Whitley Bay is a station on the Tyne and Wear Metro, serving the Whitley Bay area of North Tyneside. The Tyne and Wear Metro station at Whitley Bay was opened in August 1980.
The station is located in a residential area, and is a short walk from both the town centre and the beach, which attracts many of its passengers.
The station was used by approximately 530,000 passengers in 2017-18.
Station facilities include a café, cycle parking, and limited free car parking. There is also a bus stop (used by the W1, W1A and W2 routes), and a taxi rank outside the station.
History
In 1860, the Blyth and Tyne Railway opened its line from Tynemouth to Dairy House Junction, south of the Northumbrian village of Hartley. The original station serving the town was named Whitley, and was located around 600 metres west of the present station site. However, this was only open for four years, being closed in 1864 and replaced by a station to the north, adjacent to present day Monkseaton station.
In 1882, the North Eastern Railway opened its coastal route from Tynemouth to Monkseaton, replacing the inland Blyth and Tyne route, and a new station designed by William Bell was opened the same year, also called Whitley (this station being renamed Whitley Bay in 1899).
From 1904, the station was served by the electric trains of the North Eastern Railway. The electric services became so popular with people living in Whitley Bay and travelling to Newcastle to work, and also with those visiting the town for a day out or a holiday, that a new station became a necessity. The new building opened in October 1910. Architectural historian Nikolaus Pevsner later said of the building that it "(lends) some distinction to an undistinguished neighbourhood".
The "Tyneside Electrics" were withdrawn by British Rail in 1967, and replaced by diesel multiple unit trains. The diesel trains provided a slower service, and trains called at intervals of every 30 minutes instead of every 20, although a limited-stop express service also called every hour.
In preparation for its second conversion to electric train operation, this time to join the Tyne and Wear Metro system, the station lost its services towards Newcastle via Monkseaton on 23 January 1978, and was closed completely on 10 September 1979. It reopened on 11 August 1980, the first day of Metro service. The main changes involved in the station's conversion were shortening of the train shed at each end of the platforms and replacement of the original footbridge, with no further major changes having been made as of 2014. The station's main building and train shed were given Grade II listed building status in 1986.
Station artwork
In 1983, the artwork Passing by Ian Patience was installed in the entrance hall to platform 2. It depicts a family on a day trip to the beach and also shows a nocturnal seascape in the central panel.
Description courtesy of Wikipedia - Whitley Bay Metro station.
24th June 2009
Kiosk No. 4.
Outside the station stands a very rare combination of a telephone box/post office kiosk. Introduced in 1928, less than 50 of this K4 type kiosk were installed throughout the country. Proving unpopular with customers the majority were withdrawn in 1935. More details on the kiosk here Kiosk No. 4.
Passing by Ian Patience.
A panoramic photo of 'Passing', a triptych mosaic, expresses the passing of time through the image of a young family. The outer panels depict them on a day trip to the beach while the central panel depicts a nocturnal seascape, devoid of human activity.
More Information:
- Wikipedia - Whitley Bay Metro station
- Historic England - Whitley Bay station
- Historic England - K4 Telephone Kiosk
- Co-Curate - K4 Telephone Kiosk
- Sitelines - K4 Telephone Kiosk
- Co-Curate - Whitley Bay station
See my other photos around Whitley Bay:
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