Tees Valley Line
Encyclopedia
The Tees Valley Line is a name for the railway route between Bishop Auckland
and Saltburn
via Darlington
and Middlesbrough
. Also operated on the line are services from Newcastle-upon-Tyne to Middlesbrough and Saltburn via Darlington.
Beyond Bishop Auckland, the railway line continues as the newly re-opened Heritage Weardale Railway
.
, with the exception of First TransPennine Express
services starting at Middlesbrough and calling at Thornaby. The majority of the Northern Rail services are worked by Class 142 Pacer
units, with occasional services provided by Class 156 SuperSprinter
units.
Between Darlington and Middlesbrough/Saltburn there is a service running almost every half-hour during the daytime, becoming roughly hourly in the evenings. The service to Bishop Auckland is more sparse. A once weekly service in each direction stops at Tees-side Airport station to service Durham Tees Valley Airport
.
The towns and villages served by the line are listed below.
, as well as the section between Dinsdale Station
near Middleton St George and Eaglescliffe station
, follow the original route of the Stockton and Darlington Railway
.
The line from Middlesbrough to Saltburn, as well as the freight line to Boulby mine
, were part of the Whitby Redcar and Middlesbrough Union Railway (WRMU)
. This extended to Whitby
, until it was closed on 5 May 1958.
Bishop Auckland
Bishop Auckland is a market town and civil parish in County Durham in north east England. It is located about northwest of Darlington and southwest of Durham at the confluence of the River Wear with its tributary the River Gaunless...
and Saltburn
Saltburn-by-the-Sea
Saltburn-by-the-Sea is a seaside resort in the unitary authority of Redcar and Cleveland and the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England. The town is around east of Middlesbrough, and had a population of 5,912 at the 2001 Census.-Old Saltburn:...
via Darlington
Darlington
Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, part of the ceremonial county of County Durham, England. It lies on the small River Skerne, a tributary of the River Tees, not far from the main river. It is the main population centre in the borough, with a population of 97,838 as of 2001...
and Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough is a large town situated on the south bank of the River Tees in north east England, that sits within the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire...
. Also operated on the line are services from Newcastle-upon-Tyne to Middlesbrough and Saltburn via Darlington.
Beyond Bishop Auckland, the railway line continues as the newly re-opened Heritage Weardale Railway
Weardale Railway
The Weardale Railway is a British single-track branch line railway providing regular daily passenger service between Bishop Auckland , Wolsingham, Frosterley and Stanhope. Services began on 23 May 2010 after a lapse of almost sixty years. The railway originally ran from Bishop Auckland to...
.
Service
All trains along the route are currently operated by Northern RailNorthern 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...
, with the exception of 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...
services starting at Middlesbrough and calling at Thornaby. The majority of the Northern Rail services are worked by Class 142 Pacer
British Rail Class 142
The British Rail Class 142 is a class of Pacer diesel multiple units used in the United Kingdom. 96 units were built by BREL in Derby between 1985 and 1987. They were a development of the earlier Class 141 which were introduced in 1984....
units, with occasional services provided by Class 156 SuperSprinter
British Rail Class 156
The British Rail Class 156 Super Sprinter is a diesel multiple-unit train . 114 of these units were built from 1987 to 1989 by Metro-Cammell at its Washwood Heath Works in Birmingham...
units.
Between Darlington and Middlesbrough/Saltburn there is a service running almost every half-hour during the daytime, becoming roughly hourly in the evenings. The service to Bishop Auckland is more sparse. A once weekly service in each direction stops at Tees-side Airport station to service Durham Tees Valley Airport
Durham Tees Valley Airport
Durham Tees Valley Airport is an international airport in north east England, located southeast of Darlington, about southwest of Middlesbrough and south of Durham. The airport serves County Durham and parts of North Yorkshire, and is in Middleton St George in the borough of Darlington...
.
The towns and villages served by the line are listed below.
- Bishop AucklandBishop AucklandBishop Auckland is a market town and civil parish in County Durham in north east England. It is located about northwest of Darlington and southwest of Durham at the confluence of the River Wear with its tributary the River Gaunless...
- ShildonShildonShildon is a town in County Durham, in England. It is situated 2 miles to the south east of Bishop Auckland and 11 miles north of Darlington. It is 13 miles away from Durham, 23 miles from Sunderland and 23 miles from Newcastle-upon-Tyne...
- Newton AycliffeNewton AycliffeNewton Aycliffe is a town in County Durham, England. Founded in 1947 under the New Towns Act of 1946, it is the oldest new town in the north of England.-Geography:...
- HeighingtonHeighington, County DurhamHeighington is a village in the borough of Darlington and ceremonial county of County Durham, England. It is situated between Darlington and Shildon, near Newton Aycliffe. One of its most significant features is St Michael's Church that sits in the middle of an exceptionally fine and large village...
- DarlingtonDarlingtonDarlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, part of the ceremonial county of County Durham, England. It lies on the small River Skerne, a tributary of the River Tees, not far from the main river. It is the main population centre in the borough, with a population of 97,838 as of 2001...
- Middleton St GeorgeMiddleton St GeorgeMiddleton St George is a village in the borough of Darlington and the ceremonial county of County Durham, England. It is served by Dinsdale railway station....
- EaglescliffeEaglescliffeEaglescliffe is a small town in the borough of Stockton-on-Tees in North East England. It is on the north bank of the River Tees and for ceremonial purposes is in County Durham. The bridge at Eaglescliffe on the border with Yarm marked the last crossing point of tidal section of the River Tees...
- Thornaby
- MiddlesbroughMiddlesbroughMiddlesbrough is a large town situated on the south bank of the River Tees in north east England, that sits within the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire...
- RedcarRedcarRedcar is a seaside resort in the north east of England, and a major town in the unitary authority of Redcar and Cleveland in the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire. It lies east-northeast of Middlesbrough by the North Sea coast...
- Marske-by-the-SeaMarske-by-the-SeaMarske-by-the-Sea is a village in the unitary authority of Redcar and Cleveland and the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England.It is located on the coast, in an area sometimes referred to as East Cleveland, between the seaside resorts of Redcar and Saltburn-by-the-Sea although it is not...
- Saltburn by the SeaSaltburn-by-the-SeaSaltburn-by-the-Sea is a seaside resort in the unitary authority of Redcar and Cleveland and the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England. The town is around east of Middlesbrough, and had a population of 5,912 at the 2001 Census.-Old Saltburn:...
History
The section of line between Bishop Auckland and the East Coast Main LineEast Coast Main Line
The East Coast Main Line is a long electrified high-speed railway link between London, Peterborough, Doncaster, Wakefield, Leeds, York, Darlington, Newcastle and Edinburgh...
, as well as the section between Dinsdale Station
Dinsdale railway station
Dinsdale railway station serves the village of Middleton St George in the borough of Darlington and the ceremonial county of County Durham. It is located on the Tees Valley Line and is operated by Northern Rail who provide all passenger train services...
near Middleton St George and Eaglescliffe station
Eaglescliffe railway station
Eaglescliffe railway station serves the town of Eaglescliffe in the borough of Stockton-on-Tees. It is located on the Tees Valley Line at the junction with the Northallerton-Eaglescliffe Line and is operated by Northern Rail...
, follow the original route of the Stockton and Darlington Railway
Stockton and Darlington Railway
The Stockton and Darlington Railway , which opened in 1825, was the world's first publicly subscribed passenger railway. It was 26 miles long, and was built in north-eastern England between Witton Park and Stockton-on-Tees via Darlington, and connected to several collieries near Shildon...
.
The line from Middlesbrough to Saltburn, as well as the freight line to Boulby mine
Boulby Mine
Boulby Mine is a site run by Cleveland Potash, located just southeast of the village of Boulby, on the northeast coast of the North Yorkshire Moors in Redcar and Cleveland, England. It is Europe's second deepest mine at —Pyhäsalmi Mine in Finland is even deeper, being 1,448 metres deep—producing...
, were part of the Whitby Redcar and Middlesbrough Union Railway (WRMU)
Whitby Redcar and Middlesbrough Union Railway
The Whitby, Redcar and Middlesbrough Union Railway was a short lived railway line, running along the northeast coast of England from the River Tees at Middlesbrough to the Esk at Whitby, where it met the Scarborough & Whitby Railway line and the Whitby and Pickering Railway...
. This extended to 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...
, until it was closed on 5 May 1958.