Malton railway station
Encyclopedia
Malton railway station serves the towns of Malton
and Norton-on-Derwent
in North Yorkshire
, England
. It is currently operated by First TransPennine Express
who provide all passenger train services.
On Sundays this is reduced to:
A half-hourly service, with timetable and fares integration with Yorkshire Coastliner buses, has been suggested as a means of providing relief to the parallel A64 trunk road that would be considerably cheaper than the option of dual carriageway (Campaign for Better Transport and Gazette & Herald letters)
Malton station was also served by the Pickering Branch of the York and North Midland Railway
with trains heading north (diverging at Rillington junction
) to Pickering
and then onwards to Grosmont and Whitby
. This line closed entirely north of Pickering in 1965, with a freight-only service to Pickering surviving until 1966.
Though trains still run from Pickering to Grosmont as part of the preserved North York Moors Railway, the tracks between Rillington
, where the line branched, and Pickering have since been lifted.
Up until 1958 the Malton & Driffield Railway, with trains heading south to Driffield
, survived for freight and the occasional (summer-only) through excursion to the coast, after 1958 these excursion trains had to reverse at Scarborough Road junction on the easterly edge of Malton, back down towards Malton station before reversing again and heading off to Scarborough. Prior to 1950 there had been a passenger service nicknamed the 'Driffield Dodger' between Malton and Driffield.
As an interchange between three lines, Malton station would therefore have been considerably busier than it is now.
Though Malton station now only has one platform in use, at its peak there were two through platforms, plus an additional bay platform serving (mainly) Whitby
local trains. The George Townsend Andrews
overall roof was removed in 1989 and replaced by the canopy recovered from the Whitby platform.
One of Malton stations claim to fame was the novel solution adopted to allow passengers to access the second (island) platform, instead of a footbridge or barrow crossing the NER
installed a removable section of platform, in the form of a wheeled trolley running on rails set at right-angles to the (single) running line. When a train required to use the platform the trolley was wheeled back under the up (York) platform; the trolley was interlocked with the signals giving access to the platform.
Until Northern Rail
took over in 2004, Arriva Trains Northern
did have services that stopped at Malton, the current York
to Blackpool
service used to continue to Scarborough alongside TransPenninexpress services. This service was usually worked by a Metro liveried Class 158 DMU, occasionally a Class 155
DMU. There was also a local service from York
to Scarborough usually worked by a Pacer
DMU or a Class 156.
There is a petition on 10 Downing Street to reopen the line and upgrade the North Yorkshire Moors railway to cope with higher speeds (40 to 50 mph as opposed to 25 mph), to improve transport in the region, and to provide relief for the A64 more cheaply than dualling it in its entirety. The North Yorkshire Moors Railway eventually have plans to extend the line beyond Pickering to Malton, dependent on the level crossing at Pickering being re-instated.
Malton, North Yorkshire
Malton is a market town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. The town is the location of the offices of Ryedale District Council and has a population of around 4,000 people....
and Norton-on-Derwent
Norton-on-Derwent
Norton-on-Derwent, commonly referred to as 'Norton', is a town and civil parish in the Ryedale district of North Yorkshire, England. Norton borders the market town of Malton, and is divided by the River Derwent...
in North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is currently operated by First TransPennine Express
First TransPennine Express
First TransPennine Express is a British train operating company. It is a joint operation between First Group and Keolis . It operates regular passenger services in northern England, including services linking the west and east coasts across the Pennines...
who provide all passenger train services.
Services
The typical Monday-Saturday off-peak service is:- 1 train per hour (tph) to Liverpool Lime StreetLiverpool Lime Street railway stationLiverpool Lime Street is a railway station serving the city centre of Liverpool, England. The station lies on a branch of the West Coast Main Line from London Euston, and on the Wirral Line of the Merseyrail network...
, calling at YorkYork railway stationYork railway station is a main-line railway station in the city of York, England. It lies on the East Coast Main Line north of London's King's Cross station towards Edinburgh's Waverley Station...
, LeedsLeeds City railway stationLeeds railway station is the mainline railway station serving the city centre of Leeds in West Yorkshire, England...
, HuddersfieldHuddersfield railway stationHuddersfield railway station serves the town of Huddersfield in West Yorkshire, England.The station is managed by First TransPennine Express who provide trains between the North East, North and East Yorkshire, and Leeds to the east and Manchester Piccadilly and North West.It is also served by local...
, StalybridgeStalybridge railway stationStalybridge railway station serves Stalybridge, Greater Manchester. It lies on the Huddersfield Line 12 km east of Manchester Piccadilly and 13 km east of Manchester Victoria. The station is managed by First TransPennine Express....
, Manchester PiccadillyManchester Piccadilly stationManchester Piccadilly is the principal railway station in Manchester, England. It serves intercity routes to London Euston, Birmingham New Street, South Wales, the south coast of England, Edinburgh and Glasgow Central, and routes throughout northern England...
, Manchester Oxford RoadManchester Oxford Road railway stationManchester Oxford Road Railway Station is a railway station in the city of Manchester, England. The station is located at the junction of Whitworth Street West and Oxford Street, on an elevated line between Deansgate and Piccadilly stations....
, BirchwoodBirchwood railway stationBirchwood railway station is a railway station serving the Birchwood district to the north east of Warrington, Cheshire, in the north west of England. The station is 21 km west of Manchester Piccadilly on the Manchester-Liverpool Line....
and Warrington CentralWarrington Central railway stationWarrington Central railway station is one of two main railway stations serving the town of Warrington in the north-west of England. It is located on the southern route of the Liverpool to Manchester Line , and is situated around halfway between the two cities... - 1 tph to ScarboroughScarborough railway stationScarborough railway station serves the seaside town of Scarborough in North Yorkshire, England. It lies east of York and is one of the eastern termini on the North TransPennine route operated by First TransPennine Express...
, calling at SeamerSeamer railway stationSeamer railway station serves the village of Seamer in North Yorkshire, England. It lies near the end of the Scarborough branch on the First TransPennine Express North TransPennine route, east of York at its junction with the northern end of the Yorkshire Coast Line...
On Sundays this is reduced to:
- 1 train per 2 hours (tp2h) to Liverpool, calling at York, GarforthGarforth railway stationGarforth railway station serves the town of Garforth, near Leeds in West Yorkshire, England. It lies on the York and Selby Lines and North TransPennine routes. Garforth is east of Leeds....
, Leeds and then as above - 1 tp2h to Scarborough as above
A half-hourly service, with timetable and fares integration with Yorkshire Coastliner buses, has been suggested as a means of providing relief to the parallel A64 trunk road that would be considerably cheaper than the option of dual carriageway (Campaign for Better Transport and Gazette & Herald letters)
History
At present, the station is only served by trains between Scarborough and York (and beyond), however prior to the Beeching AxeBeeching Axe
The Beeching Axe or the Beeching Cuts are informal names for the British Government's attempt in the 1960s to reduce the cost of running British Railways, the nationalised railway system in the United Kingdom. The name is that of the main author of The Reshaping of British Railways, Dr Richard...
Malton station was also served by the Pickering Branch of the York and North Midland Railway
York and North Midland Railway
The York and North Midland Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom which opened in 1839, connecting York, with the Leeds and Selby Railway and in 1840 with the North Midland Railway at Normanton near Leeds.-Origins:...
with trains heading north (diverging at Rillington junction
Rillington railway station
Rillington railway station was a railway station serving the village of Rillington on the York to Scarborough Line. It was also the junction station for the line to Whitby and was opened on 5 July 1845 by the York and North Midland Railway. It closed to normal passenger traffic on 22 September...
) to Pickering
Pickering, North Yorkshire
Pickering is an ancient market town and civil parish in the Ryedale district of the county of North Yorkshire, England, on the border of the North York Moors National Park. It sits at the foot of the Moors, overlooking the Vale of Pickering to the south...
and then onwards to Grosmont and Whitby
Whitby
Whitby is a seaside town, port and civil parish in the Scarborough borough of North Yorkshire, England. Situated on the east coast of Yorkshire at the mouth of the River Esk, Whitby has a combined maritime, mineral and tourist heritage, and is home to the ruins of Whitby Abbey where Caedmon, the...
. This line closed entirely north of Pickering in 1965, with a freight-only service to Pickering surviving until 1966.
Though trains still run from Pickering to Grosmont as part of the preserved North York Moors Railway, the tracks between Rillington
Rillington
Rillington is a village and civil parish in the Ryedale district of North Yorkshire, England.-Transport:Rillington is on the A64 road, approximately 3 miles east of Malton and south-west of Scarborough....
, where the line branched, and Pickering have since been lifted.
Up until 1958 the Malton & Driffield Railway, with trains heading south to Driffield
Driffield
Driffield, also known as Great Driffield, is a market town and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The civil parish is formed by the town of Driffield and the village of Little Driffield....
, survived for freight and the occasional (summer-only) through excursion to the coast, after 1958 these excursion trains had to reverse at Scarborough Road junction on the easterly edge of Malton, back down towards Malton station before reversing again and heading off to Scarborough. Prior to 1950 there had been a passenger service nicknamed the 'Driffield Dodger' between Malton and Driffield.
As an interchange between three lines, Malton station would therefore have been considerably busier than it is now.
Though Malton station now only has one platform in use, at its peak there were two through platforms, plus an additional bay platform serving (mainly) Whitby
Whitby
Whitby is a seaside town, port and civil parish in the Scarborough borough of North Yorkshire, England. Situated on the east coast of Yorkshire at the mouth of the River Esk, Whitby has a combined maritime, mineral and tourist heritage, and is home to the ruins of Whitby Abbey where Caedmon, the...
local trains. The George Townsend Andrews
George Townsend Andrews
George Townsend Andrews was an English architect born in Exeter. He is noted for his buildings designed for George Hudson's railways, especially the York and North Midland Railway...
overall roof was removed in 1989 and replaced by the canopy recovered from the Whitby platform.
One of Malton stations claim to fame was the novel solution adopted to allow passengers to access the second (island) platform, instead of a footbridge or barrow crossing the NER
North Eastern Railway (UK)
The North Eastern Railway , was an English railway company. It was incorporated in 1854, when four existing companies were combined, and was absorbed into the London and North Eastern Railway at the Grouping in 1923...
installed a removable section of platform, in the form of a wheeled trolley running on rails set at right-angles to the (single) running line. When a train required to use the platform the trolley was wheeled back under the up (York) platform; the trolley was interlocked with the signals giving access to the platform.
Until Northern Rail
Northern Rail
Northern Rail is a British train operating company that has operated local passenger services in Northern England since 2004. Northern Rail's owner, Serco-Abellio, is a consortium formed of Abellio and Serco, an international operator of public transport systems...
took over in 2004, Arriva Trains Northern
Arriva Trains Northern
Arriva Trains Northern was a train operating company that operated passenger trains in Yorkshire and the North East of England. The company had previously been known as Northern Spirit before being taken over by Arriva....
did have services that stopped at Malton, the current York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
to Blackpool
Blackpool
Blackpool is a borough, seaside town, and unitary authority area of Lancashire, in North West England. It is situated along England's west coast by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre estuaries, northwest of Preston, north of Liverpool, and northwest of Manchester...
service used to continue to Scarborough alongside TransPenninexpress services. This service was usually worked by a Metro liveried Class 158 DMU, occasionally a Class 155
British Rail Class 155
The British Rail Class 155 Super Sprinter is a diesel multiple unit. These DMUs were built by British Leyland at Workington between 1987 and 1988 as part of British Rail's replacement of its ageing diesel fleet which were First-Generation.- History and description :The Class 155 train is made up...
DMU. There was also a local service from York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
to Scarborough usually worked by a Pacer
Pacer (train)
Pacer is the operational name of the British Rail Classes 140, 141, 142, 143 and 144 diesel multiple unit railbuses, built between 1984 and 1987...
DMU or a Class 156.
Future
There have been talks of reopening the old line between Rillington Junction and Pickering for some years - most notably in 2003 - but no attempt has come to fruition.There is a petition on 10 Downing Street to reopen the line and upgrade the North Yorkshire Moors railway to cope with higher speeds (40 to 50 mph as opposed to 25 mph), to improve transport in the region, and to provide relief for the A64 more cheaply than dualling it in its entirety. The North Yorkshire Moors Railway eventually have plans to extend the line beyond Pickering to Malton, dependent on the level crossing at Pickering being re-instated.