Morpeth | |
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Morpeth railway station
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Location | |
Place | Morpeth |
Local authority | County of Northumberland |
Coordinates | 55°09′44″N 1°40′58″W / 55.1622°N 1.6829°WCoordinates: 55°09′44″N 1°40′58″W / 55.1622°N 1.6829°W |
Grid reference | NZ202853 |
Operations | |
Station code | MPT |
Managed by | Northern |
Number of platforms | 2 |
DfT category | E |
Live arrivals/departures, station information and onward connections from National Rail Enquiries |
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Annual rail passenger usage* | |
2011/12 | 0.268 million |
2012/13 | 0.285 million |
2013/14 | 0.316 million |
2014/15 | 0.335 million |
2015/16 | 0.357 million |
History | |
Original company | Newcastle and Berwick Railway |
Pre-grouping | North Eastern Railway |
Post-grouping | LNER |
1 March 1847 | Station opened |
National Rail – UK railway stations | |
* Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Morpeth from Office of Rail and Road statistics. Methodology may vary year on year. | |
Morpeth railway station is on the East Coast Main Line in the United Kingdom, serving the town of Morpeth, Northumberland. It is 285 miles 6 chains (458.8 km) down-line from London King's Cross and on the main line it is situated between Cramlington to the south and Pegswood to the north. Its three-letter station code is MPT.
The station is managed by Northern.
The station was opened by the Newcastle and Berwick Railway on 1 March 1847. It was designed by Benjamin Green in the Scottish Baronial style and retains its original station buildings.
A severe ninety degree curve in the line of the railway immediately to the south of the station has been the site of four serious rail accidents, two of them fatal.
Another station was opened by the Blyth and Tyne Railway on 1 April 1858 and closed 24 May 1880. This was a terminus station that was also used by North British Railway trains from the west from Scots Gap from the opening of their line in 1862 until 1872. The B&T line to Bedlington lost its passenger trains in April 1950 (although occasional summer services between Scotland and the North Eastern coastal resorts continued operating over it until the 1960s), but it remains in use for freight and may have its passenger trains restored in the future (as an extension of the current local stopping service) - the South East Northumberland Rail User Group is currently campaigning for this. The current local service from Newcastle that terminates here uses the connection onto the B&T line north of the station to reverse and layover clear of the main line between trips.
Passenger trains over the old NBR line from Scots Gap and Reedsmouth/Rothbury ended in September 1952 and it closed completely in 1966 - few traces of this route now remain.
In December 2011 a self-service FastTicket machine was installed by Northern for use outside the hours of operation of the ticket office (06:40 -12:40, Mondays to Saturdays only). Pre-purchased tickets can now also be collected from Morpeth. The ticket office is located on the eastern side of the line in the main station building, which also has a taxi office and toilets. The opposite (northbound) platform has a waiting shelter and the two are linked by a subway with lifts for wheelchair and mobility impaired users. Train running information is supplied via timetable posters and digital display screens.