Uttoxeter railway station

Uttoxeter
View of Uttoxeter station from Bamford Bridge
Location
Place	Uttoxeter
Local authority	East Staffordshire
Coordinates	52.8968°N 1.8575°W / 52.8968; -1.8575
Operations
Station code	UTT
Managed by	East Midlands Trains
Number of platforms	2
Live arrivals/departures and station information from National Rail Enquiries
Annual rail passenger usage
2004/05 *	86,365
2005/06 *	90,484
2006/07 *	106,705
2007/08 *	119,095
2008/09 *	131,420
2009/10 *	134,812
History
Pre-grouping	North Staffordshire Railway
Post-grouping	London, Midland and Scottish Railway
11 September 1848	Uttoxeter Junction opened
13 July 1849	Uttoxeter Dove Bank opened
1 December 1867	Uttoxeter Bridge Street opened
October 1881	Earlier stations closed; present station opened
National Rail - UK railway stations
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
* Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Uttoxeter from Office of Rail Regulation statistics. Please note: methodology may vary year on year.

Uttoxeter railway station  pronounced (listen) serves the town of Uttoxeter in Staffordshire, England. It is served by trains on the Crewe-Derby Line which is also a Community rail line known as the North Staffordshire line. The station is owned by Network Rail and managed by East Midlands Trains (EMT) Train Operating Company (TOC).

History

A 1905 Railway Clearing House Junction Diagram showing (upper left) railways in the vicinity of Uttoxeter

North Staffordshire Railway

The present station was built by the North Staffordshire Railway (NSR) to serve its main line from Stoke-on-Trent to Derby. Prior to 1881, three different stations had been in use simultaneously, all being built by the NSR or its constituents.

The section from Stoke-on-Trent to Uttoxeter was opened on 7 August 1848. At first, the still existing Hockley crossing was the location of the temporary station. Later, Uttoxeter Bridge Street station was opened as the main station when the line was completed to Burton on 11 September 1848. When the Churnet Valley Line was opened on 13 July 1849, a junction station was opened on the mainline to serve the Churnet Valley line. On this date, Uttoxeter Dove Bank station was also opened but on the Churnet line.

Uttoxeter station layout

Uttoxeter now had three stations in total. In 1880, the NSR decided to close all three and construct a north to west line forming a triangular junction. A new Uttoxeter station replaced all three at this new junction and opened on 10 October 1881. There is a model of the 1881 station at the Uttoxeter Heritage Centre.

The Stafford and Uttoxeter Railway which opened in 1867 also used the station but this line was operated by the Great Northern Railway.

London, Midland and Scottish Railway

On 1 January 1923, under the Railways Act 1921 the North Staffordshire Railway was absorbed by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS). During this short period of time the Stafford and Uttoxeter Railway closed to passengers on 4 December 1939, although the line remained open for good traffic until 5 March 1951.

British Rail

Local goods train entering Uttoxeter in 1959

The LMS was nationalised in 1948 and became part of British Rail.

The last mainline steam train use the station on 16 September 1957 and thereafter an hourly DMU service operated which has been used ever since.

Passenger services on the Churnet Valley line from Uttoxeter towards Leek and Macclesfield ceased operation 2 January 1965, and the trains towards Ashbourne and Buxton ceased on 1 November 1954. The last mainline steam train ran on 16 September 1957. The Engine sheds closed on 7 December 1964 A siding which was part of the old Churnet valley line remained until the 1980s.

The station buildings were destroyed by fire on 9 May 1987 and the station is now unstaffed.

Privatisation

On 2 March 1997 the station became part of the Central Trains franchise. Trains would run from the station from Manchester Airport to Skegness railway station in 2004 the Manchester Airport train was cut short to Crewe and in September 2005 the Skegness train was cut short to Derby.

The Central Trains franchise expired on 11 November 2007 and the station and its services were taken over by a new company called East Midlands Trains.

Today

The station has 2 platforms which are connected by level crossing. The Station is around 5 minutes walk from the town centre. The station also has a car park. The station is presently unstaffed and has been since 1988, there have been proposals to build a ticket office since 2002 but they look unlikely in the short term. There are Bus stop style shelters on both platforms and real bus stop just outside the station on Station Road. New LED information boards on both platforms were introduced in 2007 which replaced a single television screen at the entrance to the station.

Uttoxeter also the railway station for Uttoxeter Racecourse which is adjacent to the station as well as Alton Towers theme park, for which there is a regular bus link.

Services

Uttoxeter is served by one train per hour per hour in each direction usually operated by a class 153, 156 or a 158.

During the Midlands Grand National extra trains are provided by East Midlands Trains to cope with the capacity.

The station also has a bus stop and is served by routes 30, 32, 32A and 402.

External links

• Train times and station information for Uttoxeter railway station from National Rail
• Dudley Mall - Stoke-on-Trent to Derby Line
• The North Staffordshire Railway Study Group

Preceding station		National Rail		Following station
Blythe Bridge		East Midlands Trains Crewe to Derby Line		Tutbury and Hatton
Preceding station		Historical railways		Following station
Bramshall Line open, station closed		North Staffordshire Railway Crewe to Derby Line		Marchington Line open, station closed
Rocester Line and station closed		North Staffordshire Railway Churnet Valley Line		Terminus
Grindley		Great Northern Railway Stafford and Uttoxeter Railway		Terminus