Northallerton railway station
Northallerton railway station is on the East Coast Main Line serving the town of Northallerton in North Yorkshire, England. It is 218 miles 36 chains (351.6 km) north of London King's Cross between Thirsk to the south and Darlington to the north. Its three-letter station code is NTR.
Passengers boarding a pair of 185's in Northallerton railway station | |
| General information | |
| Location | Northallerton, Hambleton England |
| Coordinates | 54°19′57″N 1°26′29″W / 54.3324731°N 1.4413780°WCoordinates: 54°19′57″N 1°26′29″W / 54.3324731°N 1.4413780°W |
| Grid reference | SE364931 |
| Owned by | Network Rail |
| Managed by | TransPennine Express |
| Platforms | 2 |
| Tracks | 2 |
| Other information | |
| Station code | NTR |
| Classification | DfT category D |
| History | |
| Original company | Great North of England Railway |
| Pre-grouping | North Eastern Railway |
| Post-grouping | |
| Key dates | |
| 31 March 1841 | Opened |
| Passengers | |
| 2017/18 | 0.715 million |
| 2018/19 | 0.718 million |
| 2019/20 | 0.712 million |
| 2020/21 | 0.156 million |
| 2021/22 | 0.681 million |
| Location | |
| Notes | |
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road | |
The station is managed by TransPennine Express (TPE) and also served by Grand Central (GC) and London North Eastern Railway (LNER) trains. The station is on one of the fastest parts of the East Coast Main Line. LNER and CrossCountry express services pass through the station at speeds of up to 125 mph (200 km/h).
In 2014 the Wensleydale Railway opened a temporary station at Northallerton West.[1] The heritage railway aims to run trains into the station from Redmire and eventually Garsdale on the Settle–Carlisle line.[2]
History
The station was opened by the Great North of England Railway on 30 March 1841. Eleven years later the Leeds Northern Railway's line from Leeds to Stockton passed through the town, but did not initially connect with the main line. Instead trains called at nearby Northallerton Town station near where it passed beneath the line to Darlington. By 1854 the GNoE and the LN had become part of the North Eastern Railway which began running through trains on the LN route via Thirsk. These rejoined the line towards Eaglescliffe on a new link from the main line at High Junction that opened in 1856. The original LN route southwards towards Melmerby was then operated as a branch line until 1901, when the NER connected it to the main line via another junction at the southern end of the station and used it as the primary route from West Yorkshire to Teesside.
The Wensleydale branch line to Bedale, Leyburn and Hawes opened in stages between 1848 and 1878. It joined the main line immediately north of the station and its trains used a bay at the northern end of the northbound island platform. Passenger trains on the branch were withdrawn from 26 April 1954,[3] although it remains open for occasional MoD trains to Redmire and heritage trains operated by the Wensleydale Railway. The old down passenger loop platform and Hawes bay were removed in the early 1970s and there is no direct route to the branch from the station as its junction faces north; trains must access it by means of a reversing siding off the northbound main line. The defunct south to west curve will need to be reinstated and a new platform constructed before Wensleydale trains can run to and from the station. The link to Leeming Bar was by bus until late 2014 until a temporary terminus was constructed approximately one mile (1.6 km) away.
Services were withdrawn on the line towards Ripon on 6 March 1967,[3] after the route was earmarked for closure in the Beeching Report. The line north-eastwards towards Stockton had lost its local passenger services by this time, but it was retained for freight traffic to and from Teesside and occasional longer distance passenger trains. It now carries a regular service to and from Middlesbrough.
Future
In plans published in 2020, Network Rail unveiled a proposal to provide two fast lines through the station and to move both platforms outwards with new loops. There are other possible variations including the installation of a grade-separated junction north of the station, to allow trains to access the Middlesbrough line without conflicting with trains heading south, and even a proposal to move the station south of the town so that it can be furnished with platforms that have access to all lines.[4]
Facilities
The station is staffed, its ticket hall opens from 05:30 each day (except Sundays, when it opens at 08:45) until 20:00. Self-service ticket machines are available for the collecting advance purchase/pre-paid tickets. Toilets and a newsagents are provided on the concourse, along with heated waiting rooms on both platforms. Train running information is offered via digital CIS displays, timetable posters, customer help points and automated announcements.[5]
The station has step-free access to both platforms via ramps from a subway, however, some wheelchair users have struggled with the steepness of the ramps.[6] In May 2021, work began on a project to replace the ramps with lifts to improve accessibility.[7] The project was completed at the end of March 2022.[8][9]
Services
TransPennine Express is the main train operator at the station: on weekdays and Saturdays the company serves Northallerton with three trains an hour each way. In the southbound direction, trains generally run to Manchester Victoria via York, Leeds and Huddersfield; of the three hourly services, two continue to Manchester Airport (via Manchester Piccadilly) and (via Gatley) One runs further to Liverpool Lime Street. Northbound, there is one train per hour to Redcar Central via Middlesbrough, as well as two trains per hour to Newcastle, of which one continues to Edinburgh Waverley.[10]
London North Eastern Railway serves the station with trains between London King's Cross and Edinburgh Waverley; these call at Northallerton on an approximately two-hourly basis for most of the day.[11] In February 2017, the platforms were extended to accommodate Azuma trains which are longer than the East Coast electrics.[12]
All Grand Central services between London King's Cross and Sunderland stop at Northallerton (five services per day each way).[13]
CrossCountry services between Newcastle, Birmingham and beyond pass through but do not call at the station.
Electrification
Electrification of the railway through the station was carried out by British Rail, with completion by 1991.[14][15]
Accidents and incidents
On 29 November 1979, a Kings Cross to Edinburgh Service (1S28) was derailed just south of the station.[16] The train completely left the tracks, but stayed upright and came to a halt 1,800 feet (550 m) north of where it hit the trailing points that caused the derailment. Although the complement of passengers was in excess of 440, only one person was kept in hospital overnight. The leading power car of the High Speed Train (E43110) had a seized front axle because of a gearbox failure and confusion over maintenance schedules and it caused an out of gauge wheelset that derailed on the points.[17]
Ripon Railway
The city was previously served by Ripon railway station on the Leeds–Northallerton line that ran between Leeds and Northallerton.[18] It was once part of the North Eastern Railway and then LNER.
The Ripon line was closed to passengers on 6 March 1967 and to freight on 5 September 1969 as part of the wider Beeching Axe, despite a vigorous campaign by local campaigners, including the city's MP.[18] Today much of the route of the line through the city is now a relief road and although the former station still stands, it is now surrounded by a new housing development. The issue remains a significant one in local politics and there are movements wanting to restore the line.[18] Reports suggest the reopening of a line between Ripon railway station and Harrogate railway station would be economically viable, costing £40 million and could initially attract 1,200 passengers a day, rising to 2,700.[18][19][20] Campaigners call on MPs to restore Ripon railway link.[21]
See also
References
- ^ Willis, Joe (31 October 2014). "Works starts on new rail platform". The Northern Echo. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
- ^ Wensleydale Railway Association - History & Heritage Archived 5 January 2013 at archive.today Accessed 29 August 2008
- ^ a b Body 1989, p. 136.
- ^ Haigh, Phillip (15 July 2020). "NR plans more platforms and tracks for North East railway". Rail Magazine. No. 909. Peterborough: Bauer Media. pp. 30–32. ISSN 0953-4563.
- ^ Northallerton station facilities National Rail Enquiries; Retrieved 7 February 2017
- ^ Willis, Joe (24 April 2019). "£2.5m improvements to Northallerton Station welcomed". Hambleton Today. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
- ^ "Vital project at Northallerton station started by Network Rail". RailAdvent. 18 May 2021. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
- ^ "Better accessibility is on track at Northallerton station". Network Rail Media Centre. 7 February 2022. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
- ^ White, Chloe (30 March 2022). "£3m lift upgrade for Northallerton railway station completed". RailAdvent. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
- ^ GB eNRT May 2018 Edition, Table 39
- ^ GB eNRT 2016-17 Edition, Table 26
- ^ Richardson, Andy, ed. (24 February 2017). "Platform extension work". Darlington & Stockton Times. No. 8. p. 8. ISSN 2040-3933.
- ^ Grand Central - North East & Yorkshire Timetables/
- ^ Body 1989, p. 207.
- ^ "Electrification of the East Coast Main Line, completion certificate" (PDF). railwaysarchive.co.uk. British Rail (Intercity). p. 26. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
- ^ Hoole, Ken (1983). Trains in Trouble: Vol. 4. Redruth: Atlantic Books. p. 30. ISBN 0-906899-07-9.
- ^ King, A. G. B. "Report into 1979 Derailment" (PDF).
- ^ a b c d "Reopening line makes economic sense, says study". NorthernEcho.co.uk. Retrieved 19 December 2015.
- ^ "Backing for restoring rail link". BBC News Online. BBC. 11 May 2004. Retrieved 4 January 2010.
- ^ "Railway plan may be back on track". The Northern Echo. 7 April 2003. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
- ^ "Campaigners call on MPs to restore Ripon railway link". Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
Sources
- Body, Geoffrey (1989). Railways of the North Eastern Region; Vol 2, Northern Operating Area. Wellingborough: Patrick Stephens. ISBN 1-85260-072-1.
External links
- Media related to Northallerton railway station at Wikimedia Commons
- Train times and station information for Northallerton railway station from National Rail
| Preceding station | National Rail | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| York | London North Eastern Railway London–Newcastle/Edinburgh | Darlington | ||
| TransPennine Express North TransPennine | ||||
| TransPennine Express North TransPennine | ||||
| Grand Central London–Sunderland | ||||
| Historical railways | ||||
| Ainderby Line and station closed | North Eastern Railway Hawes–Northallerton line | Terminus | ||
| Terminus | North Eastern Railway Leeds–Northallerton railway | Newby Wiske Line and station closed | ||
| Terminus | North Eastern Railway Northallerton–Eaglescliffe line | Brompton Line open; station closed | ||
| Otterington Line open; station closed | North Eastern Railway East Coast Main Line | Danby Wiske Line open; station closed | ||
| Proposed Heritage railways | ||||
| Ainderby Line and station closed | Wensleydale Railway | Terminus | ||