Redcar British Steel railway station

Redcar British Steel (also known as British Steel Redcar) is a mothballed railway station on the Tees Valley Line, which runs between Bishop Auckland and Saltburn via Darlington. The station, situated 5+3⁄4 miles (9 km) east of Middlesbrough, served the Teesside Steelworks, Redcar and Cleveland in North Yorkshire, England. At the time of the station's closure, it was owned by Network Rail and managed by Arriva Rail North.

Redcar British Steel

British Steel Redcar
National Rail
General information
LocationRedcar, Redcar and Cleveland
England
Coordinates54°36′35″N 1°06′45″W
Grid referenceNZ573241
Owned byNational Rail
Managed byNorthern Trains
Platforms2
Tracks2
Other information
StatusServices suspended
Station codeRBS
ClassificationDfT category F2
History
Original companyBritish Rail (Eastern Region)
Key dates
19 June 1978Opened
14 December 2019Services suspended
Passengers
2015/16Decrease 740
2016/17Decrease 50
2017/18Decrease 40
2018/19Increase 360
2019/20Increase 1,060[lower-alpha 1]
Location
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

History

The station was opened by British Rail on 19 June 1978.[1] It is situated on a re-sited portion of route that was commissioned to allow the previous alignment to be used for an expansion of the Teesside Steelworks. This included a station at Warrenby Halt, which was closed and replaced by the current station.[2]

In the 2014–15 period, the Office of Rail and Road recorded a total of 1,570 entries and exits. In 2015, the majority of the Teesside Steelworks closed, resulting in a drop in passenger usage of the station.

In the 2016–17 period the entries and exits dropped to fifty, making it the fourth least-used station in Britain.[3] In the 2017–18 period, it was named the least used station in Britain with only forty entries and exits, surpassing Barry Links.[4]

The station saw a significant increase in passengers in the 2018–19 and 2019–20 periods, with 360 and 1,060 entries and exits respectively, which was likely attributed to its "least-used" status.[5] This "least-used" status was highlighted in Geoff Marshall's video about the station.[6]

Arriva Rail North suspended services from the station on 14 December 2019,[7] and as of September 2022, services have not resumed. However, work to regenerate the site of the former Teesside Steelworks is being undertaken by South Tees Development Corporation, which aims to redevelop the station and improve services.[8]

Facilities

At the time of the station's closure, it had two platforms, both of which had very basic amenities. There was a waiting shelter on both platforms, as well as timetable posters. There was no step-free access between platforms, which could be accessed only by a metal footbridge.[9]

Services
Northern Trains
Route 3
Tees Valley Line
 Bishop Auckland Parking Heritage railway
 Shildon Bicycle facilities Heritage railway
 Newton Aycliffe Parking Bicycle facilities
 Heighington Parking
 North Road Bicycle facilities
 Darlington Parking Bicycle facilities Handicapped/disabled access
 Dinsdale
 Teesside Airport Airport interchange
 Allens West Bicycle facilities
 Eaglescliffe Parking Bicycle facilities
 Thornaby Parking Bicycle facilities
 Middlesbrough Parking Bicycle facilities Handicapped/disabled access
 South Bank Bicycle facilities
 Redcar Central Parking Bicycle facilities Handicapped/disabled access
 Redcar East Bicycle facilities
 Longbeck Bicycle facilities
 Marske Bicycle facilities
 Saltburn Bicycle facilities

At the time of closure, the station was served by four trains per day. Heading east, two trains per day operated to Saltburn, which commenced at Hexham via Hartlepool (morning) and Bishop Auckland (afternoon) respectively. Heading west, two trains per day operated to Bishop Auckland, both of which commenced at Saltburn. All services were operated by Arriva Rail North.

Rolling stock used: Class 142 Pacer,[lower-alpha 2] Class 156 Super Sprinter and Class 158 Express Sprinter

Preceding station National Rail National Rail Following station
  Historical railways  
Redcar Central   Arriva Rail North
Tees Valley Line		   South Bank
Redcar Central   British Rail (Eastern Region)
Tees Valley Line		   Grangetown

References
  1. 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. p. 44. ISBN 978-1-85260-508-7. OCLC 60251199. OL 11956311M.
  2. Delplanque, Paul (14 November 2008). "The Village That Disappeared". Evening Gazette (Middlesbrough). Archived from the original on 31 March 2009. Retrieved 2 December 2013.
  3. "Loneliest station has biggest rise in use". BBC News. 1 December 2017. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 1 December 2017.
  4. "Redcar British Steel station 'least used' in Britain". BBC News. 12 December 2018. Archived from the original on 23 January 2019. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
  5. "Least used railway station Redcar British Steel gets visitor boost". BBC News. 14 January 2020. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  6. "Redcar British Steel - Least Used Station in Britain 2018". YouTube. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
  7. "Rail service launch hailed 'huge step forward'". BBC News. 12 September 2019. Archived from the original on 6 December 2019. Retrieved 12 September 2019.
  8. "Redcar SSI site regeneration plan 'may create 20,000 jobs'". BBC News. 18 October 2017. Archived from the original on 25 June 2018. Retrieved 10 June 2018.
  9. "Redcar British Steel Station Train Tickets, Departures and Timetables". Northern Trains. Retrieved 6 June 2021.

Notes
  1. Services were suspended on 14 December 2019, and have not yet (as of November 2022) been reinstated.
  2. The Class 142 Pacer was used at the time of the station's closure, but now no longer operates on the Tees Valley Line.
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