Nuneaton railway station

Nuneaton railway station serves the large town of Nuneaton in Warwickshire, England. The station is managed by West Midlands Trains. It is served by three railway lines; the Trent Valley section of the West Coast Main Line (WCML), the Birmingham-Leicester-Peterborough Line and the Nuneaton to Coventry branch line. It was known, during the period 1924–1969 as Nuneaton Trent Valley, to distinguish it from the now closed Nuneaton Abbey Street station, though many local people still refer to it as Trent Valley.

Nuneaton
Station forecourt
Location
PlaceNuneaton
Local authorityBorough of Nuneaton and Bedworth
Coordinates52°31′35″N 1°27′49″W
Grid referenceSP364921
Operations
Station codeNUN
Managed byWest Midlands Trains
Number of platforms7
DfT categoryC1
Live arrivals/departures, station information and onward connections
from National Rail Enquiries
Annual rail passenger usage*
2014/15 1.138 million
2015/16 1.236 million
2016/17 1.286 million
2017/18 1.313 million
2018/19 1.364 million
– Interchange  0.550 million
History
Original companyLondon and North Western Railway
Pre-groupingLondon and North Western Railway
Post-groupingLondon, Midland and Scottish Railway
15 September 1847Opened as Nuneaton
1873Rebuilt and enlarged
1915Rebuilt and enlarged
2 June 1924Renamed Nuneaton Trent Valley
5 May 1969Renamed Nuneaton
2004Platforms 6 & 7 added
National Rail – UK railway stations
* Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Nuneaton from Office of Rail and Road statistics. Methodology may vary year on year.

The station lies on the north-eastern edge of Nuneaton town centre, just outside the ring road.

History

19th and 20th century

The original Nuneaton station was opened on 15 September 1847 when the London and North Western Railway (LNWR) opened the Trent Valley Line, the branch line to Coventry opened in 1850. The original station, like many others on the line had been designed by John William Livock: A simple two platform structure, it became inadequate to cope with the growing traffic, and was rebuilt on a larger scale with extra platforms in 1873. It was rebuilt and enlarged again in 1915 with its current buildings, which were designed by Reginald Wynn Owen.[1][2]

The station clock tower dating from 1915.

In 1873 another line had opened; the Ashby and Nuneaton Joint Railway, to link Ashby-de-la-Zouch and Coalville in order to access the large coal reserves located there. The line was closed to passengers in 1931 but remained open for goods until 1971.[1] Part of it was later reopened as the heritage Battlefield Line.

A second station in Nuneaton; Nuneaton Midland had been opened by the Midland Railway in 1864 on the line between Birmingham and Leicester. When both the LNWR and Midland Railway became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) in 1924, both station were renamed; the present station becoming known as Nuneaton Trent Valley, and the former Midland station becoming Nuneaton Abbey Street. Abbey Street station was closed in 1968, and the present station reverted to being called just 'Nuneaton', and took on the Birmingham to Leicester services.[1]

Other stations serving Nuneaton included the aforementioned Abbey Street, and two suburban stations at Stockingford on the line towards Birmingham, and Chilvers Coton on the line to Coventry. These were all closed in the 1960s under the 1963 Reshaping of British Railways report, leaving only the present one. In addition, on 18 January 1965 the Coventry – Nuneaton Line closed to passengers, reopening to passengers in 1988.[1] In 2016 a new station in Nuneaton; Bermuda Park was opened on this line.

21st century

In 2004 Network Rail built two new platforms numbered 6 and 7 on the eastern side of the station. These were built as part of a grade separation project to separate trains on the Birmingham to Peterborough line, from those on the West Coast Main Line and so avoid the need for Birmingham-Leicester trains to cause conflicting movements by running across the WCML on the level: A disused flyover north of the station carrying Birmingham to Peterborough line over the WCML was restored to use, and a connection was built between this and the new platforms, which were dedicated to the Birmingham-Leicester-East Anglia services.[3][4]

In November 2012, the 0.9 mile Nuneaton North Chord opened to the north of the station. The chord allows freight trains approaching Nuneaton from Felixstowe via the Birmingham–Peterborough line, to join the northbound WCML after crossing the flyover, allowing them to avoid conflicts with southbound main line trains.[5][6][7][8]

Map showing the railways around Nuneaton (Nuneaton on right).

Layout and facilities

The station consists of one side platform (platform 1) on the western side of the station, and three island platforms containing platforms 2 to 7, all of which are linked by a footbridge which has full lift access. The main station building is adjacent to platform one and contains the main facilities, including a staffed ticket office and a cafe shop.[9]

Services
A Virgin Trains Class 390 Pendolino arrives at the platform.
The two platforms 6 & 7 added in 2004, served by the Birmingham-Leicester-Peterborough Line.
West Coast Main Line

West Midlands Trains operate an hourly service, southbound to London Euston via Rugby and Milton Keynes Central, and northbound to Crewe via Stafford.[10]

Avanti West Coast services from London Euston to Crewe, Chester, Holyhead, Liverpool Lime Street, Blackpool North and Manchester Piccadilly also call during peak hours.[11] Prior to December 2008, Virgin Trains was the sole provider of services to/from London; since then, London Midland and its successor West Midlands Trains has been the main provider.

Birmingham to Peterborough Line

CrossCountry operate two trains per hour, westbound to Birmingham New Street, and eastbound to Leicester, one of these continues to Stansted Airport via Peterborough and Cambridge. All services on this line use platforms 6 and 7.[12]

Coventry to Nuneaton Line

West Midlands Trains also provide an hourly service southbound to Leamington Spa via Coventry.[10] This normally uses platform 1.

Preceding station National Rail Following station
CrossCountry
Birmingham-Leicester
CrossCountry
Birmingham-Stansted Airport
West Midlands Railway
Coventry to Nuneaton line
Terminus
London Northwestern Railway
Crewe - London
Avanti West Coast
Blackpool - London
(Southbound only)
London Euston
  Future Services  
Grand Central

Future services

In June 2018, the Office of Rail & Road approved an application by Alliance Rail Holdings for five services per day from London Euston to Blackpool North that will call at Nuneaton.[13] These will be operated by sister Arriva company Grand Central commencing in 2021.[14][15]

1975 accident
Main article: Nuneaton rail crash

On the early hours of 6 June 1975, an overnight sleeper train from London to Glasgow derailed and crashed just south of Nuneaton station, killing six people and injuring 38. It was caused when the train ran onto a length of temporary track with a speed restriction at too high a speed; lighting equipment illuminating a board giving advance warning of the speed restriction failed, and this led the driver to wrongly conclude that it had been lifted, so he failed to slow down. One of the locomotives mounted the platform, causing damage to the station. A plaque commemorating the victims of the crash was unveiled at the station in August 2015.[16]

Motive Power Depot
The loco yard at Nuneaton Depot in 1953

The LNWR opened a small locomotive depot in 1847 which was used until 1878 when it was replaced by a larger facility. The engine sheds were doubled in size in 1888 and enlarged still further in 1892.[17] This was an important freight Depot for the WCML and its connections at Trent Valley Station, also catering for local passenger services. It was located to the south of the station between the main line and that to Coventry. The depot closed 6 June 1966 and has since been demolished.

See also

References
  1. "Nuneaton Trent Valley Station". Warwickshire Raiways. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  2. "L. & N.W. Railway Company's Enterprise. Opening of a new station at Nuneaton". Coventry Standard. British Newspaper Archive. 1 October 1915. Retrieved 9 July 2016 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  3. "NUNEATON UPGRADE GATHERS PACE WITH £16 MILLION CONTRACT AWARD". Network Rail. 28 June 2006. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  4. "West Coast upgrade enters the final stage". Railway Gazette International. 20 March 2008. Retrieved 21 August 2017.
  5. "Nuneaton North chord freight line now open" (Press release). Network Rail. 15 November 2012. Archived from the original on 6 July 2015. Retrieved 21 August 2017.
  6. "Work starts on Nuneaton chord". Rail. Peterborough. 10 August 2011. p. 20.
  7. "Nuneaton north chord officially opened" The Railway Magazine issue 1341 January 2013 page 9
  8. "New Nuneaton North Chord Opens" Today's Railways UK issue 133 January 2013 page 10
  9. "Nuneaton station plan". National Rail. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
  10. Timetables London North Western Railway
  11. Timetables Virgin Trains
  12. Timetables Archived 16 August 2012 at the Wayback Machine CrossCountry
  13. New Blackpool to London Services Approved Alliance Rail Holdings 7 June 2018
  14. Grand Central plans new Blackpool to London route from 2020 in major boost for the local economy Grand Central 24 June 2019
  15. Grand Central announces temporary suspension of train services during COVID-19 restrictions Grand Central 3 April 2020
  16. "Nuneaton Memorial unveiled 40 years on from Nuneaton train disaster". Coventry Telegraph. Retrieved 23 October 2016.
  17. Griffiths, Roger; Smith, Paul (1999). The directory of British engine Sheds and Principal Locomotive Servicing Points: 1. Oxford: Oxford Publishing Co. p. 155. ISBN 0-86093-542-6.
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