Chester-le-Street railway station

Chester-le-Street railway station is on the East Coast Main Line in the United Kingdom, serving the town of Chester-le-Street, County Durham. It is 260 miles 32 chains (419.1 km) north of London King's Cross and on the main line it is situated between Durham to the south and Newcastle to the north. Its three-letter station code is CLS.

Chester-le-Street
Location
Place	Chester-le-Street
Local authority	County of Durham
Coordinates	54.855°N 1.578°W / 54.855; -1.578
Grid reference	NZ271512
Operations
Station code	CLS
Managed by	Northern
Number of platforms	2
DfT category	F1
Live arrivals/departures, station information and onward connections from National Rail Enquiries
Annual rail passenger usage*
2014/15	0.201 million
2015/16	0.223 million
2016/17	0.231 million
2017/18	0.220 million
2018/19	0.199 million
History
Original company	North Eastern Railway
Pre-grouping	North Eastern Railway
Post-grouping	London and North Eastern Railway
1 December 1868	Station 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 Chester-le-Street from Office of Rail and Road statistics. Methodology may vary year on year.

History

The Team Valley line of the North Eastern Railway, which connected Newton Hall Junction near Durham with Gateshead, was authorised in 1848 but not opened until 2 March 1868 (the powers having been renewed in 1862). At first only freight trains used the route, but passenger services began on 1 December 1868,[1] and the station at Chester-le-Street opened the same day.[2]

In the 1960s, the station was listed for closure as part of the Beeching cuts,[3] which led to it being mentioned in the song Slow Train by Flanders and Swann. However it was saved and remains open.

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

Mondays to Saturdays there is a mostly two-hourly TransPennine Express service from Chester-le-Street, northbound to Newcastle and southbound to Durham, Darlington, York, Leeds, Manchester Victoria and Liverpool Lime Street.[4] Most services run to and from Liverpool since the May 2014 timetable change, though certain early morning trains come from Manchester Airport. On Sundays there is also a two-hourly service in each direction.

The station also has a very limited service provided by other operators - CrossCountry have a single service to Southampton Central calling in the evening peak, whilst Northern have three a.m northbound services to Newcastle calling on weekdays & two on Saturdays (from Middlesbrough and Saltburn) and one late night weekday southbound service to Darlington. The latter also runs on a Sunday, running through to Middlesbrough.

Other CrossCountry services as well as all London North Eastern Railway and some TransPennine Express services pass through the station but do not stop.

Preceding station		National Rail		Following station
Durham		CrossCountry Cross Country Route		Newcastle
		TransPennine Express North TransPennine
		Northern Tees Valley Line
	Historical railways
Plawsworth Line open, station closed		North Eastern Railway East Coast Main Line		Birtley Line open, station closed

Operator and facilities

Chester-le-Track, an independent private limited company, operates the station as an agent for the local franchised train operating company, which, as of 2017, is Northern.[5] Chester-le-Track began operating the station in 1999, Chester-le-Street having lost its part-time staff some 10 years previously. However, Chester-le-Track ceased trading on 31 March 2018.

The ticket office is staffed six days per week, between 07:30 and 18:00 on weekdays and 07:30 and 13:00 on Saturdays (closed evenings and Sundays). At other times tickets must be bought on the train or prior to travel. There are toilets and a waiting room in the main building, along with standard shelters on each platform. Vending machines are also available for the purchase of snacks and cold drinks. However, some of these station services may be unavailable following the closure of operator Chester-le-Track on 31 March 2018. Train running information is offered via timetable posters and telephone. Step-free access is available to both platforms.[6]

References

1. Allen, Cecil J. (1974) [1964]. The North Eastern Railway. Shepperton: Ian Allan. pp. 137, 141. ISBN 0-7110-0495-1.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
2. Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 60. ISBN 1-85260-508-1. R508.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
3. "Wear Local History - The Beeching Axe". BBC. 24 October 2008. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
4. GB National Rail Timetable May - December 2016, Tables 26 & 39 (Network Rail)
5. "About Us". Chester-le-Track. Retrieved 15 April 2008.
6. Chester-le-Street station facilities National Rail Enquiries; Retrieved 7 February 2017

External links

• Train times and station information for Chester-le-Street railway station from National Rail
• Chester-le-Track – operator of Chester-Le-Street station