Seaton Carew railway station

Seaton Carew
National Rail
General information
LocationSeaton Carew, Borough of Hartlepool
England
Coordinates54°39′29″N 1°12′02″W / 54.6580139°N 1.2005633°W / 54.6580139; -1.2005633
Grid referenceNZ516295
Owned byNetwork Rail
Managed byNorthern Trains
Platforms2
Tracks2
Other information
Station codeSEC
ClassificationDfT category F2
History
Original companyStockton and Hartlepool Railway
Pre-groupingNorth Eastern Railway
Post-grouping
Key dates
10 February 1841Opened as Seaton
1872Renamed Seaton Carew
Passengers
2019/20Increase 66,456
2020/21Decrease 19,300
2021/22Increase 61,076
2022/23Increase 65,054
2023/24Increase 75,728
Location
Seaton Carew is located in County Durham
Seaton Carew
Seaton Carew
Location in County Durham, England
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

Seaton Carew is a railway station on the Durham Coast Line, which runs between Newcastle and Middlesbrough via Hartlepool. The station, situated 14 miles 77 chains (24.1 km) north-east of Middlesbrough, serves the seaside village of Seaton Carew, Hartlepool in County Durham, England. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by Northern Trains.

Facilities

The earlier station buildings, constructed by the North Eastern Railway, seen around the turn of the twentieth century.

The station is unmanned and has no permanent buildings (the old NER buildings on the southbound side were demolished back in the 1970s). As with other stations on this line, new fully lit waiting shelters, digital information screens and CCTV cameras have been installed (the former replacing the old brick structures), whilst the long-line Public Address system (PA) has been renewed and upgraded with pre-recorded train announcements (running information can also be obtained by telephone and timetable poster boards). Tickets can be bought on board the train (or prior to travel), or at the station at a digital ticket machine operated by Northern Rail. Two Harrington Humps have been installed at the station to raise platform heights at specific points on the platforms and so improve access to trains.[1] Step-free access is also available to each platform via ramps from the nearby road.[2]

In 2009 the station underwent maintenance work to re-develop the station and its looks. The station has already seen the cutting down of trees to allow more natural light.

Tees Valley Metro

Transit diagram showcasing all discussed or mentioned ideas for the Tees Valley Metro.

Starting in 2006, Seaton Carew was mentioned within the Tees Valley Metro scheme. This was a plan to upgrade the Tees Valley Line and sections of the Esk Valley Line and Durham Coast Line to provide a faster and more frequent service across the North East of England. In the initial phases the services would have been heavy rail mostly along existing alignments with new additional infrastructure and rollingstock. The later phase would have introduced tram-trains to allow street running and further heavy rail extensions.[3][4][5][6]

As part of the scheme, Seaton Carew station would have received improved service to Nunthorpe and Hartlepool, possibly a street-running link to Guisborough and the Headland, as well as new rollingstock.[3][5]

However, due to a change in government in 2010 and the 2008 financial crisis, the project was ultimately shelved.[7] Several stations eventually got their improvements and there is a possibility of improved rollingstock and services in the future which may affect Seaton Carew.[8]

Services

Northern Trains
Durham Coast Line
Newcastle – Middlesbrough
via Hartlepool
Newcastle Tyne and Wear Metro
Heworth Tyne and Wear Metro
Sunderland Tyne and Wear Metro
Seaham
Horden
Hartlepool
Seaton Carew
Billingham
Stockton
Thornaby
Middlesbrough
Most services extend to/from
Hexham or Nunthorpe.

As of the winter 2023 timetable change, the station is served by an hourly service between Newcastle and Middlesbrough. Most trains continue to Hexham (or Carlisle on Sunday) and Nunthorpe. Two trains per day (three on Sunday) continue to Whitby. Two trains operate directly between Hartlepool and Darlington on Sunday. All services are operated by Northern Trains.[9]

Rolling stock used: Class 156 Super Sprinter and Class 158 Express Sprinter

References

  1. ^ "Seaton Carew gets another hump" North East Coastliners website news article; Retrieved 8 February 2017
  2. ^ Seaton Carew station facilities National Rail Enquiries; Retrieved 8 February 2017
  3. ^ a b Tees valley Unlimited (18 May 2010). "Tees Valley Metro: Phase 1 - Project Summary" (PDF). Stockton-on-Tess Borough Council.
  4. ^ Tees Valley Unlimited (April 2011). "Connecting the Tees Valley - Statement of Transport Ambition" (PDF). Retrieved 13 November 2024.
  5. ^ a b LOWES, RON; PARKER, IAN (18 September 2007). "Executive Report - Tees Valley Metro" (PDF). Retrieved 13 November 2024.
  6. ^ "Metro system hope for Tees Valley". 9 November 2006. Retrieved 13 November 2024.
  7. ^ "When the Tees Valley was set to get its own £220m metro system and what went wrong". The Northern Echo. 4 February 2023. Retrieved 13 November 2024.
  8. ^ "Tees Valley authority unanimously backs £1bn transport plan". BBC News. 27 January 2024. Retrieved 13 November 2024.
  9. ^ Table 41 National Rail timetable, December 2023
Preceding station National Rail National Rail Following station
Billingham   Northern Trains
Durham Coast Line
  Hartlepool
  Historical railways  
Greatham
Line open; station closed
  North Eastern Railway
Durham Coast Line
  West Hartlepool
Line and station open