Morpeth railway station

Morpeth National Rail
Morpeth railway station
Location
Place Morpeth
Local authority County of Northumberland
Coordinates 55°09′44″N 1°40′58″W / 55.1622°N 1.6829°W / 55.1622; -1.6829Coordinates: 55°09′44″N 1°40′58″W / 55.1622°N 1.6829°W / 55.1622; -1.6829
Grid reference NZ202853
Operations
Station code MPT
Managed by Northern
Number of platforms 2
DfT category E
Live arrivals/departures, station information and onward connections
from National Rail Enquiries
Annual rail passenger usage*
2012/13 Increase 0.285 million
2013/14 Increase 0.316 million
2014/15 Increase 0.335 million
2015/16 Increase 0.357 million
2016/17 Increase 0.382 million
History
Original company Newcastle and Berwick Railway
Pre-grouping North Eastern Railway
Post-grouping LNER
1 March 1847 (1847-03-01)[1] Station opened
National Rail – UK railway stations
* Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Morpeth from Office of Rail and Road statistics. Methodology may vary year on year.
UK Railways portal

Morpeth railway station is on the East Coast Main Line in the United Kingdom, serving the town of Morpeth, Northumberland. It is 285 miles 6 chains (458.8 km) down the line from London King's Cross and on the main line it is situated between Cramlington to the south and Pegswood to the north. Its three-letter station code is MPT.

The station is managed by Northern.

History

The station was opened by the Newcastle and Berwick Railway on 1 March 1847.[1] It was designed by Benjamin Green in the Scottish Baronial style and retains its original station buildings.

A severe ninety degree curve in the line of the railway immediately to the south of the station has been the site of four serious rail accidents, two of them fatal.

Blyth and Tyne Railway

Another station was opened by the Blyth and Tyne Railway on 1 April 1858 and closed 24 May 1880.[2] This was a terminus station that was also used by North British Railway trains from the west from Scots Gap[3] from the opening of their line in 1862 until 1872.[4] The B&T line to Bedlington lost its passenger trains in April 1950 (although occasional summer services between Scotland and the North Eastern coastal resorts continued operating over it until the 1960s), but it remains in use for freight and may have its passenger trains restored in the future (as an extension of the current local stopping service) - the South East Northumberland Rail User Group is currently campaigning for this.[5] The current local service from Newcastle that terminates here uses the connection onto the B&T line north of the station to reverse and layover clear of the main line between trips.

Passenger trains over the old NBR line from Scots Gap and Reedsmouth/Rothbury ended in September 1952[6] and it closed completely in 1966 - few traces of this route now remain.

Facilities

In December 2011 a self-service FastTicket machine was installed by Northern for use outside the hours of operation of the ticket office (06:40 -12:40, Mondays to Saturdays only). Pre-purchased tickets can now also be collected from Morpeth. The ticket office is located on the eastern side of the line in the main station building, which also has a taxi office and toilets. The opposite (northbound) platform has a waiting shelter and the two are linked by a subway with lifts for wheelchair and mobility impaired users.[7] Train running information is supplied via timetable posters and digital display screens.[8]

Services

Monday to Saturdays: There is a regular hourly service to Newcastle which is operated by Northern, Most trains start or terminate here though there is 2 trains per day which operate to/from Chathill in the morning and evening peaks, On Sundays, A 2 hourly service operates to/from here to the MetroCentre with no service to/from Chathill. There is a limited service provided by other operators, As of 2018 this as follows:

LNER

LNER provide a limited service: There is 7 trains per day northbound to Edinburgh Waverley(1 of which extends to Aberdeen) and 7 trains per day southbound(5 go to London King's Cross, 1 terminates at Leeds and one only goes as far as Newcastle).

In May 2016 ORR gave the green light to a new operator called East Coast Trains which would operate services to Edinburgh Waverley via Stevenage, Newcastle & Morpeth. The operate would begin operation in 2021.[9][10][11]

A £1.7 million redevelopment of the station was approved in October 2016 and is due to start in Spring 2017 - this will see the main buildings refurbished and the portico entrance modernised to incorporate a cafeteria, expanded ticket office and upgraded toilets. 500 square metres of office space would also be created for local small businesses. The project is being led by Greater Morpeth Development Trust and Northumberland County Council, with financial support from the Railway Heritage Trust, Network Rail, Northern and the Heritage Lottery Fund.[12]

References

Notes

  1. 1 2 Butt 1995, p. 163
  2. ↑ "Northumbrian Railways; Blyth and Tyne stations". Northumbrian-railways.co.uk. Retrieved 2009-03-29.
  3. ↑ "SENRUG // South East Northumberland Rail User Group: Morpeth 'Then & Now'". Senrug.co.uk. Retrieved 2015-08-31.
  4. ↑ Disused Stations - Morpeth B & T www.disused-stations.org.uk; Retrieved 2013-12-04
  5. ↑ "Re-open Ashington Blyth Tyne Line". Senrug.co.uk. Retrieved 2015-08-31.
  6. ↑ Body (1989), p.126
  7. ↑ Morpeth station facilities National Rail Enquiries
  8. ↑ Morpeth station in 2015 Thomas, J Geograph.org.uk; Retrieved 6 February 2017
  9. ↑ Applications for the East Coast Main Line Office of Rail and Road 12 May 2016
  10. ↑ First Group to run Edinburgh to London budget rail service BBC News 12 May 2016
  11. ↑ VTEC and FirstGroup granted East Coast Main Line paths Railway Gazette International 12 May 2016
  12. ↑ "Full steam ahead for £1.7m redevelopment of Morpeth Railway Station" Muncaster, Michael Chronicle Live news article 2 November 2016; Retrieved 6 February 2017

Sources

  • Body, G. (1989). PSL Field Guides - Railways of the Eastern Region Volume 2: Northern operating area (1st ed.). Wellingborough: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 1-8526-0072-1. OCLC 59892452.
  • Butt, R. V. J. (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. ISBN 978-1-85260-508-7. OCLC 60251199.
  • Jowett, Alan (March 1989). Jowett's Railway Atlas of Great Britain and Ireland: From Pre-Grouping to the Present Day (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 978-1-85260-086-0. OCLC 22311137.
  • Jowett, Alan (2000). Jowett's Nationalised Railway Atlas (1st ed.). Penryn, Cornwall: Atlantic Transport Publishers. ISBN 978-0-906899-99-1. OCLC 228266687.
Preceding station National Rail Following station
Newcastle   CrossCountry
Cross Country Network		   Alnmouth
  London North Eastern Railway
London-Edinburgh		  
Cramlington   Northern
East Coast Main Line		   Pegswood
  Future Services  
Newcastle   East Coast Trains
East Coast Main Line
London – Edinburgh		   Edinburgh Waverley
  Historical railways  
Stannington
Line open; Station closed		   North Eastern Railway
Newcastle and Berwick Railway
   Pegswood
Line and Station open
Meldon
Line and Station closed		   North British Railway
Wansbeck Railway
   Terminus
Terminus   North Eastern Railway
Blyth and Tyne Railway
   Hepscott
Line open; Station closed
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