Redcar British Steel railway station

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5+34 miles (9 km) east of Middlesbrough, served the Teesside Steelworks, Redcar and Cleveland in North Yorkshire, England. At the time of the suspension of services, the station was owned by Network Rail and managed by Arriva Rail North.

Contents

History

The station was opened by British Rail on 19 June 1978. [1] It is situated on a re-sited portion of route that was commissioned to allow the previous alignment to be used for an expansion of the Teesside Steelworks. This included a station at Warrenby Halt, which was closed and replaced by the current station. [2]

In the 2014–15 period, the Office of Rail and Road recorded a total of 1,570 entries and exits. In 2015, the majority of the Teesside Steelworks closed, resulting in a drop in passenger usage of the station.

In the 2016–17 period the entries and exits dropped to fifty, making it the fourth-least-used station in Britain. [3] In the 2017–18 period it was named the least used station in Britain, with only forty entries and exits, surpassing Barry Links. [4]

The station saw a significant increase in passengers in the 2018–19 and 2019–20 periods, with 360 and 1,060 entries and exits respectively; the reason for the increase was thought likely to be its "least-used" status. [5] This "least-used" status was highlighted in Geoff Marshall's video about the station. [6]

Arriva Rail North suspended services from the station on 14 December 2019, [7] and as of February 2024, services had not resumed. However, work to regenerate the site of the former Teesside Steelworks is being undertaken by South Tees Development Corporation, which aims to redevelop the station and improve services. [8]

Facilities

At the time of the suspension of services the station had two platforms, both of which had very basic amenities. There was a waiting shelter on each platform, as well as timetable posters. There was no step-free access between platforms, which could be accessed only by a metal footbridge. [9]

Services

Redcar British Steel

British Steel Redcar
National Rail logo.svg
British Steel Redcar railway station in 2008.jpg
General information
Location Redcar, Redcar and Cleveland
England
Coordinates 54°36′35″N1°06′45″W / 54.6097585°N 1.1125744°W / 54.6097585; -1.1125744
Grid reference NZ573241
Owned by National Rail
Managed by Northern Trains
Platforms2
Tracks2
Other information
StatusServices suspended
Station codeRBS
Classification DfT category F2
History
Original company British Rail (Eastern Region)
Key dates
19 June 1978Opened
14 December 2019Services suspended
Passengers
2015/16Decrease2.svg 740
Northern Trains
Route 3
Tees Valley line
BSicon KINTa.svg
Bishop Auckland      
BSicon lDAMPF.svg
BSicon HST.svg
Shildon
BSicon HST.svg
Newton Aycliffe
BSicon HST.svg
Heighington
BSicon HST.svg
North Road
BSicon HST.svg
Darlington
BSicon HST.svg
Dinsdale
BSicon HST.svg
Allens West
BSicon HST.svg
Eaglescliffe
BSicon HST.svg
Thornaby
BSicon HST.svg
Middlesbrough
BSicon HST.svg
South Bank
BSicon HST.svg
Redcar Central
BSicon HST.svg
Redcar East
BSicon HST.svg
Longbeck
BSicon HST.svg
Marske
BSicon KHSTe.svg
Saltburn

At the time of suspension, the station was served by four trains per day. Heading east, two trains per day operated to Saltburn, which commenced at Hexham via Hartlepool (morning) and Bishop Auckland (afternoon) respectively. Heading west, two trains per day operated to Bishop Auckland, both of which commenced at Saltburn. All services were operated by Arriva Rail North.

Rolling stock used: Class 142 Pacer, [lower-alpha 2] Class 156 Super Sprinter and Class 158 Express Sprinter

Preceding station National Rail logo.svg National Rail Following station
  Historical railways  
Redcar Central   Arriva Rail North
Tees Valley Line
  South Bank
Redcar Central   British Rail (Eastern Region)
Tees Valley Line
  Grangetown

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Some railway stations in the United Kingdom have no services on offer from them, which renders the station effectively closed. These stations do not appear in the rail usage figures of the Office of Rail & Road as the stations receive no passengers. In order for the station to officially close, the Department for Transport is required to launch a consultation process before formally closing, under the provisions of the Railways Act 2005.

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Redcar Bulk Terminal (RBT), also known as Redcar Ore Terminal, is a privately run dock at the mouth of the Tees Estuary in North Yorkshire, England. The port is used for the transhipment of coal and coke and for many years was the import dock for iron ore destined for Redcar Steelworks under British Steel Corporation, British Steel plc, Corus, Tata Steel Europe and Sahaviriya Steel Industries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boulby line</span> Railway in North-East England

The Boulby line is a freight-only railway line in Redcar and Cleveland, England. The line was opened in stages between 1865 and 1882, being part of two railways that met at Brotton railway station. Passenger trains along the line ceased in 1960, and since then it has been a freight-only line dedicated to the potash and polyhalite traffic from Boulby, and steel products into Skinningrove Steelworks.

References

  1. Butt, R. V. J. (October 1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 44. ISBN   978-1-85260-508-7. OCLC   60251199. OL   11956311M.
  2. Delplanque, Paul (14 November 2008). "The Village That Disappeared". Evening Gazette (Middlesbrough). Archived from the original on 31 March 2009. Retrieved 2 December 2013.
  3. "Loneliest station has biggest rise in use". BBC News. 1 December 2017. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 1 December 2017.
  4. "Redcar British Steel station 'least used' in Britain". BBC News. 12 December 2018. Archived from the original on 23 January 2019. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
  5. "Least used railway station Redcar British Steel gets visitor boost". BBC News. 14 January 2020. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  6. "Redcar British Steel – Least Used Station in Britain 2018". YouTube . Retrieved 28 June 2022.
  7. "Rail service launch hailed 'huge step forward'". BBC News. 12 September 2019. Archived from the original on 6 December 2019. Retrieved 12 September 2019.
  8. "Redcar SSI site regeneration plan 'may create 20,000 jobs'". BBC News. 18 October 2017. Archived from the original on 25 June 2018. Retrieved 10 June 2018.
  9. "Redcar British Steel Station Train Tickets, Departures and Timetables". Northern Trains . Retrieved 6 June 2021.

Notes

  1. Services were permanently suspended starting 14 December 2019
  2. The Class 142 Pacer was used at the time of the station's closure, but now no longer operates on the Tees Valley Line.