James Cook railway station

James Cook railway station[1] (also referred to as James Cook University Hospital) is located on the Esk Valley Line serving the James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough. It also serves the surrounding areas of Berwick Hills and Park End, as well as the nearby Middlesbrough Sports Village.[2]

James Cook
James Cook railway station July 2014
Location
Place	Park End
Local authority	Middlesbrough
Coordinates	54.5518°N 1.2083°W / 54.5518; -1.2083
Grid reference	NZ512177
Operations
Station code	JCH
Managed by	Northern Trains
Number of platforms	1
Live arrivals/departures, station information and onward connections from National Rail Enquiries
Annual rail passenger usage*
2014/15	23,176
2015/16	31,578
2016/17	31,402
2017/18	33,774
2018/19	37,080
History
18 May 2014	Opened
National Rail – UK railway stations
* Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at James Cook from Office of Rail and Road statistics. Methodology may vary year on year.

It is located approximately 2.5 miles (4 km) south east of Middlesbrough, and is operated by Northern Trains who provide all of the station's passenger services.

The 371-foot (113 m) long single platform station includes a fully lit waiting shelter with seating, CCTV coverage and passenger information via an electronic screen and public address announcements.[3][4]

The station serves James Cook University Hospital.

History

Plans for the building of a station at the hospital had been discussed for some 25 years, including as part of the Tees Valley Metro project. The station was finally given the green light by Middlesbrough Council's planning committee in January 2013 and construction work started in January 2014.[5] The station cost £2.2 million to build and opened to the public on 18 May 2014.[6] The station was officially opened on 18 July 2014 by the then Minister of State for Transport, Baroness Kramer.[7]

According to the Office of Rail and Road statistics, there were 37,080 total entries and exits at the station in the 2018–19 period.[8]

Services

Northern Trains Route 2: Durham Coast Line
Tyne Valley Line to Carlisle East Coast Main Line to London King's Cross Newcastle East Coast Main Line to Edinburgh Heworth Sunderland Seaham Horden Hartlepool Seaton Carew Billingham Stockton Tees Valley Line to Bishop Auckland Thornaby Middlesbrough Tees Valley Line to Saltburn Esk Valley Line to Whitby

Northern Trains Route 5: Esk Valley Line
Durham Coast Line to Newcastle & Tees Valley Line to Bishop Auckland Middlesbrough Tees Valley Line to Saltburn James Cook Marton Gypsy Lane Nunthorpe Great Ayton Battersby Kildale Commondale Castleton Moor Danby Lealholm Glaisdale Egton North York Moors Railway to Pickering Grosmont for North York Moors Railway Sleights Ruswarp Whitby

As of the December 2019 timetable change, Northern Trains run an hourly service on the Esk Valley Line between Middlesbrough and Nunthorpe, with 6 trains (4 trains on Sundays) per day continuing to Whitby.

Most trains heading towards Middlesbrough continue to Newcastle and Hexham (with some trains running as far as Carlisle).

Additional trains on weekdays and Saturdays run along the Esk Valley Line to Castleton Moor (departing from James Cook at 13:00), and Battersby (departing from James Cook at 17:04).[9]

Following the May 2014 timetable change, the service between Middlesbrough and Nunthorpe was significantly improved, with this allowing for a regular service to the new station at James Cook University Hospital.

Predominantly, rolling stock on the Esk Valley Line consists of Class 156 and Class 158 diesel multiple units, both of which were introduced in to service in the late 1980s.

The Class 156 and 158 units operating on the Esk Valley Line are currently in the process of being refurbished, with upgrades including free WiFi, power sockets, on-board passenger information displays, and an interior refresh.[10][11]

Class 142 'Pacer' trains served the line, until the turn of the new decade, when they were withdrawn from passenger service. Class 144 'Pacer' trains were also used frequently on the Esk Valley Line, until around 2005.

Preceding station		National Rail		Following station
Middlesbrough		Northern Trains Esk Valley line		Marton

References

1. "National Rail Enquiries : James Cook (JCH)". National Rail Enquiries. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
2. "Welcome to: Middlesbrough Sports Village". everyone ACTIVE: Middlesbrough Sports Village Website. Retrieved 30 June 2017.
3. "Community Consultation – Proposed Rail Halt at James Cook University Hospital". Retrieved 8 February 2014.
4. "Work begins on new £2.2m rail station at the back of James Cook University Hospital". Middlesbrough Evening Gazette Live. Retrieved 7 February 2014.
5. "Work begins on new £2.2m rail station at the back of James Cook University Hospital". Middlesbrough Evening Gazette Live. Retrieved 7 February 2014.
6. "Middlesbrough James Cook Hospital railway station opens". BBC Tees News. Retrieved 18 May 2014.
7. "James Cook Hospital railway station opened by transport minister". Middlesbrough Evening Gazette Live. Retrieved 18 July 2014.
8. "Estimates of station usage". Office of Rail and Road Website. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
9. "Timetables | Northern". www.northernrailway.co.uk. Retrieved 3 March 2020.
10. "Northern launches North East's first fully refurbished train". Northern News. Retrieved 3 March 2020.
11. "Northern's refurbished trains – creating jobs and boosting the economy". Northern News. Retrieved 3 March 2020.