Sunderland Station - Disused Platform

[Tge1435]

Seen a few closed threads on people’s interest with the disused platform down at Sunderland so thought I’d post a few images of what its currently like.

 

[DGH 1]

Excellent photos tge1435, but personally it doesn't look much better than the rest of the station below ground. I remember when the newspaper trains used to stop there.

 

[GrahamD83]

I remember this station being partially open air. There were three platforms but one was not used and was off limits. Work started in 2000 or 2001 to remodel it for the Tyne and Wear Metro which saw new shops built at street level which completely covered it over.

On entering the station from the south you can see a track entering an area behind a wall which I guess would have been this platform.

 

[KeithMcC]

Until it was rebuilt there were 2 island platforms either side of a double track main line. After all the local branch services were abolished 1 platform (the current one) was retained for passenger services and the other one used for parcels but with dead end sidings alongside. A lot of it was built over apart from a light/ventilation well.
Some of the space was used for columns to support the Littlewoods store built over the tracks at the north end, where the original main station building was.

 

[vic-rijrode]

Some of the space was used for columns to support the Littlewoods store built over the tracks at the north end, where the original main station building was.

The Littlewoods store is now a Poundland - sign of the times!

The whole of the buildings built over the station need to be demolished - they are a positive eyesore, covered in bird droppings. This would open up the platforms to natural light, allow the "other" island platform to be brought back into use (to separate Metro and National Rail services) and complement the new station building.

Sadly there is little chance of that happening.

 

[markydh]

The Littlewoods store is now a Poundland - sign of the times!

The whole of the buildings built over the station need to be demolished - they are a positive eyesore, covered in bird droppings. This would open up the platforms to natural light, allow the "other" island platform to be brought back into use (to separate Metro and National Rail services) and complement the new station building.

Sadly there is little chance of that happening.

Bringing the other island back into use is very much an aim, though it relies on a substantial increase to the budget of the LA7 Mayoralty. Some sort of rebuild is going to occur at the north end of the station after the south end rebuild to is complete.

 

[swt_passenger]

Bringing the other island back into use is very much an aim, though it relies on a substantial increase to the budget of the LA7 Mayoralty. Some sort of rebuild is going to occur at the north end of the station after the south end rebuild to is complete.

Of course to bring both sides of the spare island into use, (as is sometimes suggested), they’d also have to remove about 3m off the in-use island where it was extended out over the old track bed. Presumably that would require the platform buildings to be significantly reduced in width too, unless they’re going to widen the whole cutting to the west side…

 

[Poolie]

Loadsa money being spent on refurbishment with a brand new ticket office that won't even open if certain people had their way..........hopefully it will

 

[vic-rijrode]

Loadsa money being spent on refurbishment with a brand new ticket office that won't even open if certain people had their way..........hopefully it will

It's rather more than refurbishment, it's a complete replacement and extended building - at the surface and escalators/stairs/lift if not at platform level. But I agree about the ticket office.

 

[GrandCentral]

Great to see that its in relatively good shape. They have talked about turning the station back into a "4 track" station but with the widening of the middle I'm not sure how possible that will be. Possibly a 3 track station using this redundant platform and I did see something about the installation of a bay platform at the South end perhaps?

 

[AJ240395]

When will the new station building be open?

 

[danbarjon]

When will the new station building be open?

They are just finishing the pavements now so I’d imagine anytime between now and December.

 

[skl1983]

If they reinstated the abandoned island platform, it would either be they could reinstate the abandoned island platform for both Metro and National Rail until they demolish the extended platform of the current island platform or they could reinstate the outer track of the abandoned island platform for northbound Metro and National Rail and use the outer track of the current island platform as they currently do for southbound Metro and National Rail whilst they demolish the extended platform and reinstate the inner double tracks.

 

[Travelmonkey]

It is a odd setup in Sunderland with the shared tracks to Heworth, I know I got caught out the other week when late night metro services got suspended, thankfully it was just before the GNE walkout, are they keeping the northside open once the building work has finished?

 

[vic-rijrode]

It is a odd setup in Sunderland with the shared tracks to Heworth, I know I got caught out the other week when late night metro services got suspended, thankfully it was just before the GNE walkout, are they keeping the northside open once the building work has finished?

I don't know but am assuming that the northern (very scruffy) entrance will be tidied up and continue in use. There are stairs and a lift which it would seem to be counter-productive not to use for the Northern and Grand Central services - but perhaps someone could enlighten us on this.

The two tracks at Sunderland Station are BTW bi-directional. I have been on northbound Northern trains that have used the Southbound platform and Southbound Metro trains that have used the northbound platform. Some Grand Central services from London terminate in the Southbound platform before returning south. When the GC service is sitting in the Southbound platform waiting to depart, late running southbound Metro services usually by-pass it using the northbound platform (there is some confusion on the island platform when this happens!).

There is consequently an odd mix (possible unique in the UK) of Metro, Freight, National Rail (Northern, Grand Central and LNER on diversion) using these 2 tracks. I haven't seen Cross Country, Lumo or TPE trains, but they probably also run through Sunderland when diverted off the ECML.

Incidentally the Network Rail track is shared between Sunderland station and just before Pelaw (where the line from South Shields comes in and the erstwhile Leamside line also) - rather than Heworth. From Pelaw to Gateshead Stadium station there are 4 tracks with Metro and Network Rail services segregated before the Metro tracks dive down under Gateshead and Newcastle - emerging at Jesmond.

Following work done recently, the 2 track formation from Pelaw to between Jarrow and Bede Metro stations on the South Shields line is also now shared - previously where only 2 tracks were possible, one was for Network Rail and the other for both east and westbound Metro services.