Heysham Port railway station
General information | |
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Location | Heysham Port, City of Lancaster England |
Coordinates | 54°02′00″N 2°54′47″W / 54.0333186°N 2.9131881°W |
Grid reference | SD402600 |
Owned by | Network Rail |
Managed by | Northern Trains |
Platforms | 1 |
Tracks | 1 |
Other information | |
Station code | HHB |
Classification | DfT category F1 |
History | |
Original company | Midland Railway |
Pre-grouping | Midland Railway |
Post-grouping | London, Midland and Scottish Railway British Rail (London Midland Region) |
Key dates | |
11 July 1904 | Opened as Heysham Harbour |
4 May 1970 | Resited |
6 October 1975 | Closed |
11 May 1987 | Reopened and renamed Heysham Sea Terminal |
28 September 1992 | Renamed Heysham Port |
Passengers | |
2018/19 | 7,698 |
2019/20 | 11,450 |
2020/21 | 1,130 |
2021/22 | 8,404 |
2022/23 | 9,448 |
Location | |
Location in City of Lancaster, Lancashire Location in Lancashire, England | |
Notes | |
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road |
Heysham Port is a railway station on the
History
Early years
The station was opened as Heysham Harbour by the Midland Railway on 11 July 1904. It was relocated to an adjacent site on 4 May 1970,[1] and served boat trains for Belfast until the closure of the ferry route in April 1975. The train service was withdrawn on 6 October 1975,[1] but reinstated, and the station renamed Heysham Sea Terminal on 11 May 1987,[1] to provide a rail connection with the daily sailing to Douglas run by the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company. The station was renamed Heysham Port on 28 September 1992,[1] under the Regional Railways sector of British Rail.
As constructed, the station had three platforms, two
A frequent passenger service was provided by the Midland Railway for its work force at the port and the regular ferry sailings to Scotland, the
With two reversals required en route and a relatively short journey between termini, the units were well suited for the busy route, which operated on a half-hourly frequency for much of the day. Long-distance express trains routed by way of the former
Decline and withdrawal of passenger services
The proposals were approved in August 1965, and the local service was withdrawn on 3 January 1966.[4] The overheads were dismantled the following year, after the Midland line was closed to all traffic between Morecambe, Lancaster and Wennington. Freight traffic continued although from June 1967, it operated via Morecambe, where all trains had to reverse.
A further change to traffic patterns came about in 1968, when ferry operator Sealink announced its intention to convert the two ships operating out of the port on the Belfast route to "roll-on/roll-off" car ferries rather than conventional passenger ships.[5] The change required major alterations to the ferries and to the berths at both termini. At Heysham, the station building was demolished and its replacement built on an adjacent site. The station reopened for traffic on 4 May 1970. As part of the scheme, a new signal box and associated signalling was provided. The viability of the Belfast route was compromised by the Northern Irish Troubles in the years that followed. Mounting losses led to its withdrawal on 5 April 1975 and led the connecting rail services becoming redundant and to the closure of the station to passengers, a few months later.
Freight traffic continued but was only a fraction of what had been handled previously and BR rationalised the station layout, mothballing the signal box, removing the signalling and disconnecting one of the two approach lines from Heysham Moss in 1977. The remaining line was operated under "One Train Working" regulations, with the box acting as a ground frame for controlling the points to the sidings.[5] The disused station had two platform lines accessible for use by railtours and special trains. By 1983, oil trains had ceased and the terminal sidings were then lifted.
Modern era
Morecambe, Lancaster and Heysham Port | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Passenger trains resumed in 1987, and in 1994, the layout was rationalised again as part of the programme of works associated with the building of the current Morecambe station. The last portion of double track on the branch from Holt Bank Junction to the former ICI sidings at Heysham Moss was singled, redundant trackwork was removed, and the old signal box dismantled (it was subsequently donated to the heritage
The branch handles occasional freight trains operated by Direct Rail Services from the reprocessing plant at Sellafield to Heysham nuclear power station. They usually run once or twice-weekly and use the siding that diverges from the main running line a short distance east of the station. Access is by means of a ground frame unlocked and operated by the train crew and the trains are usually worked with a locomotive at each end to avoid the need for run-round moves when it reverses at Morecambe.
Facilities
The facilities at the station are basic: it is unstaffed and a single waiting shelter is provided. All tickets must be purchased in advance or on board the train. There is step-free access from the ferry terminal and car park to the platform.[7]
Although the station is publicly accessible, it can be reached only by travelling along the busy main road into the port complex (either by car or on foot) from Heysham village, which is more than 1 mile (2 km) away. Most passengers using the station do so only to connect with the daily ferry sailings as there is no local commuter or residential traffic.
Services
Northern Trains Route 7 |
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Bentham Line and
Settle and Carlisle Line |
A twice-daily service formerly served the railway station (the first around midday with a second approximately an hour later), which connected with the
From the summer 2018 timetable change the service has been altered again, now running to and from Lancaster only. The Sunday service has been reduced to a single train each way, but runs throughout the year and has a connection at Lancaster for Carnforth and stations to Leeds.[10]
References
- ^ a b c d Butt (1995), page 119
- ^ a b "Electrification Pioneers" Gloucestershire Transport History; Retrieved 2014-03-11
- ^ McRae (1997), page 22
- ^ Marshall (1981), page 158
- ^ a b c "The Signal Box " forum - Heysham Harbour www.signalbox.org; Retrieved 2014-03-11
- ^ "Steaming Around Britain's Railways - Forest of Dean, Part 1" www.crjennings.com; Retrieved 2014-03-11
- ^ Heysham Port station facilities National Rail Enquiries
- ^ GB National Rail Timetable, December 2008 Edition, Tables 36 & 98
- ^ GB eNRT May 2017 Edition, Tables 42 & 98
- ^ Table 106 National Rail timetable, May 2023
Sources
- OL 11956311M.
- Marshall, J (1981). Forgotten Railways North-West England. Newton Abbott: David & Charles. ISBN 0-7153-8003-6.
- McRae, Andrew (1997). British Railway Camping Coach Holidays: The 1930s & British Railways (London Midland Region). Vol. Scenes from the Past: 30 (Part One). Foxline. ISBN 1-870119-48-7.
External links
- Media related to Heysham Port railway station at Wikimedia Commons
- Train times and station information for Heysham Port railway station from National Rail
Preceding station | National Rail | Following station | ||
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Morecambe | Heysham Port - Lancaster
|
Terminus | ||
Ferry services | ||||
Terminus | Isle of Man Steam Packet Company | Douglas
| ||
Historical railways | ||||
Middleton Road Bridge Halt | Midland Railway "Little" North Western Railway |
Terminus |