Darlington railway station, also known as
Darlington Bank Top, is the main
railway station for the town of
Darlington, in the
ceremonial county of
County Durham,
England. The station is located on the
East Coast Main Line north of
London Kings Cross.
The town is the location of the first commercial steam railway: The
Stockton and Darlington Railway. The station itself is a Grade II* listed
Victorian structure, and winner of the
Large Station of the Year award in 2005. It has a full range of passenger facilities, including a buffet, newsagent, First Class Lounge and travel centre.
History
The first railway to pass through the area now occupied by the station was built by the
Stockton and Darlington Railway, who opened their mineral branch from
Albert Hill Junction on their main line to
Croft-on-Tees on 27 October 1829. This branch line was subsequently purchased by the
Great North of England Railway a decade later to incorporate into their new main line from
York which reached the town on 30 March 1841. A separate company, the
Newcastle & Darlington Junction Railway continued the new main line northwards towards
Ferryhill and
Newcastle, opening its route three years later on 19 June 1844. This crossed the S&D at
Parkgate Junction by means of a
flat crossing which would in future years become something of an operational headache for the
North Eastern Railway and
LNER. The original
Bank Top...
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