James Cook railway station


James Cook railway station is located on the Esk Valley Line serving the James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough. It also serves the surrounding areas of Berwick Hills and Park End, as well as the nearby Middlesbrough Sports Village.
It is located approximately south east of Middlesbrough, and is operated by Northern Trains who provide all of the station's passenger services.
The long single platform station includes a fully lit waiting shelter with seating, CCTV coverage and passenger information via an electronic screen and public address announcements.
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History

Plans for the building of a station at the hospital had been discussed for some 25 years, including as part of the Tees Valley Metro project. The station was finally given the green light by Middlesbrough Council's planning committee in January 2013 and construction work started in January 2014. The station cost £2.2 million to build and opened to the public on 18 May 2014. The station was officially opened on 18 July 2014 by the then Minister of State for Transport, Baroness Kramer.
According to the Office of Rail and Road statistics, there were 37,080 total entries and exits at the station in the 2018–19 period.

Services

As of the December 2019 timetable change, Northern Trains run an hourly service on the Esk Valley Line between Middlesbrough and Nunthorpe, with 6 trains per day continuing to Whitby.
Most trains heading towards Middlesbrough continue to Newcastle and Hexham.
Additional trains on weekdays and Saturdays run along the Esk Valley Line to Castleton Moor, and Battersby.
Following the May 2014 timetable change, the service between Middlesbrough and Nunthorpe was significantly improved, with this allowing for a regular service to the new station at James Cook University Hospital.
Predominantly, rolling stock on the Esk Valley Line consists of Class 156 and Class 158 diesel multiple units, both of which were introduced in to service in the late 1980s.
The Class 156 and 158 units operating on the Esk Valley Line are currently in the process of being refurbished, with upgrades including free WiFi, power sockets, on-board passenger information displays, and an interior refresh.
Class 142 'Pacer' trains served the line, until the turn of the new decade, when they were withdrawn from passenger service. Class 144 'Pacer' trains were also used frequently on the Esk Valley Line, until around 2005.