Haltwhistle railway station (original) (raw)

Railway station in Northumberland, England

HaltwhistleNational Rail
General information
Location Haltwhistle, NorthumberlandEngland
Coordinates 54°58′05″N 2°27′46″W / 54.9679903°N 2.4627642°W / 54.9679903; -2.4627642
Grid reference NY704638
Owned by Network Rail
Managed by Northern Trains
Platforms 2
Tracks 2
Other information
Station code HWH
Classification DfT category F1
History
Original company Newcastle and Carlisle Railway
Pre-grouping North Eastern Railway
Post-grouping London and North Eastern Railway British Rail (North Eastern Region)
Key dates
18 June 1838 (1838-06-18) Opened
Passengers
2018/19 Increase 70,458
2019/20 Increase 81,244
2020/21 Decrease 21,922
2021/22 Increase 68,360
2022/23 Increase 77,010
LocationHaltwhistle is located in NorthumberlandHaltwhistleHaltwhistleLocation in Northumberland, England
NotesPassenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

Haltwhistle is a railway station on the Tyne Valley Line, which runs between Newcastle and Carlisle via Hexham. The station, situated 22 miles 66 chains (22.8 mi; 36.7 km) east of Carlisle, serves the market town of Haltwhistle in Northumberland, England. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by Northern Trains.

The Newcastle and Carlisle Railway was formed in 1829, and was opened in stages.[1] The station was opened in June 1838, following the opening of the line between Greenhead and Haydon Bridge.[2][3][4] The station is thought to be the work of the line's resident engineer, John Blackmore.

In 1852, the station became a junction, with the opening of the Newcastle and Carlisle Railway's branch line to Alston. Following the demise of the line and closure of the coal depot in the late 1970s, the track layout was simplified. The former bay platform remains, but without track.[5]

Haltwhistle was reduced to an unstaffed halt in 1967, along with most of the other stations on the line that escaped the Beeching Axe. The station has retained its water tower, water crane, main buildings, signal box and original wooden shelters – several of which are Grade II listed.

The station's signal box, constructed in 1901 by the North Eastern Railway, was taken out of use in 1993, following re-signalling to colour lights.[6] It was replaced by a smaller prefabricated signal box, which is located around 145 yards (133 m) to the west of the former.

As of October 2020, in a project led by the Tyne Valley Community Rail Partnership, work is underway to refurbish the station's former waiting room buildings – at a cost of £500,000. The project will see improved waiting areas for passengers, as well as new office and studio space.[7][8][9]

The refurbished footbridge in August 2021

During early 2021, the footbridge between the two platforms was refurbished.

The station has two platforms, both of which have a ticket machine (which accepts card or contactless payment only), seating, waiting shelter, next train audio and visual displays and an emergency help point. There is step-free access to both platforms by road underbridge, with both platforms also being linked by a footbridge. There is a small car park at the station.[10]

Haltwhistle is part of the Northern Trains penalty fare network, meaning that a valid ticket or promise to pay notice is required prior to boarding the train.[11]

Northern TrainsRoute 4
vte
Tyne Valley line
Carlisle Wetheral Brampton Haltwhistle Bardon Mill Haydon Bridge Hexham Corbridge Riding Mill Stocksfield Prudhoe Wylam Blaydon MetroCentre Dunston Newcastle Tyne and Wear Metro
Most services extend to/fromMorpeth or Nunthorpe.

As of the December 2023 timetable, there is a twice-hourly service (hourly on Sunday) service between Newcastle and Carlisle via Hexham, with additional trains at peak times. Some trains extend to Morpeth or Nunthorpe via Hartlepool. All services are operated by Northern Trains.[12]

Rolling stock used: Class 156 Super Sprinter and Class 158 Express Sprinter

| Preceding station | National Rail National Rail | Following station | | | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Bardon Milltowards Newcastle | | Northern TrainsTyne Valley Line | | Bramptontowards Carlisle | | | Historical railways | | | | | | Bardon Mill | | North Eastern RailwayNewcastle and Carlisle Railway | | Greenhead | | | Disused railways | | | | | | Terminus | | North Eastern RailwayAlston branch line | | Featherstone Park | | | | Plenmeller Halt | | | |

For more information about the former branch line, see Alston Line.

The station was formerly the terminus of the Alston branch line, which ran for 13 miles (21 km) from Haltwhistle to the town of Alston in Cumbria. Originally built to access the mines around Alston, the line never fulfilled its economic potential. It was originally marked for closure in the 1960s, under the Beeching plan, however the lack of an all-weather road kept it open. Following improvements to the road network in the 1970s, the station, along with the line, was closed on 3 May 1976 by the British Railways Board.[13]

The track was lifted the following year, after a preservation attempt by the South Tynedale Railway Preservation Society proved to be unsuccessful. The society did eventually succeed in buying part of the line, with the South Tynedale Railway narrow-gauge heritage railway opening on 30 July 1983.

The path of the branch line follows the Pennine Way for some of its route, and was mentioned by Alfred Wainwright in his Pennine Way Companion.

  1. ^ James, Leslie (November 1983). A Chronology of the Construction of Britain's Railways 1778-1855. Shepperton: Ian Allan. p. 22. ISBN 0-7110-1277-6. BE/1183.
  2. ^ Allen, Cecil J. (1974) [1964]. The North Eastern Railway. Shepperton: Ian Allan. p. 36. ISBN 0-7110-0495-1.
  3. ^ Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 27. ISBN 1-85260-508-1. R508.
  4. ^ Conolly, W. Philip (January 1976). British Railways Pre-Grouping Atlas and Gazetteer (5th ed.). Shepperton: Ian Allan. p. 27, section B2. ISBN 0-7110-0320-3. EX/0176.
  5. ^ Young, Alan (21 May 2017). "Disused Stations: Haltwhistle Station". Disused Stations. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  6. ^ Curtis, Andrew (27 February 2015). "Signal Box, Haltwhistle Railway Station". Geograph. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  7. ^ Edgar, Bill (3 October 2020). "£500,000 investment to rejuvenate railway station". Hexham Courant. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  8. ^ "Investing in the Future at Haltwhistle Railway Station". Tyne Valley Community Rail Partnership. 23 September 2020. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  9. ^ Coleman, Tom (3 October 2020). "Small town railway station renovation project is finally 'becoming reality'". News and Star. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  10. ^ "Haltwhistle Station Train Tickets, Departures and Timetables". Northern Trains. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  11. ^ "Penalty Fares Map". Northern Trains. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  12. ^ Table 42 National Rail timetable, December 2023
  13. ^ Quick, Michael (2009). Railway Passenger Stations in Great Britain: A Chronology. Railway and Canal Historical Society. p. 10. ISBN 978-0901461575.