Morpeth railway station
Morpeth | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Location | County of Northumberland |
| Managed by | Northern Rail |
| Platforms | 2 |
| Other information | |
| Station code | MPT |
| History | |
| Original company | Newcastle and Berwick Railway |
| Pre-grouping | North Eastern Railway |
| Post-grouping | LNER |
| Key dates | |
| 1 March 1847[1] | Station opened |
Morpeth railway station is a railway station on the East Coast Main Line in Northumberland, northern England, serving the town of Morpeth.
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] 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.
Services
Morpeth station is served by Virgin Trains East Coast intercity trains running to London and Edinburgh. Northern Rail operates a regular local service from here to Newcastle Central & MetroCentre (hourly Mondays - Saturdays) - two services per day continue northwards to Alnmouth and Chathill, Northern do not run services to Morpeth on a Sunday so services are provided by VTEC and CrossCountry.[7] Since December 2005 a few long distance services operated by CrossCountry have also stopped at Morpeth.[8] First Transpennine Express will start calling here from December 2019, when the current Liverpool to Newcastle service is extended to Edinburgh.[9]
In December 2011 a self-service FastTicket machine was installed by Northern Rail. Pre-purchased tickets can now also be collected from Morpeth.
| Preceding station |  National Rail
|
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newcastle Central | CrossCountry Cross Country Network |
Alnmouth | ||
| Virgin Trains East Coast London-Edinburgh |
| |||
| Cramlington | Northern Rail East Coast Main Line |
Terminus or Pegswood | ||
| 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 | ||
References
Notes
- ^ a b Butt 1995, p. 163
- ^ "Northumbrian Railways; Blyth and Tyne stations". Northumbrian-railways.co.uk. Retrieved 2009-03-29.
- ^ "SENRUG // South East Northumberland Rail User Group: Morpeth 'Then & Now'". Senrug.co.uk. Retrieved 2015-08-31.
- ^ Disused Stations - Morpeth B & T www.disused-stations.org.uk; Retrieved 2013-12-04
- ^ "Re-open Ashington Blyth Tyne Line". Senrug.co.uk. Retrieved 2015-08-31.
- ^ Body (1989), p.126
- ^ GB National Rail Timetable 2015, Table 48
- ^ GB NRT, Tables 26 & 51
- ^ TransPennine Express franchise improvements - Morpeth (DfT)
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. (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. ISBN 978-1-85260-508-7. OCLC 60251199. OL 11956311M.
- 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.
- Morpeth Station on navigable 1947 OS map
- RAILSCOT on Newcastle and Berwick Railway
- RAILSCOT on Wansbeck Railway
- RAILSCOT on Morpeth Branch (Blyth and Tyne Railway)
- Morpeth Station history page from the South East Northumberland Rail User Group
- Buses from the station
- Buses to the station