Seaham railway station
Encyclopedia
Seaham Railway Station serves the town of Seaham
in County Durham
, England
. The railway station
is located on the Durham Coast Line
and is operated by Northern Rail
, which provides all of the station's passenger services.
The first rail route into the town (the Seaham & Sunderland Railway) was built as a means of exporting coal from nearby collieries owned by the Marquess of Londonderry
. Completed in 1854, it ran from a station near the town harbour to Ryhope Grange near Sunderland, where it joined the North Eastern Railway
. The station was opened on 2 July 1855 and was originally named Seaham Colliery. The NER eventually purchased the line in 1900 and then opened a line southwards along the coast to on 1 April 1905 to create a new coastal route between Sunderland, Hartlepool and Middlesbrough. A new through station was constructed at the same time and this is the one that remains in use today, the original Seaham Harbour terminus having closed to passengers on 11 September 1939. In the meantime, the original Seaham station had been renamed Seaham Harbour, and Seaham Colliery renamed Seaham, both of these changes happening on 1 March 1925.
To the south, trains follow a similar trajectory with an hourly service to and Middlesbrough (journey time approximately 45 minutes). Three additional services run at peak times. Certain services continue beyond Middlesbrough to .
Trains are two-hourly on Sundays.
Grand Central Railway's services between and London King's Cross also pass through Seaham without stopping.
Seaham
Seaham, formerly Seaham Harbour, is a small town in County Durham, situated south of Sunderland and east of Durham. It has a small parish church, St Mary the Virgin, with a late 7th century Anglo Saxon nave resembling the church at Escomb in many respects. St Mary the Virgin is regarded as one of...
in County Durham
County Durham
County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...
, 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...
. The railway station
Train station
A train station, also called a railroad station or railway station and often shortened to just station,"Station" is commonly understood to mean "train station" unless otherwise qualified. This is evident from dictionary entries e.g...
is located on the Durham Coast Line
Durham Coast Line
The Durham Coast Line is the name given to the railway line which links Newcastle upon Tyne with Middlesbrough, via Sunderland and Hartlepool...
and is operated by 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...
, which provides all of the station's passenger services.
The first rail route into the town (the Seaham & Sunderland Railway) was built as a means of exporting coal from nearby collieries owned by the Marquess of Londonderry
Charles Stewart, 3rd Marquess of Londonderry
Charles William Vane, 3rd Marquess of Londonderry KG, GCB, GCH, PC , styled The Honourable Charles Stewart from 1789 until 1813 and The Honourable Sir Charles Stewart from 1813 to 1814 and known as The Lord Stewart from 1814 to 1822, was a British soldier, politician and nobleman...
. Completed in 1854, it ran from a station near the town harbour to Ryhope Grange near Sunderland, where it joined the North Eastern Railway
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...
. The station was opened on 2 July 1855 and was originally named Seaham Colliery. The NER eventually purchased the line in 1900 and then opened a line southwards along the coast to on 1 April 1905 to create a new coastal route between Sunderland, Hartlepool and Middlesbrough. A new through station was constructed at the same time and this is the one that remains in use today, the original Seaham Harbour terminus having closed to passengers on 11 September 1939. In the meantime, the original Seaham station had been renamed Seaham Harbour, and Seaham Colliery renamed Seaham, both of these changes happening on 1 March 1925.
Services
An hourly service is provided to Newcastle upon Tyne (journey time approximately 35 minutes) and . A further service is provided during morning peak time. Several services also continue along the Tyne Valley Line to the Gateshead Metro Centre, and .To the south, trains follow a similar trajectory with an hourly service to and Middlesbrough (journey time approximately 45 minutes). Three additional services run at peak times. Certain services continue beyond Middlesbrough to .
Trains are two-hourly on Sundays.
Grand Central Railway's services between and London King's Cross also pass through Seaham without stopping.