Berwick-upon-Tweed railway station

Berwick-upon-Tweed National Rail

A panoramic view of Berwick-upon-Tweed station.
Location
Place Berwick-upon-Tweed
Local authority County of Northumberland
Coordinates 55°46′30″N 2°00′40″W / 55.775°N 2.011°W / 55.775; -2.011Coordinates: 55°46′30″N 2°00′40″W / 55.775°N 2.011°W / 55.775; -2.011
Grid reference NT994534
Operations
Station code BWK
Managed by Virgin Trains East Coast
Number of platforms 2
DfT category C1
Live arrivals/departures, station information and onward connections
from National Rail Enquiries
Annual rail passenger usage*
2010/11 Increase 0.457 million
– Interchange  Increase 2,851
2011/12 Increase 0.479 million
– Interchange  Decrease 1,035
2012/13 Increase 0.502 million
– Interchange  Increase 1,123
2013/14 Increase 0.527 million
– Interchange  Increase 1,167
2014/15 Increase 0.539 million
– Interchange  Increase 1,339
History
Key dates Opened 1847[1] (1847[1])
Original company North British Railway / Newcastle and Berwick Railway
Pre-grouping North British Railway / North Eastern Railway
Post-grouping LNER
National Rail – UK railway stations
* Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Berwick-upon-Tweed from Office of Rail and Road statistics. Methodology may vary year on year.
UK Railways portal
Plaque commemorating the former Great Hall of Berwick Castle

Berwick-upon-Tweed railway station serves the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed in Northumberland, England. It is located on the East Coast Main Line, 335 miles north of London Kings Cross and 55 miles south of Edinburgh Waverley. It is the most northerly railway station in England, being only a few miles from the most northerly point in England.

The station, with its long single island platform lies immediately to the north of the Royal Border Bridge.

History

In 1847, the Great Hall of Berwick Castle had to be demolished to make way for the newly built station (the former West Wall of the castle still marks the boundary of the now-defunct station goods yard). This replaced an initial structure erected by the North British Railway, whose line from the north first reached the town in 1846.[2] The Newcastle and Berwick Railway meanwhile reached the southern bank of the River Tweed in March 1847, but it was another eighteen months before a temporary viaduct across the river was commissioned to allow through running between Edinburgh and Newcastle. This in turn was replaced by the current Royal Border Bridge in July 1850.[3]

The station was also at one time served by local stopping trains between Newcastle & Edinburgh and the branch line from Newtown St Boswells via Kelso (which joined the main line at Tweedmouth, on the other side of the river) from 1851 until closure in 1964.[4]

Berwick station in 1970

For approximately 5 months in 1979, this was the terminal station for services from London Kings Cross after the East Coast Main Line was blocked by the collapse of Penmanshiel Tunnel. Buses linked this station with Dunbar, from where a railway shuttle service continued to Edinburgh Waverley.

Facilities

The station has a council-run car park nearby, and is staffed throughout the week during working hours.[5]

Services

Virgin Trains East Coast supplies an hourly service that stops here. They go southbound to London Kings Cross calling at Newcastle, Darlington and York en route. In the other direction, there are services to Edinburgh with a few extensions to Aberdeen and one extension per day to each of Glasgow Central, Stirling and Inverness.[6] Cross Country Trains provide a two-hourly service in each direction during the day. Their services are mostly provided to Glasgow Central via Edinburgh northbound, though there is one service to and from Dundee.[7] In the southbound direction there are services to Plymouth via Leeds & Birmingham New Street with a couple of extensions per day to Penzance and also a daily service to Reading.

Preceding station National Rail Following station
Alnmouth   CrossCountry
Cross Country Network
  Dunbar
Newcastle Central   Virgin Trains East Coast
London-Edinburgh/Scotland expresses
  Edinburgh Waverley
Alnmouth   Virgin Trains East Coast
London-Edinburgh
  Dunbar or
Terminus
Historical railways
connection to
Newcastle and Berwick Railway
  North British Railway
NBR Main Line
  Burnmouth
Line open; station closed
Tweedmouth
Line open; station closed
  Newcastle and Berwick Railway   connection to
North British Railway

References

Notes

  1. 1 2 Butt (1995)
  2. Body, p.35
  3. Body, p.36
  4. "Kelso railway station history (www.border-net.co.uk)". Retrieved 2008-11-21.
  5. http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/stations_destinations/BWK.aspx
  6. GB National Railway Timetable 2015-16, Table 26
  7. GB eNRT 2015-16, Table 51

Sources

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