Grid reference NZ373138 Managed by Northern 2011/12 14 Number of platforms 2 | Station code TEA DfT category F1 Opened 3 October 1971 | |
Place Durham Tees Valley Airport Original company Eastern Region of British Railways Similar Eaglescliffe railway station, Allens West railway st, Yarm railway station, Billingham railway station, Stockton railway station | ||
Teesside Airport railway station is in the borough of Darlington in County Durham, England.
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Despite its name, it is almost a 1-mile walk from Durham Tees Valley Airport (formerly Teesside International Airport), only two trains stop per week (both on Sunday), and bus links to the airport and other destinations were withdrawn many years ago. Consequently, the station has become one of the country's least-used, with an estimated 98 passenger entries/exits in 2015/16; in 2012/13 and 2013/14 patronage was just eight a year.
History
The station is on the original route of the Stockton and Darlington Railway, 5 miles 43 chains (8.9 km) from Darlington South Junction; it was opened by British Rail on 3 October 1971.
There are two platforms, each long enough for a four-coach train. The airport changed its name to Durham Tees Valley Airport in 2004, however, the station's name was not updated. In 2007, the train operating company Northern erected new signs reading "Teesside Airport", replacing signs which had used a hyphen in Teesside; however, National Rail still lists the station as "Tees-side Airport".
Services
Located on the Tees Valley Line and operated by Northern, the station sees two trains call per week, both on Sunday; one to Hartlepool and the other to Dinsdale and Darlington. Other services use this line, but pass the station without stopping. The airport is an approximate 15-minute walk from the station and accessibility issues are a major factor in its lack of usage.
The station did have a more frequent service in the past (the 1986 British Rail timetable had one train per hour in each direction, seven days a week), but since the early 1990s it has received only a bare minimum "parliamentary" service to avoid the need for formal closure proceedings.
On 24 October 2009, a group of 26 people travelled to and from the station on the only scheduled service, to highlight the station's existence and its limited service, and to try to persuade railway authorities to move it 500 metres closer to the airport terminal. The station was featured in October 2010 on the BBC Radio 4 programme "The Ghost Trains of Old England", which mentioned the campaign and the fact that the station has a working payphone. It was also suggested that a large proportion of the tickets sold for the station are bought by collectors who wish to own tickets with rare or unusual destinations, and do not necessarily travel.
Transport links
Previously, other public transport access was frequent, with the airport being served by the "Sky Express" bus service from Middlesbrough and Darlington. In 2011 the links with Middlesbrough were lost as Stockton borough council withdrew funding, but services to Darlington and Hurworth remained.
By 2012, passenger numbers had decreased so much that all journeys to and from the airport were withdrawn.