Station code BIL DfT category F2 Opened 1966 | Grid reference NZ466236 Managed by Northern 2011/12 71,328 Number of platforms 2 | |
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Similar Stockton railway station, Hartlepool railway station, Thornaby railway station, Yarm railway station, Eaglescliffe railway station | ||
Billingham railway station serves the town of Billingham, within the borough of Stockton-on-Tees and the ceremonial county of County Durham, England. The railway station is located on the Durham Coast Line 10 miles (16 km) north of Middlesbrough and is operated by Northern who provide all of the station's passenger services.
Contents
Facilities
The station is unstaffed and has no ticket provision, so all tickets must be purchased in advance or from the conductor on the train. New fully lit waiting shelters, digital information screens and CCTV cameras have been installed here whilst the long-line public address system (PA) has been renewed and upgraded with pre-recorded train announcements; train running information can also be obtained by telephone, a customer help point and timetable poster boards. The only access to the island platform is via a stepped footbridge, so it is not accessible for wheelchair or mobility-impaired passengers.
History
The station is a modern-style halt on the line and was opened on Monday 7 November 1966 to replace the town's original larger grander station located further west towards Norton; this closed the previous day and was subsequently demolished in the early 1970s. It was located next to the level crossing carrying the old route of the A19 across the railway. Only the signal box and footbridge survive on the site of the original station. The new Billingham station of British Rail was provided with a booking hall, waiting room, parcels office and lavatories. These facilities were lost when the station was reduced to unstaffed halt status towards the end of the 1960s. The station building of 1966 still stands, and is used as the office of local taxi company Binks Taxis.
The Tees Valley Rail Strategy calls for the re-opening of the original station as 'Old Billingham' as a new additional station on the Durham Coast Line. However, the plans have yet to come to fruition.
Accidents and incidents
Services
The station has a basic hourly service in each direction on weekdays (with a few peak period extras), northwards to Hartlepool, Sunderland and Newcastle and southwards to Middlesbrough. Most northbound trains continue onto the Tyne Valley line to MetroCentre and Hexham, whilst southbound trains are usually extended to and from Nunthorpe.
Sundays see a two-hourly service each between Middlesbrough and MetroCentre and two additional direct services to/from Darlington.