 1 Reasons for abandonment 2 Dereliction and alternative uses 3 Restoration 4 Cultural significance 5 Gallery 6 See also 7 References 8 External linksReasons for abandonment editNotable cases where railway stations have fallen into disuse include the Beeching Axe a 1960s programme of mass closures of unprofitable railway lines by the British Government The London Underground system is also noted for its list of closed stations During the time of the Berlin Wall a number of Berlin U Bahn stations on West Berlin lines became ghost stations Geisterbahnhofe because they were on lines which passed through East Berlin territory According to Stefania Ragozino and Stefania Oppido The abandonment of the railways network stations and tollbooth rails is a widespread phenomenon at national and international level determined by social economic and technological developments that have changed the local infrastructure systems 1 Dereliction and alternative uses edit nbsp As the GTR never reached Bath this station was built in an awkward rural location Railway stations and lines which fall into disuse may become overgrown Some former railway lines are repurposed as managed nature reserves trails or other tourist attractions for example Hellfire Pass the route of the former Death Railway in Thailand Many former railways are converted into long distance cycleways such as large sections of the National Cycle Network in the United Kingdom In rural areas former railway station buildings are often converted into private residences Examples include many of the stations on the closed Didcot Newbury and Southampton Railway in England 2 Architecturally and historically notable station buildings may present a problem if they are protected under building preservation laws but fall into disuse Such buildings are often simply demolished such as Broad Street railway station in London or they may be preserved as part of a heritage railway Often in order to be retained as commercially viable structures within an urban environment or as part of an urban regeneration project they may be repurposed for alternative activities Prominent examples include the ornate Gare d Orsay in Paris which was converted into the Musee d Orsay art gallery the Manchester Central railway station which was put to new use first as a car park and later refurbished as the Manchester Central Conference Centre and Broad Street Station in Richmond Virginia which now houses the Science Museum of Virginia The Ottawa Convention Centre is a former station as are railway museums Memory Junction in Brighton and Railway Museum of Eastern Ontario in Smiths Falls In Prescott the rail station houses historical society offices in Lac Megantic and Kingston a former station houses a tourism information office Stations have also been transformed into restaurants or private residences Restoration editMany abandoned railway stations and line are now being brought back into operational service notably in the UK where environmental policy is driving the reversal of some of the Beeching closures of the 1960s In London the Docklands Light Railway made use of disused railway infrastructure for much of its construction in Manchester it is proposed to expand the Metrolink light rail system by re opening abandoned rail lines and in Scotland the Scottish Government has brought the Waverley Line partially back into passenger service Cultural significance editSome railfans have a particular fascination with abandoned railway stations lines and tunnels In some cases particularly with underground structures these were never actually abandoned Rather they were constructed to allow for future expansion but never actually used The underground aspect is often of particular interest and extends beyond railbuffs to urban speleologists citation needed The mass closure of stations during the 1960s can evoke a nostalgic response in British culture as expressed in the elegiac song Slow Train written by Flanders and Swann which lists a number of railway stations across Britain and laments their demise 3 Gallery edit nbsp Musee d Orsay Paris France nbsp Manchester Central Manchester UK nbsp Anhalter Bahnhof Berlin Germany nbsp Michigan Central Station Detroit US nbsp Sōsa Station Kakogawa Japan nbsp Buffalo Central Terminal Buffalo USSee also editAbandoned railway Ghost station List of closed railway stations in Britain List of former and unopened London Underground stations List of closed railway stations in Melbourne List of closed New York City Subway stations Disused railway tunnels in SydneyReferences edit Oppido Stefania Ragozino Stefania 2014 Abandoned Railways Renewed Pathways Opportunities for Accessing Landscapes Advanced Engineering Forum 11 424 432 ProQuest 1586086044 via ProQuest David s Didcot Newbury amp Southampton Railway Gallery www brsince78 co uk Retrieved 2018 08 26 Williams Michael 2011 On the Slow Train Twelve Great British Railway Journeys Random House p 1 ISBN 9781848092082 Retrieved 5 June 2018 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Disused train stations UK Subterranea Britannica Disused Stations Abandoned Stations in East AngliaLondon Underground London Railways Ghost Underground Stations Underground History London s Abandoned Tube Stations BBC h2g2 Ghost Underground StationsNew York City Subway Abandoned New York City Subway Stations Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Abandoned railway station amp oldid 1182695880, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
