Blyth railway station

Last updated

Blyth
Blyth railway station 1838435 74452b84.jpg
View from street in 1965
General information
Location Blyth, Northumberland
England
Platforms2
Other information
StatusDisused
History
Pre-grouping North Eastern Railway
Post-grouping London and North Eastern Railway
British Railways
Key dates
3 March 1847First station opened
1 May 1867Second station opened;
first station closed
1894–96Rebuilt
2 November 1964Closed
1972Demolished
2024Reopened station for Blyth at Blyth Bebside.

Blyth railway station served Blyth, Northumberland on the Blyth Branch line [1] in Northeast England.

Contents

History

The Blyth, Seghill and Percy Main Railway opened the line to Blyth on 3 March 1847 [2] and the first station was at Croft Street (now King Street). [3] On 1 May 1867 a new station was opened to replace the original station. [4] It was at the north end of Turner Street [1] (now part of Regent Street) on the site now occupied by Morrisons supermarket and the Community Hospital.

The Blyth, Seghill and Percy Main Railway became the Blyth and Tyne Railway in 1853 and was taken over by the North Eastern Railway (NER) in 1874. By the 1890s the increase in goods and passenger traffic [5] was such that a new station was needed. The NER originally planned to build a new station on newly reclaimed land on Bridge Street, between Union Street and Beaconsfield Street, but these were turned down after an objection from the neighbouring Thomas Knight Memorial Hospital, on the grounds of noise. [6]

The NER therefore rebuilt the existing station between 1894 and 1896, [7] at a cost of £20,000. Most of the building was by J & W Simpson of Blyth. [5] Despite being next to a through line, the station was a terminus. It faced Turner Street and had a single island platform projecting from the rear which was half covered by a glazed apex canopy. [5] Adjacent were a goods shed next to Delaval Terrace and a coaling stage. To the west stood South Blyth loco shed, first built in 1879 with three roads and extended to six roads in 1895, [8] and a cattle dock. To the north passed the freight-only lines to the NER coaling staiths, Blyth gas works, Blyth Harbour Commission and shipyard. [9]

The station originally had two signal boxes: Blyth Signal Box at the end of the passenger platforms and Blyth Crossing Box controlling the level crossing near the engine shed on Renwick Road (previously Alexandra Crescent). Blyth Signal Box was destroyed by a German parachute mine on the night of 25 April 1941, killing the signaller instantly. [10] Thereafter only Blyth Crossing Box was used.

Passenger services were withdrawn on 2 November 1964 [4] under The Reshaping of British Railways ; [11] the station buildings stood derelict until they were demolished in 1972. [7] Today nothing remains of the station itself or associated buildings, except for the Station Master's house in Delaval Terrace which survives as a private home.

Proposals for a new railway service

By the 1990s local councils were considering the feasibility of restoring passenger services linking Ashington and Blyth with Newcastle Central. [12] These early, informal, proposals suggested serving Blyth, not by reopening the branch to Blyth, but by reopening Newsham station where the Blyth branch joined the now freight-only Blyth and Tyne main line.

Denis Murphy, the then Labour MP for Wansbeck, expressed support in the House of Commons in an adjournment debate in April 1999 and again in a debate in January 2007. [13] The Railway Development Society (renamed Railfuture in 2000) also endorsed the proposal in 1998. [12]

Later, in 2009, the Association of Train Operating Companies published a £34 million proposal to restore passenger services from Newcastle to Ashington, serving Blyth in this way. [14]

In the early 2010s, Northumberland County Council (NCC) became interested in the reintroduction of passenger services onto remaining freight-only sections of the former Blyth and Tyne Railway network. In June 2013 NCC commissioned Network Rail to complete a GRIP 1 study to examine the best options for the scheme. [15] The GRIP 1 study was received by NCC in March 2014 and in June 2015 they initiated a more detailed GRIP 2 Feasibility Study at a cost of £850,000. [16]

The GRIP 2 study, which NCC received in October 2016, confirmed that the reintroduction of a frequent seven-day a week passenger service between Newcastle and Ashington was feasible and could provide economic benefits of £70 million with more than 380,000 people using the line each year by 2034. [17] The study suggested that due to redevelopment of sections of the former branch line, Blyth should be served by a new park and ride station close to the site of Bebside station, though Newsham would also be reopened to serve the Newsham area of the town. [18] At the time it was suggested that, subject to funding being raised for the £191 million [17] scheme, detailed design work could begin in October 2018 with construction commencing four months later and the first passenger services introduced in 2021 [17] though by October 2018 such works were yet to begin.

After receiving the GRIP 2 study, NCC initially announced that they were preceding with a GRIP 3 Study from Network Rail but such a report was not commissioned at the time. [19] Despite a change in the political leadership of Northumberland County Council following the 2017 local elections [20] the authority continued to work towards the reintroduction of a passenger service onto the line, [21] encouraged by the Department for Transport's November 2017 report, A Strategic Vision for Rail, which named the line as a possible candidate for a future reintroduction of passenger services. [22] [23] Consequentially, NCC commissioned a further interim study in November 2017 (dubbed GRIP 2B) to determine whether high costs and long timescales identified in the GRIP 2 Study could be reduced by reducing the initial scope of the project but the report failed to deliver on this. [19]

The county council has, however, continued to develop the project, announcing an additional £3.46 million in funding for a further business case and detailed design study [24] (equivalent to GRIP 3) [19] to be completed by the end of 2019. However, the revised proposals, released in July 2019, are reduced in scope from the plan considered in the 2016 GRIP 2 study and propose 4-phase project [25] to reduce the initial cost of the scheme. Indeed, under the £90 million Phase 1, [24] Newsham would be the only station reopened to serve Blyth on the Newcastle to Ashington Northumberland Line passenger service; [25] possibly occurring as early as 2022. [24] The park and ride station at Bebside proposed in the GRIP 2 study is instead proposed as an additional station to be added in Phase 2. [25]

The North East Joint Transport Committee's bid for £377 million of funding from the UK Government's £1.28 billion Transfroming Cities Fund, submitted on 20 June 2019, includes £99 million to fund the reintroduction of passenger services between Newcastle, Newsham and Ashington, [26] while further work is ongoing to secure additional public and private investment for the project. [27]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bedlington</span> Town in Northumberland, England

Bedlington is a town and former civil parish in Northumberland, England, with a population of 18,470 measured at the 2011 Census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blyth, Northumberland</span> Town in Northumberland, England

Blyth is a port and seaside town as well as a civil parish in southeast Northumberland, England. It lies on the coast, to the south of the River Blyth. It has a population of 39,731 as of the 2021 census, up 6% from the 2011 census and population of 37,347.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morpeth railway station</span> Railway station in Northumberland, England

Morpeth is a railway station on the East Coast Main Line, which runs between London King's Cross and Edinburgh Waverley. The station, situated 16 miles 50 chains north of Newcastle, serves the historic market town of Morpeth, Northumberland, England. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by Northern Trains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newcastle railway station</span> Mainline railway station in Newcastle upon Tyne, England

Newcastle station is a railway station in Newcastle, Tyne and Wear, England, United Kingdom. It is located on the East Coast Main Line, around 268 miles (432 km) north of London King's Cross. It is the primary national rail station serving Newcastle upon Tyne and is an interchange for local services provided by the Tyne and Wear Metro network whose Central Station is situated beneath the national rail station. It is the busiest station in Tyne & Wear, as well as the busiest in North East England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Tyneside Steam Railway</span> Visitor attraction in North East England

The North Tyneside Steam Railway and Stephenson Steam Railway are visitor attractions in North Shields, North East England. The museum and railway workshops share a building on Middle Engine Lane adjacent to the Silverlink Retail Park. The railway is a standard gauge line, running south for 2 miles (3.2 km) from the museum to Percy Main. The railway is operated by the North Tyneside Steam Railway Association (NTSRA). The museum is managed by Tyne and Wear Archives and Museums on behalf of North Tyneside Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Gosforth Metro station</span> Tyne and Wear Metro station in Newcastle upon Tyne

South Gosforth is a Tyne and Wear Metro station, and former British Rail station, serving the suburb of Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne in Tyne and Wear, England. It originally opened on 27 June 1864, as part of the Blyth and Tyne Railway, and became part of the Tyne and Wear Metro on 11 August 1980.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northumberland Park Metro station</span> Tyne and Wear Metro station in North Tyneside

Northumberland Park is a Tyne and Wear Metro and future National Rail station, serving the village of Backworth and suburbs of Northumberland Park and West Allotment, as well as the nearby Cobalt Business Park, North Tyneside in Tyne and Wear, England. The station opened on 11 December 2005.

The Blyth and Tyne Railway was a railway company in Northumberland, England, incorporated by act of Parliament on 30 June 1852. It was created to unify the various private railways and waggonways built to carry coal from the Northumberland coalfield to Blyth and the River Tyne, which it took control of on 1 January 1853. Over time, the railway expanded its network to reach Morpeth (1857/8), North Seaton (1859), Tynemouth (1860/1), Newcastle upon Tyne (1864), and finally Newbiggin-by-the-Sea (1872). It became part of the much larger North Eastern Railway in 1874.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manors railway station</span> Railway station in Tyne and Wear, England

Manors is a railway station on the East Coast Main Line, which runs between London King's Cross and Edinburgh Waverley. The station serves the Quayside and Shieldfield areas of the city of Newcastle upon Tyne in Tyne and Wear, England. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by Northern Trains. The Metro station of the same name is not directly connected, and located a short walk away.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ashington</span> Town and parish in Northumberland, England

Ashington is a town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, with a population of 27,864 at the 2011 Census. It was once a centre of the coal mining industry. The town is 15 miles (24 km) north of Newcastle upon Tyne, west of the A189 and bordered to the south by the River Wansbeck. Many inhabitants have a distinctive accent and dialect known as Pitmatic. This varies from the regional dialect known as Geordie.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ashington railway station</span> Former railway station in Northumberland, England

Ashington is a railway station on the Northumberland Line, which is due to reopen in December 2024. Trains will run between Newcastle and Ashington. The station will serve the town of Ashington in Northumberland, England.

This is a list of National Rail stations in the ceremonial county of Northumberland, England, with estimated usage figures gathered from data collected by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR). As of February 2023, there are 17 stations located along two lines in Northumberland, from which around 2.08 million passenger journeys were made from April 2021–March 2022. Both lines run perpendicular to each other and meet at Newcastle, with some services going from one line to the other.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Gosforth TMD</span> Tyne and Wear Metro depot

South Gosforth Traction Maintenance Depot is a vehicle cleaning, maintenance and stabling facility used by the Tyne and Wear Metro, located in Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne in Tyne and Wear, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bedlington railway station</span> Disused railway station in Bedlington, Northumberland

Bedlington railway station was a railway station that served the town of Bedlington, Northumberland, England from 1850 to 1964 on the Blyth and Tyne Railway. The station was closed by British Railways in 1964, but construction of a new station is now underway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blyth Bebside railway station</span> Railway station under reconstruction in Bebside, Northumberland

Blyth Bebside is a railway station on the Northumberland Line, which is due to reopen in the summer of 2024, and will run between Newcastle and Ashington. The station will serve the town of Blyth and village of Bebside in Northumberland, England.

Newsham railway station served the village of Newsham near Blyth, England, from 1851 to 1964 on the Blyth and Tyne Railway. It was located at the junction of the Percy Main to Blyth and Bedlington lines of the Blyth and Tyne Railway. The station was closed by British Railways in 1964, but construction of a new station is underway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seaton Delaval railway station</span> Disused railway station in Seaton Delaval, Northumberland

Seaton Delaval is a railway station on the Northumberland Line, which is due to reopen in the summer of 2024, and will run between Newcastle and Ashington. The station will serve the villages of Seaton Delaval and Seghill in Northumberland, England.

Seghill railway station served the village of Seghill, Northumberland, England from 1841 to 1965 on the Blyth and Tyne Railway.

Woodhorn was a railway station proposed as part of the project to reintroduce passenger rail services onto the Ashington, Blyth & Tyne Railway which closed to passenger traffic in 1964. It was initially proposed that the newly reopened line could terminate at a new station, close to the Woodhorn Colliery Museum and Northumberland Archives, rather than at Ashington, the previous station however revised plans, released in July 2019 appear to have dropped Woodhorn station from project scope.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northumberland Line</span> Under-construction passenger rail route in NE England

The Northumberland Line is a railway project under construction in North East England; it is aimed at reintroducing passenger rail services to freight-only lines in South East Northumberland. Under the scheme, a new passenger service will link some of Northumberland's major population centres in Ashington and Blyth to the nearby city of Newcastle upon Tyne. Construction of new stations and works to upgrade the existing rail infrastructure to bring it up to passenger-carrying standards was reported as having begun by late August 2022. The first anticipated launch date of the new passenger service was December 2023. However, this was pushed back, first to the summer of 2024 and then in August it changed to December, when three of the new stations will be opened. The rest of the stations will open in 2025.

References

  1. 1 2 "Blyth Photographs - Blyth, Railway Station (c.1910)". communities.northumberland.gov.uk. Northumberland County Council. Retrieved 22 April 2007.
  2. "Blyth & Tyne Branch". Northumbrian Railways. Archived from the original on 2 April 2009. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
  3. Balmer & Smith 2004, p. 56.
  4. 1 2 "Blyth". Northumbrian Railways. Archived from the original on 2 March 2009. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
  5. 1 2 3 Balmer & Smith 2004, p. 60.
  6. Balmer & Smith 2004, p. 37.
  7. 1 2 "Blyth Station". Archaeology Data Service. University of York. 18 October 2003. Retrieved 25 November 2007.
  8. Balmer & Smith 2004, p. 55.
  9. "Ernies Northumbrian Railway Archive – cb Newsham, South Blyth Staiths, Blyth Station and back to Newsham". erniesphotos.fotopic.net. 25 May 2006. Archived from the original on 21 June 2010. Retrieved 1 December 2007.
  10. Balmer & Smith 2004, p. 62.
  11. "The North East's lost railway stations tell the story of our region's history". 29 March 2015.
  12. 1 2 Bevan 1998, p. 59.
  13. Denis Murphy; et al. (10 January 2007). "Ashington, Blyth and Tyne Railway". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard) . United Kingdom: House of Commons. col. 135WH–139WH.
  14. ATOC 2009, p. 17.
  15. "The Journal: Ashington Blyth and Tyne rail line restoration scheme gets green light". Archived from the original on 12 March 2017. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
  16. "New Post Leader: Plans for rail line reach milestone". Archived from the original on 12 March 2017. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
  17. 1 2 3 "Chronicle Live: Reopening of Newcastle to Ashington rail link moves one step closer" . Retrieved 10 March 2017.
  18. "Ashington Blyth & Tyne GRIP 2 Study" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 March 2017. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
  19. 1 2 3 "SENRUG - South East Northumberland Rail User Group: Re-open Ashington Blyth & Tyne Line" . Retrieved 22 April 2019.
  20. Kelly, Mike; Muncaster, Michael (5 May 2017). "Northumberland local elections results IN FULL - council held by Tories in 'straw draw' drama - Chronicle Live". Chronicle Live. Retrieved 22 July 2019.
  21. Graham, Hannah (1 June 2018). "Northumberland's draft local plan unveiled: What it means for houses, jobs and the green belt - Chronicle Live". Chronicle Live. Retrieved 22 July 2019.
  22. Connecting people: a strategic vision for rail (PDF). Department for Transport. November 2017. ISBN   9781528601252 . Retrieved 22 July 2019.
  23. Allen, Andrew (12 December 2017). "What's in the government's new rail strategy? | CityMetric". CityMetric. Archived from the original on 22 July 2019. Retrieved 22 July 2019.
  24. 1 2 3 O'Connell, Ben (28 February 2019). "Phasing of proposed Northumberland rail line explained after concerns raised | News Post Leader". News Post Leader. Retrieved 22 July 2019.
  25. 1 2 3 O'Connell, Ben (15 July 2019). "Six new stations could open if Ashington to Newcastle passenger trains resume - Chronicle Live". Chronicle Live. Retrieved 22 July 2019.
  26. Holland, Daniel (19 June 2019). "North East's £377m transport funding bid confirmed - but leaders say there is more to come - Chronicle Live". Chronicle Live. Retrieved 22 July 2019.
  27. "Northumberland Line could reopen for passengers in 2022 | Rail Engineer". Rail Engineer. 28 March 2019. Archived from the original on 22 July 2019. Retrieved 22 July 2019.

Sources

Preceding station Historical railways Following station
Newsham
Line open; station closed
  Blyth and Tyne Railway  Terminus

55°07′41″N1°30′47″W / 55.128°N 1.513°W / 55.128; -1.513