Redcar British Steel railway station explained

Redcar British Steel
Native Name:British Steel Redcar
Symbol Location:gb
Symbol:rail
Borough:Redcar, Redcar and Cleveland
Country:England
Coordinates:54.6098°N -1.1126°W
Mapframe-Zoom:12
Grid Name:Grid reference
Owned:National Rail
Manager:Northern Trains
Platforms:2
Tracks:2
Status:Services suspended
Code:RBS
Classification:DfT category F2
Original:British Rail (Eastern Region)
Years1:19 June 1978
Events1:Opened
Years2:14 December 2019
Events2:Services suspended
Mapframe:yes
Footnotes:Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

Redcar British Steel (also known as British Steel Redcar) is a mothballed railway station on the Tees Valley Line, which runs between and via . The station, situated NaNmiles east of Middlesbrough, served the Teesside Steelworks, Redcar and Cleveland in North Yorkshire, England. At the time of the suspension of services, the station was owned by Network Rail and managed by Arriva Rail North.

History

The station was opened by British Rail on 19 June 1978. 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, which was closed and replaced by the current station.[1]

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.[2] In the 2017–18 period it was named the least used station in Britain, with only forty entries and exits, surpassing .[3]

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; the reason for the increase was thought likely to be its "least-used" status.[4] This "least-used" status was highlighted in Geoff Marshall's video about the station.[5]

Arriva Rail North suspended services from the station on 14 December 2019,[6] and as of February 2024, services had 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.[7]

Facilities

At the time of the suspension of services the station had two platforms, both of which had very basic amenities. There was a waiting shelter on each platform, as well as timetable posters. There was no step-free access between platforms, which could be accessed only by a metal footbridge.[8]

Services

At the time of suspension, the station was served by four trains per day. Heading east, two trains per day operated to, which commenced at Hexham via Hartlepool (morning) and (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, Class 156 Super Sprinter and Class 158 Express Sprinter

Notes and References

  1. News: Delplanque . Paul . The Village That Disappeared . dead . Evening Gazette (Middlesbrough) . 14 November 2008 . 2 December 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090331143813/http://rememberwhen.gazettelive.co.uk/2008/11/warrenby_the_village_that_disa.html . 31 March 2009.
  2. News: Loneliest station has biggest rise in use . live . . 1 December 2017 . 1 December 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171201141611/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-42196835 . 1 December 2017.
  3. News: Redcar British Steel station 'least used' in Britain . live . BBC News . 12 December 2018 . 22 January 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190123072608/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tees-46535722 . 23 January 2019.
  4. News: Least used railway station Redcar British Steel gets visitor boost . BBC News . 14 January 2020 . 6 June 2021.
  5. Web site: Redcar British Steel – Least Used Station in Britain 2018 . . 28 June 2022.
  6. News: 12 September 2019. Rail service launch hailed 'huge step forward'. BBC News. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20191206120330/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tees-49681943. 6 December 2019. 12 September 2019.
  7. News: Redcar SSI site regeneration plan 'may create 20,000 jobs' . live . BBC News . 18 October 2017 . 10 June 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180625113513/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tees-41650508 . 25 June 2018.
  8. Web site: Redcar British Steel Station Train Tickets, Departures and Timetables . . 6 June 2021.