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Berwick-upon-Tweed railway station

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Berwick-upon-Tweed
General information
LocationNorthumberland
Managed byEast Coast
Platforms2
Other information
Station codeBWK
History
Opened1847[1]
Original companyNorth British Railway / Newcastle and Berwick Railway
Pre-groupingNorth British Railway / North Eastern Railway
Post-groupingLNER

Berwick-upon-Tweed railway station is a railway station which serves the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed in Northumberland. It is located on the East Coast Main Line, 335 miles north of London Kings Cross and 55 miles south of Edinburgh Waverley. It is the most northerly railway station in England, being only a few miles from the most northerly point in England.

The station, with its long single island platform lies immediately to the north of the Royal Border Bridge.

History

In 1847, the Great Hall of Berwick Castle had to be demolished to make way for the newly-built station (the former West Wall of the castle still marks the boundary of the now-defunct station goods yard). This replaced an initial structure erected by the North British Railway, whose line from the north first reached the town in 1846[2]. The Newcastle and Berwick Railway meanwhile reached the southern bank of the River Tweed in March 1847, but it would be another eighteen months before a temporary viaduct across the river was commissioned to allow through running between Edinburgh and Newcastle. This in turn was replaced by the current Royal Border Bridge in July 1850[3].

The station was also at one time served by local stopping trains between Newcastle & Edinburgh and the branch line from Newtown St Boswells via Kelso (which joined the main line at Tweedmouth, on the other side of the river) from 1851 until closure in 1964[4].

For approximately 5 months in 1979, this was the terminal station for services from London Kings Cross after the East Coast Main Line was blocked by the collapse of Penmanshiel Tunnel. Buses linked this station with Dunbar, from where a railway shuttle service continued to Edinburgh Waverley.

Berwick station in 1970

Services

Preceding station National Rail National Rail Following station
Alnmouth   CrossCountry
Cross Country Network 		  Dunbar
Newcastle   East Coast
East Coast Main Line 		  Dunbar
  Historical railways  
connection to
Newcastle and Berwick Railway 		  North British Railway

NBR Main Line

  Burnmouth
Line open; station closed
Tweedmouth
Line open; station closed 		  Newcastle and Berwick Railway   connection to
North British Railway

Buses from the station Buses to the station

References

Notes

  1. ^ Butt (1995)
  2. ^ Body, p.35
  3. ^ Body, p.36
  4. ^ "Kelso railway station history (www.border-net.co.uk)". Retrieved 2008-11-21.

Sources

  • Anderson, David (July 1996). "Steam Days at Berwick-upon-Tweed". Steam Days. 83: 403–13.
  • Anon. (May–June 1966). "Berwick". Perspective East Yorkshire. 15: 359.
  • 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.
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