Bishop Auckland railway station
Encyclopedia
Bishop Auckland railway station serves the town of Bishop Auckland
in County Durham
, England. The station is the terminus of the Tees Valley Line
19 kilometres (11.8 mi) north of .
The station is operated by Northern Rail
, which provides Network Rail passenger services. In addition, Weardale Railway
has built a separate platform station called Bishop Auckland West about 100 metres west of the Northern Rail station from which regular passenger services to Stanhope
have operated since the end of May 2010.
Bishop Auckland station was adopted by Bishop Auckland Station Trust on 29 March 2010 from Northern Rail to upgrade facilities and staff the station and to get more people to use the station and the trains. Bishop Auckland Station Trust is a community not-for-profit group.
The Trust also has a "Kids Club" for young children interested in railways.
built a line into the town from neighbouring , initially to a temporary terminus at South Church. A permanent station on the current site followed within months, being opened by the Bishop Auckland and Weardale Railway on 8 November 1843, along with an extension further into Weardale as far as Crook
in 1844 to serve various coalmines and quarries in the area. This was subsequently extended to Blackhill. A branch from this line at Witton-le-Wear
to Frosterley
was opened in 1847, extended to Stanhope
in 1862, and again to Wearhead
in 1895.
The construction of a branch line from to the town in April 1857 by the North Eastern Railway
saw the original station replaced, later that year, by a joint NER/S&D structure on the current site, but it soon became inadequate for the traffic using it, especially after the opening of the South Durham and Lancashire Union Railway to Barnard Castle
and onwards to Tebay
in 1862. This led the NER to rebuild it in December 1867 and again (in triangular form) in 1905.
As elsewhere the UK, rail traffic in the area declined after World War II, with the Wearhead branch the first to lose its passenger trains in 1953. The principal closures came in the 1960s, with services to Barnard Castle via West Auckland
ending in 1962, those to Durham in 1964 and those to Crook in 1965, leaving only the Darlington line in operation (along with the freight-only branch to Eastgate
). The station remained more or less intact (although increasingly forlorn and run-down) for more than 20 years thereafter, until it was replaced by the current structure in June 1986. This stands on the site of the former Crook branch platform - the remainder of the old station site having been redeveloped (it is now occupied by retail outlets).
Westbound from the Weardale Railway platform, five services a day depart to and arrive from Stanhope railway station. There are four services on this route at weekends, one of which is steam-hauled.
Bishop Auckland
Bishop Auckland is a market town and civil parish in County Durham in north east England. It is located about northwest of Darlington and southwest of Durham at the confluence of the River Wear with its tributary the River Gaunless...
in County Durham
County Durham
County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...
, England. The station is the terminus of the Tees Valley Line
Tees Valley Line
The Tees Valley Line is a name for the railway route between Bishop Auckland and Saltburn via Darlington and Middlesbrough. Also operated on the line are services from Newcastle-upon-Tyne to Middlesbrough and Saltburn via Darlington....
19 kilometres (11.8 mi) north of .
The station is operated by Northern Rail
Northern Rail
Northern Rail is a British train operating company that has operated local passenger services in Northern England since 2004. Northern Rail's owner, Serco-Abellio, is a consortium formed of Abellio and Serco, an international operator of public transport systems...
, which provides Network Rail passenger services. In addition, Weardale Railway
Weardale Railway
The Weardale Railway is a British single-track branch line railway providing regular daily passenger service between Bishop Auckland , Wolsingham, Frosterley and Stanhope. Services began on 23 May 2010 after a lapse of almost sixty years. The railway originally ran from Bishop Auckland to...
has built a separate platform station called Bishop Auckland West about 100 metres west of the Northern Rail station from which regular passenger services to Stanhope
Stanhope
-Places:* Stanhope, Victoria, Australia* Stanhope, Prince Edward Island, Canada* Stanhope, Quebec, Canada* Stanhope, County Durham, England, UK* Stanhope, Kent, England, UK* Stanhope, Peeblesshire, Scotland, UK* Stanhope, Iowa, US* Stanhope, New Jersey, US...
have operated since the end of May 2010.
Bishop Auckland station was adopted by Bishop Auckland Station Trust on 29 March 2010 from Northern Rail to upgrade facilities and staff the station and to get more people to use the station and the trains. Bishop Auckland Station Trust is a community not-for-profit group.
The Trust also has a "Kids Club" for young children interested in railways.
History
Bishop Auckland gained its first rail link in 1842, when the Stockton and Darlington RailwayStockton and Darlington Railway
The Stockton and Darlington Railway , which opened in 1825, was the world's first publicly subscribed passenger railway. It was 26 miles long, and was built in north-eastern England between Witton Park and Stockton-on-Tees via Darlington, and connected to several collieries near Shildon...
built a line into the town from neighbouring , initially to a temporary terminus at South Church. A permanent station on the current site followed within months, being opened by the Bishop Auckland and Weardale Railway on 8 November 1843, along with an extension further into Weardale as far as Crook
Crook, County Durham
Crook is a market town in County Durham, England. It is situated about 10 miles south-west of Durham.Crook lies a couple of miles north of the River Wear, on the A690 from Durham...
in 1844 to serve various coalmines and quarries in the area. This was subsequently extended to Blackhill. A branch from this line at Witton-le-Wear
Witton-le-Wear
Witton-le-Wear is a small village in County Durham, England. It is situated on the north bank of the River Wear, to the north-west of Bishop Auckland.-Geography and administration:...
to Frosterley
Frosterley
Frosterley is a village in County Durham, in England. It is situated in Weardale, on the River Wear close to its confluence with Bollihope Burn; between Wolsingham and Stanhope; 18 miles west of Durham City and 26 miles southwest of Newcastle-upon-Tyne....
was opened in 1847, extended to Stanhope
Stanhope, County Durham
Stanhope is a small market town in County Durham, in England. It is situated on the River Wear between Eastgate and Frosterley on the north side of Weardale. The A689 trans-Pennine road meets the B6278 road from Barnard Castle to Shotley Bridge here....
in 1862, and again to Wearhead
Wearhead
Wearhead is a village in County Durham, in England. It is situated at the top of Weardale between Cowshill and Ireshopeburn. It is named after the nearby source of the River Wear which runs eastwards for approx 40 miles to Sunderland....
in 1895.
The construction of a branch line from to the town in April 1857 by the North Eastern Railway
North Eastern Railway (UK)
The North Eastern Railway , was an English railway company. It was incorporated in 1854, when four existing companies were combined, and was absorbed into the London and North Eastern Railway at the Grouping in 1923...
saw the original station replaced, later that year, by a joint NER/S&D structure on the current site, but it soon became inadequate for the traffic using it, especially after the opening of the South Durham and Lancashire Union Railway to Barnard Castle
Barnard Castle railway station
Barnard Castle railway station was situated on the South Durham & Lancashire Union Railway between Bishop Auckland and Kirkby Stephen East. The railway station served the town of Barnard Castle. The first station opened to passenger traffic on 9 July 1856, and was replaced with a new station on 1...
and onwards to Tebay
Tebay
Tebay is a village and civil parish in Cumbria, England, within the traditional borders of Westmorland. It lies in the upper Lune Valley, at the head of the Lune Gorge. The parish of Tebay had a population of 728 recorded in the 2001 census,...
in 1862. This led the NER to rebuild it in December 1867 and again (in triangular form) in 1905.
As elsewhere the UK, rail traffic in the area declined after World War II, with the Wearhead branch the first to lose its passenger trains in 1953. The principal closures came in the 1960s, with services to Barnard Castle via West Auckland
West Auckland
West Auckland is a village in County Durham, in North East England. It is situated to the west of Bishop Auckland, on the A688 road.It is not known exactly when West Auckland was first inhabited, but there is evidence of Auckland West in the history of St. Cuthbert in the 11th century...
ending in 1962, those to Durham in 1964 and those to Crook in 1965, leaving only the Darlington line in operation (along with the freight-only branch to Eastgate
Eastgate, County Durham
Eastgate is a village in County Durham, England. It is situated in Weardale, a few miles west of Stanhope.Eastgate originally marked the eastern border of the private hunting park of the Prince Bishops of Durham. This was second in extent only to the royal hunting park of the New Forest in Hampshire...
). The station remained more or less intact (although increasingly forlorn and run-down) for more than 20 years thereafter, until it was replaced by the current structure in June 1986. This stands on the site of the former Crook branch platform - the remainder of the old station site having been redeveloped (it is now occupied by retail outlets).
Services
On Mondays to Saturdays there is generally a two-hourly service from the station southbound to Darlington, and . Additional services run at peak periods. Five trains each way run on Sundays throughout the year, with extra services in the summer months.Westbound from the Weardale Railway platform, five services a day depart to and arrive from Stanhope railway station. There are four services on this route at weekends, one of which is steam-hauled.