South Shields railway station

South Shields
1963, just after de-electrification
Location
Place	South Shields
Area	South Tyneside
Operations
Pre-grouping	North Eastern Railway
Platforms	2
History
Key dates	Opened 1879 Closed 1981
1938	Route electrified by LNER
1963	Route de-electrified by British Rail
1998	Station buildings demolished
Disused railway stations in the United Kingdom
Closed railway stations in Britain A B C D–F G H–J K–L M–O P–R S T–V W–Z

South Shields railway station was the main railway station for South Shields, in Tyne and Wear, North-East England. The station was located on Mile End Road in the town centre. The station was opened by the NER in 1879 as the terminus of their newly extended Newcastle and South Shields Railway branch from Pelaw via Hebburn and had two platforms and an ornate overall roof.

The town had been rail-served by some years prior to this - the Stanhope and Tyne Railway had opened their route from Washington back in 1834, whilst the Brandling Junction Railway followed with a branch from Brockley Whins five years later. Both these companies (and the S&T's successor the Pontop and South Shields Railway) had though been purely concerned with mineral traffic and passenger provision was limited. The new route though was built to carry passengers from the outset as well as coal & iron ore to/from Tyne Dock and had regular services to both Newcastle Central via Gateshead and to Sunderland, these running via the old BJR route via Tyne Dock and East Boldon. It also served as the western terminus or the South Shields, Marsden, and Whitburn Colliery Railway from its opening to public passenger traffic in 1888.

The 1923 Grouping saw the station pass from the NER into the control of the London and North Eastern Railway. Services on both routes remained well used and in 1938, the line from Newcastle was electrified on the 660V DC system as an extension of the existing North Tyneside suburban network.