Matlock railway station
Matlock | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Location | Derbyshire Dales |
| Managed by | East Midlands Trains |
| Platforms | 1 |
| Other information | |
| Station code | MAT |
| History | |
| Opened | 1849 |
Matlock Railway Station is a railway station owned by Network Rail and managed by East Midlands Trains. It is located in the Derbyshire town of Matlock in Derbyshire, England. The station is now currently the terminus of both the Derwent Valley Line from Derby and Peak Rail who operate heritage services to Rowsley South. Both lines are formed from portions of the Midland Railway's main former line to Manchester. Through running is technically possible but is not done in normal service.
History
Leaving Matlock Bath, the line immediately passes into the series of High Tor tunnels, 321 yards (294 m), 58 yd (53 m) and 378 yd (346 m) long on the east side of the river, cut into the cliff side. Crossing the river and the main A6 road, the line passes through Holt Lane Tunnel (126 yd or 115 m) before entering Matlock Station. Being cut through limestone, these tunnels have required a deal of maintenance over the years.
Originally called "Matlock Bridge", it was opened by the Manchester, Buxton, Matlock and Midlands Junction Railway in 1849, the station buildings being designed by Sir Joseph Paxton, opening in 1850. The station is now grade 2 listed. until now, it acted as a single platform terminus until the former (down) side platform 2 reopened on 2 July 2011 allowing the use of trains of the preserved Peak Rail service to operate into Matlock itself.
A double track railway line used to continue from Matlock via Bakewell and Millers Dale, with a branch to Buxton, and on through Peak Forest to Chinley and ultimately Manchester. This section of the former Midland Railway's main line to Manchester was closed to passengers in 1968 (the same year mainline steam came to an end) as a consequence of the Beeching cuts and the recent electrification of the West coast route from London Euston to Manchester.
The last day of operation beyond Matlock was on Saturday 29 June 1968 (two months before regular mainline steam was fully abolished). Part of this route is now preserved as a heritage railway by the railway preservation group Peak Rail.
At present, the heritage line currently operates from Rowsley South through Darley Dale and nearby Matlock Riverside and now terminates at Matlock station in the Down platform (2), a distance of a little under 3+1⁄2 miles (5.6 km) in length. Having, (from 2 July 2011 onward), extended a further third of a mile into the Down platform (2) of the Main station itself, Matlock is now (currently) the terminus of the heritage line, interchanging with rail services on the Derwent Valley Line.[1]
Recent History
Before 2004, former train operating company Midland Mainline ran through services into London St Pancras whilst Central Trains have previously run trains to/from Birmingham New Street. The current practice of through running to/from Nottingham began in late 2008.
Work within the adjacent Cawdor Quarry has resulted in a new superstore for Matlock being opened in 2007, and several hundred new homes are planned to be located nearby. Matlock bus station has also been relocated so as to be adjacent to the railway station, thus giving Matlock a true transport interchange. In the year 1 April 2009 to 31 March 2010 journeys from the station had increased by 40.70%.[2]
The full range of tickets for travel for any destination in the country are purchased from the guard on the train at no extra cost, however in June 2009, an automatic ticket machine was installed on the platform, enabling passengers to buy or collect tickets bought in advance.
From 2 July 2011 onward, Peak Rail now operate steam trains into the "now fully restored 'down' platform (2) having signing a fifty year lease with Network Rail on Christmas Eve 2008 almost 3 years before".[3]
Station layout
The station has two platforms. The former up platform is used by the Derwent Valley Line while the former down platform is used by Peak Rail. The network rail platform is accessed from the station car park while the Peak rail platform is accessed by a small ramp at the north end connecting to a footpath alongside the station. A footbridge at the south end of the station connects the footpath to the car park. The station building (which is located on the former UP platform) is occupied by Peak Rail's transport book shop.
The track in the network rail platform is connected at both ends while the track in the Peak rail platform is only connected at the north end. To the north of the station is a run-round loop for Network Rail engineering trains. One line of this loop also servers as the access route for peak rail trains to run into the station.
Services
The station is served by East Midlands Trains Local, who operate an hourly service from Nottingham to Matlock (via Derby) on weekdays and every two hours on Sundays.[4]
Services are formed using diesel multiple units of Classes 153, 156 or 158.
References
- ^ "Photo: Peak Rail engine alongside East Midlands train". Railway Herald. July 2011. Retrieved September 2011.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ "Record Growth on the Derwent Valley Line". September 2010. Retrieved 27 September 2010.
- ^ "Between the Lines - News>25th February 2009>MATLOCK". Peak Rail. 2009. Retrieved 16 June 2009. [dead link]
- ^ GB National Railway Timetable 2013-14, Table 56
External links
- Train times and station information for Matlock railway station from National Rail
| Preceding station |  National Rail
|
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Midlands Trains | Terminus | |||
 Heritage railways
|
||||
| Terminus | Peak Rail | Darley Dale | ||
| Historical railways | ||||
| Matlock Bath Line and station open |
Midland Railway Manchester, Buxton, Matlock and Midland Junction Railway |
Darley Dale Line and station open | ||