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Durham Coast Line
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Durham Coast Line
The Durham Coast Line (DCL) is an approximately 39.5-mile (63.6 km) railway line running between Newcastle and Middlesbrough in North East England. Heavy rail passenger services, predominantly operated Northern Trains, and some freight services operate over the whole length of the line; it provides an important diversionary route at times when the East Coast Main Line is closed. Light rail services of the Tyne and Wear Metro's Green Line also operate over the same tracks between a junction just south of Sunderland station and Pelaw Junction (just east of Pelaw Metro station).
The line developed from several small competing independent railway companies during the first half of the 19th century which ultimately came under the control of the North Eastern Railway. It was under their direction that these lines were gradually linked together to eventually create the Durham Coast Line in 1905.
The current route of the Durham Coast Line has its origins in some of the earliest locomotive-operated railways in North East England. The oldest section of the line in use today is that between North Shore Junction and Norton South Junction, constructed by the Clarence Railway. As with many of the early railways, this line was constructed primarily for the transportation of coal from western and central areas of the Durham Coalfield to the River Tees at North Shore (in Stockton), and Port Clarence. Despite major financial difficulties, this line was opened to mineral traffic in 1833, but did not carry passengers until July 1835, when a service was introduced between Coxhoe and Stockton (Clarence).
The opening of the Clarence was closely followed by the Hartlepool Dock and Railway (HD&R), a similar concern, intended to link the collieries surrounding the City of Durham, to the coast at Hartlepool (rather than the River Tees). The HD&R was first authorised by an act of Parliament, the Hartlepool Dock and Railway Act 1832 (2 & 3 Will. 4. c. lxvii), obtained on 1 June 1832 to construct a 14-mile railway from Moorsley (near Houghton-le-Spring) to Hartlepool with several short branches to serve collieries surrounding the line. The company obtained a further act of Parliament, the Hartlepool Dock and Railway (Durham Branch) Act 1834 (4 & 5 Will. 4. c. lvi) of 16 June 1834, which permitted construction of an additional branch to Gilesgate in the City of Durham. However competition from other railways meant that the HD&R main line only reached as far as Haswell and most of its branches were either cut short or left unbuilt; the curtailed line opened for mineral traffic on 23 November 1835 and passengers four years later.
The Durham and Sunderland Railway (D&SR) opened to both passenger and mineral traffic between Sunderland Town Moor, and collieries at Hetton-le-Hole and Haswell in 1836, competing directly with the HD&R for coal traffic from the latter. However, it was the D&SR which constructed the first significant north–south section of the Durham Coast Line, that between Ryhope Grange Junction and Ryhope. In conjunction with the HD&R, the D&SR thus enabled passengers to travel between Sunderland and Hartlepool for the first time by rail, although passengers had to change stations at Haswell at the time.
Tyne to Tees rail passenger travel then quickly became possible (with three changes of station) following the opening of Brandling Junction Railway between Oakwellgate (Gateshead) and Wearmouth (Monkwearmouth) on 5 September 1839 and the Stockton and Hartlepool Railway between the Clarence at Billingham-on-Tees, and a new terminus near West Hartlepool docks on 10 February 1841. The opening of the High Level Bridge over the River Tyne on 27 September 1849 subsequently extended this route through to Newcastle.
On its opening on 15 May 1852, the Leeds Northern Railway linked directly to the Clarence and, in doing so, provided the route with a link to the south. One year after the LNR reached Stockton, the newly created West Hartlepool Harbour and Railway (now owners of the Clarence lines) began to share the LNR station at North Stockton.
The last of the independent railways that became part of the modern DCL was the Londonderry (Seaham to Sunderland) Railway (LSSR) of 1854, constructed, primarily, to enable coal traffic from the Marquis of Londonderry's extensive colliery railway network to be diverted from Seaham Harbour (which had become unable to handle the large volumes of coal passing through it) to the recently constructed South Dock at Sunderland and thus followed route which parallel the D&SR north of Ryhope. Like the rest of the railways discussed here, the LSSR later introduced a passenger service on 2 July 1855 between Seaham and Hendon Burn.
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Durham Coast Line
The Durham Coast Line (DCL) is an approximately 39.5-mile (63.6 km) railway line running between Newcastle and Middlesbrough in North East England. Heavy rail passenger services, predominantly operated Northern Trains, and some freight services operate over the whole length of the line; it provides an important diversionary route at times when the East Coast Main Line is closed. Light rail services of the Tyne and Wear Metro's Green Line also operate over the same tracks between a junction just south of Sunderland station and Pelaw Junction (just east of Pelaw Metro station).
The line developed from several small competing independent railway companies during the first half of the 19th century which ultimately came under the control of the North Eastern Railway. It was under their direction that these lines were gradually linked together to eventually create the Durham Coast Line in 1905.
The current route of the Durham Coast Line has its origins in some of the earliest locomotive-operated railways in North East England. The oldest section of the line in use today is that between North Shore Junction and Norton South Junction, constructed by the Clarence Railway. As with many of the early railways, this line was constructed primarily for the transportation of coal from western and central areas of the Durham Coalfield to the River Tees at North Shore (in Stockton), and Port Clarence. Despite major financial difficulties, this line was opened to mineral traffic in 1833, but did not carry passengers until July 1835, when a service was introduced between Coxhoe and Stockton (Clarence).
The opening of the Clarence was closely followed by the Hartlepool Dock and Railway (HD&R), a similar concern, intended to link the collieries surrounding the City of Durham, to the coast at Hartlepool (rather than the River Tees). The HD&R was first authorised by an act of Parliament, the Hartlepool Dock and Railway Act 1832 (2 & 3 Will. 4. c. lxvii), obtained on 1 June 1832 to construct a 14-mile railway from Moorsley (near Houghton-le-Spring) to Hartlepool with several short branches to serve collieries surrounding the line. The company obtained a further act of Parliament, the Hartlepool Dock and Railway (Durham Branch) Act 1834 (4 & 5 Will. 4. c. lvi) of 16 June 1834, which permitted construction of an additional branch to Gilesgate in the City of Durham. However competition from other railways meant that the HD&R main line only reached as far as Haswell and most of its branches were either cut short or left unbuilt; the curtailed line opened for mineral traffic on 23 November 1835 and passengers four years later.
The Durham and Sunderland Railway (D&SR) opened to both passenger and mineral traffic between Sunderland Town Moor, and collieries at Hetton-le-Hole and Haswell in 1836, competing directly with the HD&R for coal traffic from the latter. However, it was the D&SR which constructed the first significant north–south section of the Durham Coast Line, that between Ryhope Grange Junction and Ryhope. In conjunction with the HD&R, the D&SR thus enabled passengers to travel between Sunderland and Hartlepool for the first time by rail, although passengers had to change stations at Haswell at the time.
Tyne to Tees rail passenger travel then quickly became possible (with three changes of station) following the opening of Brandling Junction Railway between Oakwellgate (Gateshead) and Wearmouth (Monkwearmouth) on 5 September 1839 and the Stockton and Hartlepool Railway between the Clarence at Billingham-on-Tees, and a new terminus near West Hartlepool docks on 10 February 1841. The opening of the High Level Bridge over the River Tyne on 27 September 1849 subsequently extended this route through to Newcastle.
On its opening on 15 May 1852, the Leeds Northern Railway linked directly to the Clarence and, in doing so, provided the route with a link to the south. One year after the LNR reached Stockton, the newly created West Hartlepool Harbour and Railway (now owners of the Clarence lines) began to share the LNR station at North Stockton.
The last of the independent railways that became part of the modern DCL was the Londonderry (Seaham to Sunderland) Railway (LSSR) of 1854, constructed, primarily, to enable coal traffic from the Marquis of Londonderry's extensive colliery railway network to be diverted from Seaham Harbour (which had become unable to handle the large volumes of coal passing through it) to the recently constructed South Dock at Sunderland and thus followed route which parallel the D&SR north of Ryhope. Like the rest of the railways discussed here, the LSSR later introduced a passenger service on 2 July 1855 between Seaham and Hendon Burn.
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