Billingham is a railway station on the Durham Coast Line, which runs between Newcastle and Middlesbrough via Hartlepool. The station, situated 10 miles 8 chains (16.3 km) north-west of Middlesbrough, serves the town of Billingham, Borough of Stockton-on-Tees in County Durham, England. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by Northern Trains.
Billingham  | |||||
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| General information | |||||
| Location | Billingham, Borough of Stockton-on-Tees England | ||||
| Coordinates | 54°36′21″N 1°16′46″W / 54.6057149°N 1.2795366°W | ||||
| Grid reference | NZ466236 | ||||
| Owned by | Network Rail | ||||
| Managed by | Northern Trains | ||||
| Platforms | 2 | ||||
| Tracks | 2 | ||||
| Other information | |||||
| Station code | BIL | ||||
| Classification | DfT category F2 | ||||
| History | |||||
| Original company | Stockton and Hartlepool Railway | ||||
| Pre-grouping | North Eastern Railway | ||||
| Post-grouping | |||||
| Key dates | |||||
| 10 February 1841 | Opened as Billingham | ||||
| 1 March 1870 | Renamed Billingham Junction | ||||
| 1 May 1893 | Renamed Billingham | ||||
| 1 October 1926 | Renamed Billingham-on-Tees | ||||
| 7 November 1966 | Resited and renamed Billingham | ||||
| Passengers | |||||
| 2019/20 |  91,504 | ||||
| 2020/21 |  23,126 | ||||
| 2021/22 | 75,062 | ||||
| 2022/23 | 77,234 | ||||
| 2023/24 | 98,006 | ||||
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History
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The station is a modern-style halt on the line and was opened on Monday 7 November 1966 to replace the town's original grander station located further west towards Norton; this closed the previous day[1] and was subsequently demolished in the early 1970s. It was located to the west of the junction between the Durham Coast Line and the earlier Port Clarence Branch of the Clarence Railway,[2] adjacent to the level crossing carrying the old route of the A19 across the railway. The signal box and footbridge were demolished between 2018 and 2023.[citation needed]
The new Billingham station, built by the Eastern Region of British Rail, was provided with a booking hall, waiting room, parcels office and lavatories. These facilities were lost when the station was reduced to unstaffed halt status towards the end of the 1960s.[citation needed] The station building of 1966 was demolished in 2023 to make way for the construction of a new footbridge and lifts.[citation needed]
The Tees Valley Rail Strategy calls for the re-opening of the original station as 'Old Billingham' as a new additional station on the Durham Coast Line. However, the plans have yet to come to fruition.[citation needed]
Tees Valley Metro
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Starting in 2006, Billingham was mentioned within the Tees Valley Metro scheme. This was a plan to upgrade the Tees Valley Line and sections of the Esk Valley Line and Durham Coast Line to provide a faster and more frequent service across the North East of England. In the initial phases the services would have been heavy rail mostly along existing alignments with new additional infrastructure and rollingstock. The later phase would have introduced tram-trains to allow street running and further heavy rail extensions.[3][4][5][6]
As part of the scheme, Billingham station would have received improved service to Nunthorpe and Hartlepool, possibly a street-running link to Guisborough and the Headland, as well as new rollingstock.[3][5]
However, due to a change in government in 2010 and the 2008 financial crisis, the project was ultimately shelved.[7] Several stations eventually got their improvements and there is a possibility of improved rollingstock and services in the future which may affect Billingham.[8]
Accidents and incidents
edit- On 2 December 1953, a train, hauled by Ex-WD Austerity 2-8-0 No. 90048, ran off the end of the loop and was derailed. An express freight train, hauled by Ex-LNER Class V2 2-6-2 No. 60891, then ran into the wreckage, and was also derailed.[9]
Facilities
editThe station is unstaffed but has a ticket machine. A lit, unenclosed waiting shelter, digital information screens and CCTV cameras were installed in 2023, along with improvements to the long-line public address (PA) system for service announcements. Train running information can also be obtained by telephone, a customer help point and timetable poster boards. Access to the island platform is via a stepped footbridge and lifts.[10]
Services
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Durham Coast line
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As of the winter 2023 timetable change, the station is served by an hourly service between Newcastle and Middlesbrough. Most trains continue to Hexham (or Carlisle on Sunday) and Nunthorpe beyond Middlesbrough. Two trains per day (three on Sunday) continue to Whitby. Two direct trains operate between Hartlepool and Darlington on Sundays. All services are operated by Northern Trains.[11]
Rolling stock used: Class 156 Super Sprinter and Class 158 Express Sprinter
References
edit- ^ Poster for New Billingham Station 1966Picture Stockton Archive; Retrieved 2013-12-02
- ^ Hill, Norman (2001). Teesside Railways A View From The Past. Hersham: Ian Allan Publishing Ltd. p. 4. ISBN 0711028036.
- ^ a b Tees valley Unlimited (18 May 2010). "Tees Valley Metro: Phase 1 - Project Summary" (PDF). Stockton-on-Tess Borough Council.
- ^ Tees Valley Unlimited (April 2011). "Connecting the Tees Valley - Statement of Transport Ambition" (PDF). Retrieved 13 November 2024.
- ^ a b LOWES, RON; PARKER, IAN (18 September 2007). "Executive Report - Tees Valley Metro" (PDF). Retrieved 13 November 2024.
- ^ "Metro system hope for Tees Valley". 9 November 2006. Retrieved 13 November 2024.
- ^ "When the Tees Valley was set to get its own £220m metro system and what went wrong". The Northern Echo. 4 February 2023. Retrieved 13 November 2024.
- ^ "Tees Valley authority unanimously backs £1bn transport plan". BBC News. 27 January 2024. Retrieved 13 November 2024.
- ^ Hoole, Ken (1983). Trains in Trouble: Vol. 4. Truro: Atlantic Books. ISBN 0-906899-07-9.
- ^ Billingham station facilitiesNational Rail Enquiries; Retrieved 8 February 2017
- ^ Table 41 National Rail timetable, December 2023
External links
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Media related to Billingham railway station at Wikimedia Commons- Train times and station information for Billingham railway station from National Rail
| Preceding station |  National Rail
|
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stockton | Northern Trains Durham Coast Line |
Seaton Carew | ||
| Historical railways | ||||
| Stockton-on-Tees Line and station open |
British Rail (Eastern Region) Durham Coast Line |
Greatham Line open; station closed | ||
| Norton-on-Tees Line open; station closed |
London and North Eastern Railway Durham Coast Line |
Greatham Line open; station closed | ||
| Norton-on-Tees Line open; station closed |
London and North Eastern Railway Clarence Railway (Port Clarence Branch) |
Belasis Lane Line open; station closed | ||