North Road railway station

North Road is a railway station on the Tees Valley Line, which runs between Bishop Auckland and Saltburn. The station serves the town of Darlington in County Durham. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by Northern Trains.

North Road (Darlington)
LocationDarlington, Borough of Darlington
England
Coordinates54°32′08″N 1°33′13″W
Grid referenceNZ289157
Owned byNetwork Rail
Managed byNorthern Trains
Platforms1
Tracks1
Other information
Station codeNRD
ClassificationDfT category F2
History
Original companyStockton and Darlington Railway
Pre-groupingNorth Eastern Railway
Post-grouping
Key dates
1 April 1842Opened as Darlington
1 October 1868Renamed Darlington North Road
1 September 1934Renamed North Road
Passengers
2015/16 32,300
2016/17 33,350
2017/18 30,306
2018/19 39,968
2019/20 46,138
Listed Building – Grade II*
FeatureOriginal Stockton and Darlington Railway station buildings
Designated28 April 1952
Reference no.1322962[1]
Location
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

History

The railway station is closely linked with the history of the Stockton and Darlington Railway, being the site of the original Darlington station. The station building, now a museum entitled Head of Steam, was first opened in 1842 and is listed Grade II*.[2] It replaced a depot on the opposite side of North Road, built in 1833. The building was constructed to a design by the S&D resident engineer of the time John Harris and was expanded and rebuilt on several subsequent occasions (e.g. in 1856 following the opening of the line to Barnard Castle and again in 1864 and 1876 by the NER and their main architect William Peachey).[3]

The opening of the main line station at Bank Top in 1887 saw the importance of North Road decline and it was twice threatened with closure in the 20th century (initially in 1930 and again under the Beeching cuts of 1963), but was reprieved each time. The closure of the Stainmore route to Penrith in 1962 and the Middleton-in-Teesdale branch line two years later did see the route through here reduced to single track (with only one platform remaining) and by the early 1970s, the train shed had suffered badly from vandalism and was in a poor state of repair. This prompted the local council, the town's tourist board, Darlington Museums service and a consortium of local people to join together to restore the station and Hopetown works complex nearby as a museum (currently known as Head of Steam), whilst maintaining a single active platform for the Bishop Auckland branch line. This work was completed in time for the 150th anniversary of the Stockton & Darlington Railway in 1975, with the opening ceremony carried out by the Duke of Edinburgh.[4]

Trains do not however stop under the train shed roof, instead using the eastern end of the platform in the open air.

Facilities

The station is unstaffed and has no ticketing provision, so all tickets must be bought on the train or prior to travel. A Harrington Hump has been installed to improve accessibility to the trains for mobility-impaired passengers and the waiting shelter here was replaced in 2015 as part of the Tees Valley line improvement programme - this also saw the installation of a digital CIS display, new signage and CCTV.[5] Train running information is also available via a public telephone and timetable posters. The station is not listed as suitable for wheelchair users on the National Rail website due to the approach path being steeply graded.[6]

Services
Route 3:
Tees Valley Line
 Bishop Auckland
 Shildon
 Newton Aycliffe
 Heighington
 North Road
 Darlington
 Dinsdale
 Teesside Airport
Allens West
 Thornaby
 Middlesbrough
 South Bank
 Redcar Central
 Redcar East
 Longbeck
 Marske
 Saltburn

There is a basic hourly service in each direction from the station all through the week (including Sundays). These trains are run by Northern Trains.[7] Eastbound trains continue to Middlesbrough and Saltburn.

References
  1. Historic England. "North Road Railway Station  (Grade II*) (1322962)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
  2. Historic England. "NORTH ROAD RAILWAY STATION (NOW RAILWAY MUSEUM) (1322962)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
  3. Darlington North Road Station railwayarchitecture.org.uk; Retrieved 17 February 2017
  4. Disused Stations - Darlington North Road Disused Stations Site Record; Retrieved 17 February 2017
  5. "Report of meeting with Steve Payne, Tees Valley Unlimited" North East Coastliners news article 29 June 2015; Retrieved 17 February 2017
  6. North Road (Darlington) station facilities National Rail Enquiries; Retrieved 17 February 2017
  7. Table 44 National Rail timetable, May 2018
Preceding station National Rail Following station
Darlington   Northern Trains
Tees Valley Line		   Heighington
  Historical railways  
Fighting Cocks   North Eastern Railway
Stockton and Darlington Railway		   Aycliffe Lane
Disused railways
Terminus   North Eastern Railway
Darlington and Barnard Castle Railway		   Piercebridge
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