Northampton railway station
Encyclopedia
Northampton railway station is a railway station serving the large town of Northampton
and other parts of Northamptonshire
in England
. Other parts of South Northamptonshire are better served by Kings Sutton, Banbury and Milton Keynes Central stations.
The station is served by London Midland
local services southbound to London
and northbound to Birmingham New Street and Crewe
, on the Northampton Loop of the West Coast Main Line
. Virgin Trains
also run infrequent fast services to and from London and Birmingham only at the extremes of the day.
, Northampton (St. John's Street)
and Northampton (Castle). The latter was named after Northampton Castle
which formerly occupied the site and now survives as the town's only station.
Bridge Street station was the first station in Northampton, opening on 13 May 1845; originally named simply Northampton, it became Northampton Bridge Street in June 1876. The first railway line to be built in to Northampton was the Northampton and Peterborough Railway
from to . Northampton was served on this line by Bridge Street station.
Castle station (as it is still sometimes known to this day) was the second station to be opened. It was opened with the Northampton and Market Harborough Railway
on 16 February 1859 by the site of the historic Northampton Castle. At the time, it was only a small station and handled only passenger traffic; goods traffic continued to be dealt with at Bridge Street. In 1875, the London and North Western Railway
obtained powers to quadruple the main line north from , with the two new tracks (the "slow lines") diverging at so as to form a new line (the "Northampton Loop") through Northampton. Castle station was rebuilt and expanded over the site of Northampton Castle, the remains of which were purchased and demolished in 1880 to make way for the goods shed
. In response to concerns expressed by local historians, the castle's postern gate was moved to a new site in the boundary wall of the new station where it remains to this day. The Loop Line north to was opened on 1 December 1881, followed by the line south to Roade on 3 April 1882.
A third station was opened by the Midland Railway
for their services from (via the Northampton and Peterborough Railway
) named Northampton on 1 October 1866; it closed on 10 June 1872 with the opening of the Midland's branch line to Bedford
. The station's site was subsequently reused for Far Cotton
locomotive shed. A replacement station, which served both lines, opened the same day, and was again named Northampton, but was renamed Northampton St. John's Street on 2 June 1924.
St John's station was an early victim of closure, closing to passengers and freight on 3 July 1939, the services being diverted to Northampton Castle. Bridge Street station survived until 4 May 1964, when the Northampton to Peterborough line was closed, leaving only Castle station serving the town. As a result, it was renamed Northampton on 18 April 1966. The current station is the result of extensive British Rail
remodelling in 1965-66 as part of the electrification of the West Coast Main Line
. The current was switched on for the first time between Hillmorton Junction to Northampton on 6 June 1965 for insulation tests, with steam locomotives being withdrawn from the area on 27 September 1965.
The 2005 film Kinky Boots
featured a station named 'Northampton', although the scenes were filmed at nearby Wellingborough
on the Midland Main Line
.
services to London Euston, Milton Keynes and Birmingham. London Midland maintain their fleet of Class 350 EMUs at the Siemens depot just to the north of the station, as well as maintaining a Train Crew Depot at the station.
The typical Monday-Saturday off-peak service consists of:
Virgin Trains operate two trains per day from Northampton to London Euston (southbound only); one in the early morning and one in the late evening. These services originate from Birmingham New Street, but no northbound Virgin services are timetabled as serving Northampton. The lack of fast services to Northampton is caused by the fast lines of the West Coast Main Line bypassing the town. Connections to Manchester and other long-distance destinations can be made by changing at Milton Keynes Central.
Northampton
Northampton is a large market town and local government district in the East Midlands region of England. Situated about north-west of London and around south-east of Birmingham, Northampton lies on the River Nene and is the county town of Northamptonshire. The demonym of Northampton is...
and other parts of Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
in 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...
. Other parts of South Northamptonshire are better served by Kings Sutton, Banbury and Milton Keynes Central stations.
The station is served by London Midland
London Midland
London Midland is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. Legally named London and Birmingham Railway Ltd, it is a subsidiary of Govia, and has operated the West Midlands franchise since 11 November 2007....
local services southbound to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and northbound to Birmingham New Street and Crewe
Crewe
Crewe is a railway town within the unitary authority area of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. According to the 2001 census the urban area had a population of 67,683...
, on the Northampton Loop of the West Coast Main Line
West Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line is the busiest mixed-traffic railway route in Britain, being the country's most important rail backbone in terms of population served. Fast, long-distance inter-city passenger services are provided between London, the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and the...
. Virgin Trains
Virgin Trains
Virgin Trains is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. It operates long-distance passenger services on the West Coast Main Line between London, the West Midlands, North West England, North Wales and Scotland...
also run infrequent fast services to and from London and Birmingham only at the extremes of the day.
History
Although projected to be on the first London to Birmingham railway, Northampton was skirted by the final choice of alignment; a loop to remedy this had to wait for several decades. At one time there were three railway stations in Northampton: Northampton (Bridge Street)Northampton Bridge Street railway station
Northampton Bridge Street is a former railway station in Northampton the main town of Northamptonshire on the Northampton and Peterborough Railway which connected Peterborough and Northampton.-History:....
, Northampton (St. John's Street)
Northampton St. John's Street railway station
Northampton St. John's Street was a railway station and the northern terminus of the Midland Railway's former Bedford to Northampton Line which served the English county town of Northampton from 1872 to 1939. Its closure came about as a cost-cutting measure implemented by the London, Midland and...
and Northampton (Castle). The latter was named after Northampton Castle
Northampton Castle
Northampton Castle was built under the stewardship of Simon de Senlis, the first Earl of Northampton, in 1084. It took several years to complete, as there is no mention of it in the Domesday Book, a great survey of England completed in 1086....
which formerly occupied the site and now survives as the town's only station.
Bridge Street station was the first station in Northampton, opening on 13 May 1845; originally named simply Northampton, it became Northampton Bridge Street in June 1876. The first railway line to be built in to Northampton was the Northampton and Peterborough Railway
Northampton and Peterborough Railway
The Northampton and Peterborough Railway was an early railway promoted by the London and Birmingham Railway to run from a junction at Blisworth to Northampton and Peterborough.-Origin:...
from to . Northampton was served on this line by Bridge Street station.
Castle station (as it is still sometimes known to this day) was the second station to be opened. It was opened with the Northampton and Market Harborough Railway
Northampton to Market Harborough line
The Northampton to Market Harborough line is a closed railway line in England. It opened on 16 February 1859 and finally closed on 16th August 1981. The former trackbed is used by the Brampton Valley Way and part of the route has been re-opened as the Northampton & Lamport Railway.-History:In 1851...
on 16 February 1859 by the site of the historic Northampton Castle. At the time, it was only a small station and handled only passenger traffic; goods traffic continued to be dealt with at Bridge Street. In 1875, the London and North Western Railway
London and North Western Railway
The London and North Western Railway was a British railway company between 1846 and 1922. It was created by the merger of three companies – the Grand Junction Railway, the London and Birmingham Railway and the Manchester and Birmingham Railway...
obtained powers to quadruple the main line north from , with the two new tracks (the "slow lines") diverging at so as to form a new line (the "Northampton Loop") through Northampton. Castle station was rebuilt and expanded over the site of Northampton Castle, the remains of which were purchased and demolished in 1880 to make way for the goods shed
Goods shed
A goods shed is a railway building designed for storing goods before or after carriage in a train.A typical goods shed will have a track running through it to allow goods wagons to be unloaded under cover, although sometimes they were built alongside a track with possibly just a canopy over the door...
. In response to concerns expressed by local historians, the castle's postern gate was moved to a new site in the boundary wall of the new station where it remains to this day. The Loop Line north to was opened on 1 December 1881, followed by the line south to Roade on 3 April 1882.
A third station was opened by the Midland Railway
Midland Railway
The Midland Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 to 1922, when it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway....
for their services from (via the Northampton and Peterborough Railway
Northampton and Peterborough Railway
The Northampton and Peterborough Railway was an early railway promoted by the London and Birmingham Railway to run from a junction at Blisworth to Northampton and Peterborough.-Origin:...
) named Northampton on 1 October 1866; it closed on 10 June 1872 with the opening of the Midland's branch line to Bedford
Bedford to Northampton Line
The Bedford to Northampton Line was a branch of the Midland Railway which served stations in three counties: Northampton and Horton in Northamptonshire, Olney in Buckinghamshire and Turvey and Bedford in Bedfordshire, England...
. The station's site was subsequently reused for Far Cotton
Far Cotton
Far Cotton, many years ago a village in its own right, is a district of the English county town of Northampton.Far Cotton is due south of the town centre, beyond Cotton End - hence the 'Far' - and south of the River Nene...
locomotive shed. A replacement station, which served both lines, opened the same day, and was again named Northampton, but was renamed Northampton St. John's Street on 2 June 1924.
St John's station was an early victim of closure, closing to passengers and freight on 3 July 1939, the services being diverted to Northampton Castle. Bridge Street station survived until 4 May 1964, when the Northampton to Peterborough line was closed, leaving only Castle station serving the town. As a result, it was renamed Northampton on 18 April 1966. The current station is the result of extensive British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
remodelling in 1965-66 as part of the electrification of the West Coast Main Line
West Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line is the busiest mixed-traffic railway route in Britain, being the country's most important rail backbone in terms of population served. Fast, long-distance inter-city passenger services are provided between London, the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and the...
. The current was switched on for the first time between Hillmorton Junction to Northampton on 6 June 1965 for insulation tests, with steam locomotives being withdrawn from the area on 27 September 1965.
The 2005 film Kinky Boots
Kinky Boots (film)
Kinky Boots is a 2005 comedy film written by Geoff Deane and Tim Firth, about a traditional Northampton shoemaker, based in Earls Barton, who turns to producing fetishism footwear in order to save the failing family business and the jobs of his workers...
featured a station named 'Northampton', although the scenes were filmed at nearby Wellingborough
Wellingborough railway station
Wellingborough railway station is located the market town of Wellingborough in Northamptonshire, England. It lies on the Midland Main Line, it is from London St. Pancras...
on the Midland Main Line
Midland Main Line
The Midland Main Line is a major railway route in the United Kingdom, part of the British railway system.The present-day line links London St...
.
Services
Northampton is served by London MidlandLondon Midland
London Midland is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. Legally named London and Birmingham Railway Ltd, it is a subsidiary of Govia, and has operated the West Midlands franchise since 11 November 2007....
services to London Euston, Milton Keynes and Birmingham. London Midland maintain their fleet of Class 350 EMUs at the Siemens depot just to the north of the station, as well as maintaining a Train Crew Depot at the station.
The typical Monday-Saturday off-peak service consists of:
- 3 trains per hour (tph) to London EustonEuston railway stationEuston railway station, also known as London Euston, is a central London railway terminus in the London Borough of Camden. It is the sixth busiest rail terminal in London . It is one of 18 railway stations managed by Network Rail, and is the southern terminus of the West Coast Main Line...
, of which:- 1tph calls at all stations to (except Cheddington and Tring) and Watford Junction.
- 1tph calls at all stations to before running non-stop to London.
- 1tph calls at and only.
- 1tph to calling at all stations via apart from and .
- 1tph to calling at , , , , and .
- 1pth Birmingham New Street calling at most stations.
Virgin Trains operate two trains per day from Northampton to London Euston (southbound only); one in the early morning and one in the late evening. These services originate from Birmingham New Street, but no northbound Virgin services are timetabled as serving Northampton. The lack of fast services to Northampton is caused by the fast lines of the West Coast Main Line bypassing the town. Connections to Manchester and other long-distance destinations can be made by changing at Milton Keynes Central.