Horden (Peterlee) Station now open

[Anvil1984]

I might be wrong but now is a good time to practice braking and remembering to stop at the new station. Bit awkward to run straight through on the first few days of opening.

Yeah best to experiment it now so it’s right on the day saying that not all of the trains has got the extra Horden time in which is annoying

 

[Taunton]

Tiny? The platforms are 100m each

Have a look again. The accessibility ramps for the footbridge appear wider than the depth of the platforms, between the yellow line and the lamp posts/train indicator post. Quite why the ramp, only used by wheelchairs/pushchairs, has to be wider than a platform everyone is on with trains passing at speed is not apparent.

 

[Anvil1984]

Have a look again. The accessibility ramps for the footbridge appear wider than the depth of the platforms, between the yellow line and the lamp posts/train indicator post. Quite why the ramp, only used by wheelchairs/pushchairs, has to be wider than a platform everyone is on with trains passing at speed is not apparent.

Have a look again? I drive through it, I know the size of the platform. It’s a bad picture, plenty of room on the platform and it’s not “tiny”

 

[willgreen]

Google Maps is now showing the station as open.

 

[pdeaves]

Have a look again? I drive through it, I know the size of the platform. It’s a bad picture, plenty of room on the platform and it’s not “tiny”

I think there difference in view 'tiny' in length vs 'tiny' in width. Probably both distorted by the angle and lens size in the image.

 

[swt_passenger]

Have a look again. The accessibility ramps for the footbridge appear wider than the depth of the platforms, between the yellow line and the lamp posts/train indicator post. Quite why the ramp, only used by wheelchairs/pushchairs, has to be wider than a platform everyone is on with trains passing at speed is not apparent.

The platform width will meet that shown in the group standards, 2.5 metres? because the area between the edge and the yellow line is included in that distance.

I dare say people will have different views, (as seen in the Market Harborough station thread).

 

[bearhugger]

I noticed the other day when i was there, that there is no signalling at either end of the station, am i missing something, Or has it not been installed yet?.

There are no signals at Marton station either. There is signal of some sort at Gypsy Lane for heading up to Nunthorpe. Annoyingly I can't find a photo of it. It's just before the level crossing on the left hand side of the track and flashes white. I don't know if it's to do with the crossing or for Nunthorpe half a mile up the road, perhaps @Anvil1984 would know if she/he signs the route. There's more signals at Nunthorpe as thats the token exchange point for trains going beyond Nunthorpe to Battersby (the next token exchange point).
I did think initially that the platforms at Horden looked quite narrow but I think it's the perspective of the photos. On a longer look at the photo posted by @TBY-Paul the platforms look to be about the same width as James Cook so quite adequate.

 

[simon7929]

There are no signals at Marton station either. There is signal of some sort at Gypsy Lane for heading up to Nunthorpe. Annoyingly I can't find a photo of it. It's just before the level crossing on the left hand side of the track and flashes white. I don't know if it's to do with the crossing or for Nunthorpe half a mile up the road, perhaps @Anvil1984 would know if she/he signs the route. There's more signals at Nunthorpe as thats the token exchange point for trains going beyond Nunthorpe to Battersby (the next token exchange point).
I did think initially that the platforms at Horden looked quite narrow but I think it's the perspective of the photos. On a longer look at the photo posted by @TBY-Paul the platforms look to be about the same width as James Cook so quite adequate.

A lot of stations that don't have signals at stations. The light at the end of Gypsy Lane is for the crossing. Flashes White when it is ok for the train to proceed. Nunthorpe station has four semaphore signals and a colour light points indicator which is operated by the passing of trains.

 

[Esker-pades]

The station stops are already in the train schedules, but marked as non-advertised, so I guess that services slow down there to keep to time.

More likely for driver route knowledge?

 

[ainsworth74]

The station stops are already in the train schedules, but marked as non-advertised, so I guess that services slow down there to keep to time.

My guess was to get the drivers into the habit of slowing down and stopping for the station.

 

[swt_passenger]

Has its name always been expected to be just Horden, or was Peterlee going to be included at one time?

 

[Anvil1984]

My guess was to get the drivers into the habit of slowing down and stopping for the station.

Technically the reason will have probably been (in non-Covid times) to act as a placeholder for the station opening mid-timetable and avoid changing the timetable at a random time even by 3 minutes or so. The giving drivers extra time to work out braking points will just be a side benefit. Horden doesn’t appear at present on diagrams we just notice on some jobs there’s extra time between Seaham and Hartlepool

 

[Anvil1984]

A lot of stations that don't have signals at stations. The light at the end of Gypsy Lane is for the crossing. Flashes White when it is ok for the train to proceed. Nunthorpe station has four semaphore signals and a colour light points indicator which is operated by the passing of trains.

Indeed the block section is pretty much Cargo Fleet to Nunthorpe. Technically there is a signal at Gypsy Lane going up the hill as there’s a Stop Board there (which is annoying on ECS trips)

 

[simon7929]

Indeed the block section is pretty much Cargo Fleet to Nunthorpe. Technically there is a signal at Gypsy Lane going up the hill as there’s a Stop Board there (which is annoying on ECS trips)

The first Whitby service (0507) ex Middlesbrough is not booked to stop at GYP. However the infrastructure requires it to do so. So if anybody is crazy enough to want to catch this service at this time and lives in Gypsy Lane. Then they’ll have to walk to Nunthorpe to board. Despite the fact the train has to stop at their nearest station regardless. It’s a similar situation at Sleights.

 

[Roger100]

I think there difference in view 'tiny' in length vs 'tiny' in width. Probably both distorted by the angle and lens size in the image.

Looking at my photos, the lens was 149mm focal length on APS-C - about 223mm equiv in 35mm film. It was taken from the bridge at Ocean Road which is roughly where the earlier station was. The camera height and distance make the platform seem shorter, but there's no distortion, your eyes would see the same effect. The width looks fairly standard to me, it seems small because I was some distance away. I doubt if it's much different to Seaham, the previous station down the line.

 

[66Yorks]

From the photo if coper depth of 760 has been used, I'd guess platform width is ~3m.

 

[bearhugger]

Just passed through Horden on the train. Platforms look a reasonable width. Plenty of room where the shelters are.

 

[telstarbox]

What is the actual name on the signs please?

 

[AMD]

What is the actual name on the signs please?

Horden

 

[pdeaves]

Is anyone in the area able to confirm for the record that public trains have started calling today, please? Although present in RTT, that does not necessarily mean actual public stops.

 

[ainsworth74]

Northern on Twitter have confirmed it:

https://twitter.com/northernassist/status/1277533758502195202?s=20

This morning saw the very passenger train call at the new multi-million-pound station for County Durham, Horden. The station will link the east of the county into the local, regional and national rail network and support the wider regeneration of the area.

 

[pdeaves]

Northern on Twitter have confirmed it:

https://twitter.com/northernassist/status/1277533758502195202?s=20

Thanks, that's good.

 

[Roger100]

Is anyone in the area able to confirm for the record that public trains have started calling today, please? Although present in RTT, that does not necessarily mean actual public stops.

I might have a look (from a distance) later. They have warned enthusiasts not to visit the station, although passengers might be permitted if they have a valid reason to travel!

 

[70014IronDuke]

Congratulations to the good folk of Horden and Peterlee.

 

[TBY-Paul]

Northern Rail have published a youtube video with various bits of time-lapse content:-

Horden Station

 

[Roger100]

Here's 2W31 Nunthorpe to Newcastle stopped at Horden today, 29th June. Nice that it's a 4-car unit, 156490 at the rear and I didn't get the front unit. A few passengers and a few people on the platform taking photos, despite the warnings to stay away.

 

[Mollman]

And the DfT new story:
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/15-million-boost-to-bring-better-rail-journeys-to-the-north-east

Thousands of passengers in the North East of England are set to benefit from more frequent, reliable rail services and better connections, thanks to £15 million of government investment, the Transport Secretary has announced today (29 June 2020).

Horden Station in Durham will open to passengers for the first time today. It will be served by one train per hour calling at all stations between Newcastle and Middlesbrough. This restores a vital link for up to 70,000 passengers in an area that hasn’t had a station in a 20 kilometre stretch after the previous station was closed following the Beeching cuts in 1964.

The £10.55 million project, led by Durham County Council and Network Rail, has been supported by £4.4 million from the Department for Transport’s New Stations Fund.

The Transport Secretary has also announced £8.7 million of investment to develop proposals for a package of enhancements to modernise Darlington station. These include 2 new platforms for local services, one new platform for southbound long-distance services and a raft of improvements to make the station more accessible.

A further £2.45 million has also been agreed to develop proposals at Middlesborough station that would see platform 2 extended to accommodate longer trains with more seats. A new platform would also be built, increasing capacity for local services and delivering more comfortable journeys for passengers.

Transport Secretary and Northern Powerhouse Minister Grant Shapps said:

Our ambitious plans to restore and revitalise the railways of the North East sits at the heart of our commitment to level up infrastructure across the country, build a railway that works for everyone and kickstart our economy as we begin the recovery from COVID-19.
I’ve seen first hand how the new Horden Station will improve connectivity for thousands of people, easing congestion in Durham and enabling quick, convenient travel between Newcastle and Middlesbrough.
By backing proposals to improve both Darlington and Middlesbrough stations, we will work to invigorate rail connections and deliver more modern, reliable services for passengers and businesses now and in the future.

Councillor Simon Henig, leader of Durham County Council, said:

It has been a long held ambition to have a station at Horden so, after a number of years of hard work and commitment by ourselves and our partners, it’s fantastic that we are now ready to welcome the first train and the first passengers.
This new facility will open up significant opportunities for communities across east Durham, by providing a direct transport link to Teesside, Wearside and Tyneside. And, of course, it will also make it easier for people from outside the area to travel to the east of the county, whether for business or pleasure.
It is going to provide a major economic boost to the county and I’m sure residents and businesses will be keen to take advantage.

It comes as the Transport Secretary recently agreed to give £5 million from the Restoring Your Railway funding to Northumberland County Council to develop proposals to drive forward the return of passenger services on the Ashington-Blyth-Tyne line in Northumberland.

The New Stations Fund was launched in 2013 to help give local communities improved access to rail services in England and Wales and has so far helped to fund 10 new stations. The third round of the New Stations Fund, which will invest £20 million in new stations and help restore closed stations to their former glory, has now closed with a decision on successful applicants due in the Autumn.

Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen said:

I am delighted that the government has once again thrown its weight behind my plans to upgrade both Darlington and Middlesbrough Station, a move which will help thousands of rail travellers in my region with more frequent and reliable services, and ensure we are better connected to London and the rest of the UK.
Improved rail connectivity will help us attract even more big businesses and high levels of investment to the Tees Valley, which is central to my plan to create good quality, local jobs for people in Teesside, Darlington and Hartlepool.
This £11 million investment is another significant milestone in improving transport connectivity in the Tees Valley and is further proof that this government is serious about its levelling up agenda and giving the north the investment it deserves.

Today’s announcement comes as engineering works continue on the £1.2 billion programme of infrastructure enhancements for the East Coast Main Line (ECML) that will increase capacity and reduce journey times.

Power supplies north of York are being upgraded to enable more electric services to run, minimising the use of diesel fuel and reducing the impact on the environment. The work between York and Newcastle is due to be completed by the end of 2022 with the upgrades between Newcastle and Edinburgh set to be completed around 12 months later.

The East Coast Main Line is also set to become Britain’s first mainline digital rail link with £350 million of new investment to install state-of-the art electronic signalling designed to cut journey times and slash delays.

Conventional signalling will be replaced with a digital system that allows trains to talk to the track allowing the smooth flow of trains, reducing signal failures that every year result in thousands of hours of delays, and making journeys safer.

 

[PR1Berske]

I've amended the New Station calendar thread to reflect today's news.

 

[skyhigh]

Interestingly (unfortunately?) the trainfx will display and announce Hordon Peterlee on board as that's what it was originally planned to be called...

 

[JaJaWa]

Here's 2W31 Nunthorpe to Newcastle stopped at Horden today, 29th June. Nice that it's a 4-car unit, 156490 at the rear and I didn't get the front unit. A few passengers and a few people on the platform taking photos, despite the warnings to stay away.

View attachment 80141

Back to the blue Serco-Abellio signage design with the original font rather than the new Arriva / white design.