Redcar British Steel railway station
{{short description|Disused railway station in North Yorkshire, England}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2022}}
{{Infobox station
| name = Redcar British Steel
| native_name = British Steel Redcar
| symbol_location =
| symbol =
| image = British Steel Redcar railway station in 2008.jpg
| address =
| borough = Redcar, Redcar and Cleveland
| country = England
| coordinates = {{coord|54.6097585|-1.1125744|format=dms|region:GB_type:railwaystation|display=inline,title}}
| mapframe-zoom = 12
| grid_name = Grid reference
| grid_position = {{gbmapscaled|NZ573241|25|NZ573241}}
| 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
| mpassengers = {{Rail pass box |pass_year=2015/16 |passengers={{decrease}} 740}}
{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2016/17 |passengers={{decrease}} 50}}
{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2017/18 |passengers={{decrease}} 40}}
{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2018/19 |passengers={{increase}} 360}}
{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2019/20 |passengers={{increase}} 1,060{{efn|Services were permanently suspended starting 14 December 2019|name=|group=}}}}
| 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 {{rws|Bishop Auckland}} and {{rws|Saltburn}} via {{rws|Darlington}}. The station, situated {{convert|5+3/4|mi|km|0}} 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.{{Butt-Stations|page=44}} 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 {{rws|Warrenby Halt}}, which was closed and replaced by the current station.{{cite news |last=Delplanque |first=Paul |title=The Village That Disappeared |url=http://rememberwhen.gazettelive.co.uk/2008/11/warrenby_the_village_that_disa.html |url-status=dead |newspaper=Evening Gazette (Middlesbrough) |date=14 November 2008 |access-date=2 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090331143813/http://rememberwhen.gazettelive.co.uk/2008/11/warrenby_the_village_that_disa.html |archive-date=31 March 2009}}
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.{{cite news |title=Loneliest station has biggest rise in use |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-42196835 |url-status=live |publisher=BBC News |date=1 December 2017 |access-date=1 December 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201141611/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-42196835 |archive-date=1 December 2017}} In the 2017–18 period it was named the least used station in Britain, with only forty entries and exits, surpassing {{rws|Barry Links}}.{{cite news |title=Redcar British Steel station 'least used' in Britain |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tees-46535722 |url-status=live |publisher=BBC News |date=12 December 2018 |access-date=22 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190123072608/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tees-46535722 |archive-date=23 January 2019}}
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.{{cite news |title=Least used railway station Redcar British Steel gets visitor boost |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-51106246 |publisher=BBC News |date=14 January 2020 |access-date=6 June 2021}} This "least-used" status was highlighted in Geoff Marshall's video about the station.{{cite web |title=Redcar British Steel – Least Used Station in Britain 2018 |website=YouTube |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QCB6UdlnVw |access-date=28 June 2022}}
Arriva Rail North suspended services from the station on 14 December 2019,{{cite news|date=12 September 2019|title=Rail service launch hailed 'huge step forward'|publisher=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tees-49681943|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191206120330/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tees-49681943|archive-date=6 December 2019|accessdate=12 September 2019}} 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.{{cite news |title=Redcar SSI site regeneration plan 'may create 20,000 jobs' |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tees-41650508 |url-status=live |publisher=BBC News |date=18 October 2017 |access-date=10 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180625113513/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tees-41650508 |archive-date=25 June 2018}}
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.{{cite web |title=Redcar British Steel Station Train Tickets, Departures and Timetables |url=https://www.northernrailway.co.uk/stations/redcar-british-steel |website=Northern Trains |access-date=6 June 2021}}
Services
{{Northern (train operating company) route 3}}
At the time of suspension, the station was served by four trains per day. Heading east, two trains per day operated to {{rws|Saltburn}}, which commenced at Hexham via Hartlepool (morning) and {{rws|Bishop Auckland}} (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,{{efn|The Class 142 Pacer was used at the time of the station's closure, but now no longer operates on the Tees Valley Line.|name=|group=}} Class 156 Super Sprinter and Class 158 Express Sprinter
{{rail start}}
{{Historical Rail Insert}}
{{rail line|previous={{rws|Redcar Central}}|next={{rws|South Bank|North Yorkshire}}|route=Arriva Rail North
{{small|Tees Valley Line}}|col={{Northern colour}}}}
{{rail line|previous={{rws|Redcar Central}}|next={{rws|Grangetown|England}}|route=British Rail (Eastern Region)
{{small|Tees Valley Line}}|col={{BR(E) colour}}}}
{{s-end}}
References
{{reflist}}
Notes
{{notelist}}
External links
- {{stn art lnk|RBS|TS105QW}}
- {{Commons-inline}}
{{Special purpose UK stations}}
{{North Yorkshire railway stations}}
Category:Disused railway stations in Redcar and Cleveland
Category:Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1978
Category:Railway stations in Great Britain closed in 2019
Category:Railway stations opened by British Rail