Sunderland   | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
_railway_station%2c_Tyne_%2526_Wear_(geograph_7729445).jpg) | |||||
| General information | |||||
| Location | Sunderland,City of Sunderland England | ||||
| Coordinates | 54°54′22″N1°22′57″W / 54.9061°N 1.3824°W /54.9061; -1.3824 | ||||
| Grid reference | NZ396569 | ||||
| Owned by | Network Rail | ||||
| Managed by | Northern Trains | ||||
| Transit authority | Tyne and Wear PTE | ||||
| Platforms | 4 | ||||
| Tracks | 2 | ||||
| Other information | |||||
| Station code | SUN | ||||
| Classification | DfT category C2 | ||||
| History | |||||
| Original company | North Eastern Railway | ||||
| Pre-grouping | North Eastern Railway | ||||
| Post-grouping | |||||
| Key dates | |||||
| 4 August 1879 | Opened asSunderland Central | ||||
| 4 November 1965 | Rebuilt | ||||
| 5 May 1969 | RenamedSunderland | ||||
| 31 March 2002 | Joined theTyne and Wear Metro network | ||||
| Passengers | |||||
| 2019/20 |  0.427 million | ||||
| Interchange |  4,654 | ||||
| 2020/21 | 0.107 million | ||||
| Interchange | 998 | ||||
| 2021/22 | 0.386 million | ||||
| Interchange | 3,224 | ||||
| 2022/23 | 0.482 million | ||||
| Interchange | 4,711 | ||||
| 2023/24 | 0.599 million | ||||
| Interchange | 6,534 | ||||
| |||||
| |||||
Sunderland is a railway and metro station inSunderland,Tyne and Wear, England. It is on theDurham Coast Line, which runs betweenMiddlesbrough andNewcastle, viaHartlepool. It is owned byNetwork Rail and managed byNorthern Trains. Since 31 March 2002, the station has also been served by theTyne and Wear Metro's Green Line.
Opening in 1836, the first railway passenger services to Sunderland were provided by theDurham and Sunderland Railway Company, initially linking the then port town withHaswell andHetton-le-Hole.[1] Approaching from the south along the coast, the terminus, known asTown Moor was located near South Dock. The Durham and Sunderland Railway Company slowly extended their route towards the intended terminus in Durham – though the eventual terminus, which opened in 1839, was located outside the city atShincliffe Town.[2] The line reached Durham in July 1893, when theNorth Eastern Railway opened the extension toDurham Elvet.[3]
Undistinguished either in architecture, convenience or accommodation,Town Moor was replaced 22 years later byHendon. It was situated half a mile to the south, at a point where the line had to be joined by theNewcastle and Darlington Junction Railway Company's line Durham viaPenshaw, which opened in 1853.[4]
In 1854, theMarquis of Londonderry opened the Londonderry, Seaham and Sunderland Railway, which linked the existing Londonderry and South Hetton Collieries to the South Dock. From 1855, the line carried passengers betweenSeaham Harbour and a terminus at Hendon Burn. The Londonderry, Seaham and Sunderland Railway began to use the Durham and Sunderland Railway's terminus in 1868.[2] Meanwhile, theYork, Newcastle and Berwick Railway had built their station,Fawcett Street, which opened in 1853.[2][5] It was situated just south of the site of the present station.
On 4 August 1879, theNorth Eastern Railway opened a line from Ryhope Grange Junction over theRiver Wear toMonkwearmouth, and a new station was built on the present site, to the designs of architectWilliam Peachey.[4] BothFawcett Street andHendon were closed on the same date. The new station served passengers of both the North Eastern Railway and Londonderry, Seaham and Sunderland Railway, until the latter sold the Sunderland–Seaham route to the former in 1900. This, in turn, allowed the North Eastern Railway to extend the line along the coast to create a newthrough route to(West) Hartlepool, which opened in 1905.[2]
The current station, known asSunderland Central until 5 May 1969, has tracks which lie in a cutting running north and south, bounded by retaining walls to the east and west. The platform area was previously covered by an overall semi-elliptical arched-rib roof, which together with the buildings at the station's north end, suffered significant damage following an air raid in March 1943.[6] In 1953, the roof was replaced by umbrella-type roofing, and the buildings at the southern end of the station were given an interim facelift. The complete rebuilding of the station was deferred, in order to enable advantage to be taken of the site's potential for property development, as well as to ensure compatibility with the town's proposals for the redevelopment of the surrounding area.
The redeveloped station was designed byFrederick Francis Charles Curtis of theBritish Rail Architects' Department,[7][8] with construction completed on 4 November 1965. At the time, the development formed part of a complete rebuilding scheme involving almost the entire area of the station site, which was decked over and developed at street level. A single entrance and street-level buildings were located at the northern end of the station, with a second entrance and associated buildings at the south being added five years later.
Following theBeeching Axe, and subsequent withdrawal of local stopping train services toDurham,(West) Hartlepool andSouth Shields, passenger trains were concentrated on a single island platform, with access to the concourse area by a dual one-direction stairway. At the time of reopening, services consisted of a half-hourly service each weekday toNewcastle and an hourly service to and fromMiddlesbrough via(West) Hartlepool, with additional trains at peak periods. There were also through morning trains toLiverpool andLondon, as well as a sleeping car service to London each evening.
The second island platform was given over to the working of parcels traffic, as a new parcels office premises was to be built at the northern end of the station. Prior to this, parcels traffic was dealt with at the northern end of the station, using the old stables block to the west for deliveries, with a similar sized room at the eastern side for incoming parcels.
The revised station working enabled the running lines and sidings at the southern end of the station to be simplified. The consequent reduction in permanent way released areas of land at track level, which was available for the erection of support for further street level development around Athenaeum Street and Holmeside.
Further redevelopment took place, ahead of the opening of theWearside extension of theTyne and Wear Metro. A six-week closure of theDurham Coast Line betweenNewcastle and Sunderland took place in early spring 2001, during which the existing track through Sunderland North Tunnel was lowered and two new crossovers introduced. The single island platform was also widened, with a new junction and track arrangement introduced and commissioned to the south of the station.[9]
In 2006, theTyne and Wear Passenger Transport Executive announced plans to refurbish of the 140-metre (460 ft) platform areas. The project was to be funded by theDepartment for Transport in an innovative scheme in which the money 'saved' by reducing a subsidised rail service in favour of the Tyne and Wear Metro was converted into a lump sum for capital investment. Whilst the Tyne and Wear Passenger Transport Executive does not own or manage the station (owned by Network Rail and managed by Northern Trains), the rationale for investment being that they are the station's majority operator.
Work began in January 2008, with the second stage of development commencing in September 2009. The project was completed in July 2010 – at a cost of £7 million.[10][11][12][13] The project saw the construction of an entirely new floor, ceilings and lighting, substantial improvements to existing walls and a significant reorganisation of buildings and waiting areas on the platforms.
The Tyne and Wear Passenger Transport Executive appointed Sadler Brown Architecture to develop the design, led byArup. The project incorporated the work of three artists, Jason Bruges Studio, Julian Germain and Morag Morrison. Jason Bruges Studio have created a 140-metre light wall with individual LED units containing an animated display.[14][15][16] Julian Germain is providing a sequence of 41 photographs of everyday items 'lost' on the Tyne and Wear Metro,[17] while Morag Morrison is designing coloured glass wall panels for buildings along the island platform.
.jpg)
In October 2015, it was announced that plans were being formulated for the refurbishment of the upper concourse and exterior to improve the station's image and accessibility.[18] Almost six years later, in July 2021, revised plans for the refurbishment were revealed – with an estimated cost of £26 million.[19][20][21][22] The six-year project would see the station's south entrance demolished and rebuilt, with the number of tracks passing through the station to be increased to four. Preparatory work commenced in April 2022, with the new southern entrance set to open in early 2023.[23][24][25]
The delayed southern entrance opened in December 2023.[26]
The station is on two levels. A staffed ticket office located at street (upper) level, which is open between 06:15–18:00 Monday–Saturday and 08:00–17:00 on Sunday. Retail outlets and self-service ticket machines are also located at street level. A waiting room and seating is provided at platform (lower) level, with the two floors connected by lift and escalator. The island platform is fully accessible for wheelchair users. Information is provided with next train audio-visual displays, as well as paper timetable posters.[27]
The station has a large central island platform with each side split into two numbered platforms. Services operated byNorthern Trains call at platforms 1 and 4, which are located at the northern end of the station. Platforms 2 and 3 at the southern end of the station, are served by theTyne and Wear Metro. Longer trains, such as those operated byGrand Central board from two adjacent platforms, due to their length.
Until 25 October 2018, the station's layout was unique inGreat Britain, in that bothheavy rail andlight rail services used the same platforms. A similar layout now exists atRotherham Central, whereSheffield Supertramtram-trains use low-height platforms, which are situated adjacent to the full-height platforms used byNational Rail services.[28][29][30][31]
As of February 2025, southbound Tyne and Wear Metro services have been temporarily relocated to platform 1, to allow the introduction of the new class 555 fleet on the line. This is due to the platform being out of the required alignment to allow the trains sliding step to engage.
Sunderland | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||
| General information | |||||||||||
| Location | Sunderland,City of Sunderland England | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 54°54′22″N1°22′57″W / 54.9061115°N 1.3824404°W /54.9061115; -1.3824404 | ||||||||||
| Grid reference | NZ396569 | ||||||||||
| System | Tyne and Wear Metro station | ||||||||||
| Transit authority | Tyne and Wear PTE | ||||||||||
| Platforms | 4 | ||||||||||
| Tracks | 2 | ||||||||||
| Construction | |||||||||||
| Bicycle facilities | 10 cycle racks | ||||||||||
| Accessible | Step-free access to platform | ||||||||||
| Other information | |||||||||||
| Station code | SUN | ||||||||||
| Fare zone | C | ||||||||||
| Key dates | |||||||||||
| 31 March 2002 | Joined theTyne and Wear Metro network | ||||||||||
| Passengers | |||||||||||
| 2017/18 | 0.77 million[32] | ||||||||||
| Services | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
On 31 March 2002, the opening of a 18-kilometre (11 mi) extension saw the Tyne and Wear Metro network brought toWearside – a project costing in the region of £100 million.[33][34]
To the north, the track is shared with National Rail services as far as Pelaw Junction,[35] which is situated 1 mile 56 chains (2.7 km) north ofFellgate and 48 chains (0.97 km) south ofPelaw. Existing stations atBrockley Whins,East Boldon andSeaburn were converted for use by the Tyne and Wear Metro, and are no longer served by National Rail services. In addition, three new purpose-built stations were constructed at Fellgate,Stadium of Light, andSt Peter's.
Heading south, services run toSouth Hylton along the alignment of thePenshaw–Sunderland line, which fell victim to theBeeching Axe on 4 May 1964.[36] A total of five purpose-built stations were constructed atPark Lane,University (Sunderland),Millfield,Pallion and South Hylton.
| Preceding station |  National Rail | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hartlepool | Grand Central North Eastern Sunderland–London King's Cross | Terminus | ||
| Seaham | Northern Trains Durham Coast Line | Heworth | ||
| Historical railways | ||||
| Seaham Line and station open | British Rail (Regional Railways) Durham Coast Line | Seaburn Line and station open | ||
| Ryhope East Line open, station closed | London and North Eastern Railway Durham Coast Line | Monkwearmouth Line open, station closed | ||
| Terminus | London and North Eastern Railway South Shields–Sunderland | Monkwearmouth Line open, station closed | ||
| Millfield Line and station open | London and North Eastern Railway Penshaw–Sunderland | Terminus | ||
| Ryhope Line and station closed | London and North Eastern Railway Durham–Sunderland | Terminus | ||
| Ryhope Line and station closed | London and North Eastern Railway Hartlepool–Sunderland via Haswell | Terminus | ||
Grand Central operate five trains per day, with four on Sundays, between Sunderland andLondon King's Cross, viaHartlepool andYork.[37]
Rolling stock used:Class 180Adelante
Northern Trains operate an hourly service between Newcastle andMiddlesbrough, via Hartlepool. Most trains extend toHexham (orCarlisle on Sunday) andNunthorpe. Two trains per day, with three on Sundays, continue toWhitby.[38]
Rolling stock used:Class 156Super Sprinter andClass 158Express Sprinter
Tyne and Wear Passenger Transport Executive, under the brand nameNexus, operates the Green line betweenSouth Hylton andNewcastle Airport. There are five trains per hour on Mondays-Saturdays, with up to four trains per hour in evenings and on Sundays.[39][b]
Until 13 December 2024,[40]London North Eastern Railway operated a once-a-day service between Sunderland and London King's Cross, viaNewcastle and York, using itsClass 800 Azuma units.[41] This service was withdrawn as a result of low passenger numbers, low ticket sales and passenger dissatisfaction.[42]
.svg)
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
Media related toSunderland station at Wikimedia Commons