Prudhoe railway station

Prudhoe is a railway station on the Tyne Valley Line, which runs between Newcastle, Hexham and Carlisle. The station serves the town of Prudhoe and the villages of Mickley and Ovingham in Northumberland. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by Northern Trains.

Prudhoe
Location	Prudhoe, Northumberland England
Coordinates	54°57′57″N 1°51′53″W
Grid reference	NZ087634
Owned by	Network Rail
Managed by	Northern Trains
Platforms	2
Tracks	2
Other information
Station code	PRU
Classification	DfT category F2
History
Original company	Newcastle and Carlisle Railway
Pre-grouping	North Eastern Railway
Post-grouping	London and North Eastern Railway British Rail (Eastern Region)
Key dates
9 March 1835	Opened as Prudhoe
1935	Renamed Ovingham
1938	Renamed Prudhoe
Passengers
2015/16	0.154 million
2016/17	0.155 million
2017/18	0.147 million
2018/19	0.140 million
2019/20	0.160 million
Location
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

History

The Newcastle and Carlisle Railway was formed in 1829, and was opened in stages.[1] The station opened in March 1835, following the commencement of passenger trains between Blaydon and Hexham.[2][3] It was never a junction, although extensive industrial connections on either side of the station once existed.

Between 1859 and 1915, there was another station less than 1 mile (1.6 km) west of Prudhoe, at Mickley.

The station buildings on the eastbound platform were constructed by the North Eastern Railway in 1884, having been designed in the twin pavilion style. The station ceased handling goods traffic in 1965.[4] The buildings were subsequently demolished in 1973 by British Rail, after the station became unstaffed, along with most of the other stations on the line that escaped the Beeching Axe.

Manual semaphore signalling complete with a block post at Prudhoe Signal Box, which is located beside the station and level crossing, continues to operate. The full barrier level crossing is signalman worked.

In May 2007, a new public transport interchange was opened. This provides direct connections to bus and train services, and a 27-space car park. The opening of the interchange coincided with the introduction of a much improved train service, with most passenger trains on the Tyne Valley Line being scheduled to call at Prudhoe.

In April 2019, the platforms at the station were extended ahead of the introduction of upgraded rolling stock, as part of the Great North Rail project.[5] Further work was undertaken between June and November 2020, which saw the refurbishment and strengthening of the station's Grade II listed metal footbridge – at a cost of £290,000.[6][7][8]

Facilities

The station has two platforms, both of which have a self-service ticket machine (which accepts card or contactless payment only), seating, waiting shelter, next train audio and visual displays and an emergency help point. Platforms are linked by a pre-grouping metal footbridge, similar to those at Riding Mill and Wylam, however there is step-free access both platforms. There is a small car park and cycle storage at the station.[9]

Prudhoe is part of the Northern Trains penalty fare network, meaning that a valid ticket or promise to pay notice is required prior to boarding the train.[10]

Services

Route 4: Tyne Valley Line
Carlisle Wetheral Brampton (Cumbria) Haltwhistle Bardon Mill Haydon Bridge Hexham Corbridge Riding Mill Stocksfield Prudhoe Wylam Blaydon MetroCentre Dunston Newcastle
Most services extend to/from Morpeth or Nunthorpe.

Following the December 2020 timetable change, the station is served by three trains per hour between Newcastle and Hexham, two of which continue to Carlisle. An hourly service operates between Newcastle and Carlisle during the evening and on Sunday. All services are operated by Northern Trains.[11]

Rolling stock used: Class 156 Super Sprinter and Class 158 Express Sprinter

See also

• Prudhoe
• Ovingham

References

1. James, Leslie (November 1983). A Chronology of the Construction of Britain's Railways 1778-1855. Shepperton: Ian Allan. p. 22. ISBN 0-7110-1277-6. BE/1183.
2. Allen, Cecil J. (1974) [1964]. The North Eastern Railway. Shepperton: Ian Allan. p. 35. ISBN 0-7110-0495-1.
3. Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 68. ISBN 1-85260-508-1. R508.
4. Young, Alan (22 May 2017). "Disused Stations: Prudhoe Station". Disused Stations. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
5. Spowart, Samantha (27 March 2019). "Work to extend Prudhoe railway station platform begins". Hexham Courant. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
6. Robinson, James (26 May 2020). "Renovation work on Prudhoe railway station to start next month". Hexham Courant. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
7. Holden, Michael (2 June 2020). "Work on Grade II Listed footbridge at Prudhoe station begins next week". Rail Advent. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
8. "New lease of life for Grade II listed footbridge at Prudhoe railway station". Network Rail Media Centre. 1 June 2020. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
9. "Prudhoe Station Train Tickets, Departures and Timetables". Northern Trains. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
10. "Penalty Fares Map". Northern Trains. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
11. "Train times: Sunderland and Newcastle to Hexham and Carlisle" (PDF). Northern Trains. 13 December 2020. Retrieved 14 December 2020.

External links

• Media related to Prudhoe railway station at Wikimedia Commons
• Train times and station information for Prudhoe railway station from National Rail