Bishop Auckland West Station
Bishop Auckland West is our station at the eastern end of the line. There is also a connection to the national rail network via the line to Darlington.
Access to our station is via a short 150 metre DDA compliant footpath, which provides a direct transfer between Northern's station and the Weardale Railway platform. This opened in 2023.
There is limited car parking at the main national rail station. There are parking charges in force from Monday to Saturday at £2.10 for 24 hours. There is a supervised car park for the adjacent Morrisons, but please check the opening times and restrictions before using this. Please note there are no toilet facilities at this station.
Postcode for sat navs: DL14 7TL
A Brief History of the Bishop Auckland Stations
First opened in 1843, when the original Stockton and Darlington railway line was extended from South Church to Crook, Bishop Auckland was to develop into an important interchange point. It was like the hub of a wheel with lines radiating to all parts of the railway network including Darlington, Crook & Weardale, Durham, Spennymoor and Barnard Castle.
It was unusual in shape, being triangular, so it was no problem if a locomotive needed turning. It was occasionally used as a diversion route by mainline express traffic to avoid engineering works between Darlington and Durham. A substantial goods yard, opened in the 1870s, existed towards the centre of the town. Scammel delivery trucks could often be seen scurrying around the busy streets with deliveries.
In the immediate post-war years it was possible to catch Tyneside to Blackpool summer specials via Barnard Castle and Stainmore Summit. Line closures in the 1960s left the station a shadow of its former self, leaving only the line to Darlington and the line to Weardale. The latter was kept open to serve a cement plant at Eastgate.
Eventually the old station buildings were to be demolished and replaced in the 1980s with a modern style chalet building. This building today also provides accommodation for a snack bar and a station ticket office and shop operated by Bishop Trains. A signal (Shildon 36) adjacent to the platform marks the point where the Weardale Railway commences.
On 22nd May 2010 a temporary platform and the line to Weardale were formally opened to passengers, with a trial daily community service commencing the following day between Bishop Auckland and Stanhope. This service ran until 2012. Heritage services ran to the station in 2018 and 2019. Following the acquisition of the line by The Auckland Project (TAP) and major engineering works between Wolsingham and Bishop Auckland, the station reopened in April 2023. Weardale Railway Limited, which is a subsidiary company of TAP, are developing plans to introduce excursion trains and other special services.