Doncaster railway station serves the town of
DoncasterDoncaster is a large town in South Yorkshire, England, and the principal settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster. The town is located about from Sheffield and is popularly referred to as "Donny"...
, in
South YorkshireSouth Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It has a population of 1.29 million. It consists of four metropolitan boroughs: Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, and the city of Sheffield...
,
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is situated on the
East Coast Main LineThe East Coast Main Line is a 393-mile long electrified high-speed railway link between London, Peterborough, Doncaster, Leeds, York, Newcastle and Edinburgh....
north of London Kings Cross, and is about ten minutes walk from Doncaster town centre. The station is managed by
National Express East CoastNational Express East Coast is a train operating company in the United Kingdom, running high speed passenger services on the East Coast Main Line between London and Scotland, as part of the East Coast passenger franchise...
. It is a major passenger interchange between the
East Coast Main LineThe East Coast Main Line is a 393-mile long electrified high-speed railway link between London, Peterborough, Doncaster, Leeds, York, Newcastle and Edinburgh....
, Cross-Country services, and local services running across the North of England.
The railway station in Doncaster was rebuilt in its present form in 1938 and has had several slight modifications since that date.
Doncaster railway station serves the town of
DoncasterDoncaster is a large town in South Yorkshire, England, and the principal settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster. The town is located about from Sheffield and is popularly referred to as "Donny"...
, in
South YorkshireSouth Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It has a population of 1.29 million. It consists of four metropolitan boroughs: Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, and the city of Sheffield...
,
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is situated on the
East Coast Main LineThe East Coast Main Line is a 393-mile long electrified high-speed railway link between London, Peterborough, Doncaster, Leeds, York, Newcastle and Edinburgh....
north of London Kings Cross, and is about ten minutes walk from Doncaster town centre. The station is managed by
National Express East CoastNational Express East Coast is a train operating company in the United Kingdom, running high speed passenger services on the East Coast Main Line between London and Scotland, as part of the East Coast passenger franchise...
. It is a major passenger interchange between the
East Coast Main LineThe East Coast Main Line is a 393-mile long electrified high-speed railway link between London, Peterborough, Doncaster, Leeds, York, Newcastle and Edinburgh....
, Cross-Country services, and local services running across the North of England.
Description
The railway station in Doncaster was rebuilt in its present form in 1938 and has had several slight modifications since that date. The station has 8 platforms on two islands. Platforms 1, 3, 4 and 8 take through trains. Platforms 2 and 5 are south-facing bays, and 6 and 7 are north facing bays. A First Class Lounge for passengers with 'First Open' tickets is available on platform 3A.
The station has recently been refurbished and is now directly connected to the new
Frenchgate CentreThe Frenchgate Centre is a large shopping centre located in the town centre of Doncaster, South Yorkshire. It is named after the street of the same name that formed one of the old gates of medieval Doncaster....
extension in Doncaster town centre. The station now has a new booking office for tickets and information, three new lifts, refurbished staircases and subway. A branch of WH Smiths and several Costa Coffee outlets have also recently opened. Platform 1 is for the National Express East Coast, First Hull Trains and Northern Rail trains.
Whilst all platforms are currently operational, platform 2 is not currently used for any timetabled service.
1951 accident
On 16 March 1951 a derailment occurred south of the station in which 14 passengers were killed and 12 seriously injured.
Services
Six train operators (or TOCs) call at Doncaster, which is equal to other big stations in the UK.
Train operators which call at Doncaster include:
CrossCountry
CrossCountryCrossCountry is the brand name of XC Trains Ltd., a British train operating company owned by Arriva. The company operates a network of express and long-distance train services between a variety of towns and cities outside London.- Formation :...
offers similar services to the North, but offers a more widespread network to the south, calling at places such as
SheffieldSheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, the city has grown from its largely industrial roots to encompass a wider economic base...
,
DerbyDerby is a city in the East Midlands region of England. It lies upon the banks of the River Derwent and is located in the south of the ceremonial county of Derbyshire. In the 2001 census, the population of the city was 233,700, whilst that of the Derby Urban Area was 229,407...
,
BirminghamBirmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands county of England. Birmingham is the second-most populous British city, with a population of 1,006,500 ....
,
BristolBristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, west of London, and east of Cardiff.With an estimated population of 416,400 for the unitary authority in mid-2007, and a surrounding urban area with an estimated 561,500 residents, it is England's sixth, and...
,
CardiffCardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for many national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for Wales. According to recent estimates, the...
,
PaigntonPaignton is a coastal town in Devon in England. Together with Torquay and Brixham it forms the unitary authority of Torbay which was created in 1998. The Torbay area is a holiday destination known as the English Riviera. Paignton's population in the United Kingdom Census of 2001 was 48,251.It has...
,
PlymouthPlymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
and sometimes as far as
PenzancePenzance is a town, civil parish, and port in Cornwall, England, in the United Kingdom.Granted various Royal Charters from 1512 onwards and incorporated in 1614, it has a population of 20,255....
.
East Midlands Trains
East Midlands TrainsEast Midlands Trains is a train operating company operating in the United Kingdom. Based in Derby, it provides train services in the East Midlands and surrounding areas, chiefly in the counties of Lincolnshire, South Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Northamptonshire...
offer a limited direct service to London St. Pancras and to
LeedsLeeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. The historic core at the heart of Leeds in 2001 had an estimated subdivision population of 443,247, whilst the entire city, that includes the urban and suburban areas incorporated into the city in 1974, had an estimated...
and
YorkYork is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence....
. Services to London run via
SheffieldSheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, the city has grown from its largely industrial roots to encompass a wider economic base...
,
ChesterfieldChesterfield is a market town and a borough of Derbyshire, England. It lies north of the city of Derby, on a confluence of the rivers Rother and Hipper. Including Staveley, the population is 100,879, although that of the town itself is 70,260...
,
DerbyDerby is a city in the East Midlands region of England. It lies upon the banks of the River Derwent and is located in the south of the ceremonial county of Derbyshire. In the 2001 census, the population of the city was 233,700, whilst that of the Derby Urban Area was 229,407...
and
LeicesterLeicester is a city and unitary authority area in the East Midlands of England. It is the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
but less often than National Express East Coast; They also operate a local service to
LincolnLincoln is a cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England.The non-metropolitan district of Lincoln has a population of around 101,000 - the 2001 census gave the entire urban area of Lincoln a population of 120,779...
which occasionally extends to
SleafordSleaford is a town within the North Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It is thirteen miles northeast of Grantham, seventeen miles west of Boston, and nineteen miles south of Lincoln, and had a total resident population of around 14,500 in 6,167 households at the time of...
and
PeterboroughPeterborough is a cathedral city and unitary authority area in the East of England, with an estimated population of as of June 2006. For ceremonial purposes it is in the county of Cambridgeshire. The Town Hall is north of London at Charing Cross...
.
First TransPennine Express
First TransPennine ExpressFirst TransPennine Express is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. It is a joint operation between First Group and Keolis . It operates regular services in the north including services linking the west and east coasts of England across the Pennines...
serve stations from Doncaster towards the East to
CleethorpesCleethorpes is a town and unparished area in North East Lincolnshire, England, situated on the estuary of the Humber. It has a population of 31,853.- History :...
, and to the West, as far as Manchester Airport, providing Doncaster with a direct link to Manchester Piccadilly. First TransPennine services operate hourly in each direction generally.
National Express East Coast
National Express East Coast offers regular direct trains services to London, which can now be reached in 85 - 100 minutes, depending on the service. On many National Express East Coast services, Doncaster is the first stop after departing London King's Cross. Nearly all services call at Doncaster. National Express East Coast also offers services to the North, to cities such as
LeedsLeeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. The historic core at the heart of Leeds in 2001 had an estimated subdivision population of 443,247, whilst the entire city, that includes the urban and suburban areas incorporated into the city in 1974, had an estimated...
(terminating services),
YorkYork is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence....
,
DurhamDurham is a city in the North East of England. It is within the County Durham local government district, and is the county town of the larger ceremonial county....
,
NewcastleNewcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England...
,
EdinburghEdinburgh is the capital city of Scotland. It is the second largest Scottish city, after Glasgow, and the seventh-most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas....
,
GlasgowGlasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
and
AberdeenAberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city and one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. It has an official population estimate of .Nicknames include the Granite City, the Grey City and the Silver City with the Golden Sands...
. On Sundays only the
Highland ChieftainStations with limited service shown smaller|}The Highland Chieftain is one of the four named passenger trains operated by National Express East Coast on the UK National Rail network. NXEC runs one train a day each way between London King's Cross and Inverness on the East Coast Main Line...
from London stops at Doncaster en-route to
InvernessInverness is a city in northern Scotland. The city is the administrative centre for the Highland council area, and is promoted as the capital of the Highlands of Scotland...
.
First Hull Trains
First Hull Trains operates services from London - Hull, via Doncaster & Selby.
Northern Rail
Northern RailNorthern Rail is a train operating company that has operated local passenger services in the north of England since 2004. Northern Rail's owner, Serco-NedRailways, is a consortium formed of NedRailways and Serco, an international operator of public transport systems...
generally offers services from Doncaster to stations within
YorkshireYorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the British Isles. Because of its great size, functions were increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have been subject to periodic reform. Throughout these changes, Yorkshire has continued to be recognised as...
and
LincolnshireLincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, Rutland, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, South Yorkshire, and the East Riding of Yorkshire. It also borders Northamptonshire for just 19 metres, England's shortest county boundary...
, such as
SheffieldSheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, the city has grown from its largely industrial roots to encompass a wider economic base...
,
LeedsLeeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. The historic core at the heart of Leeds in 2001 had an estimated subdivision population of 443,247, whilst the entire city, that includes the urban and suburban areas incorporated into the city in 1974, had an estimated...
and
LincolnLincoln is a cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England.The non-metropolitan district of Lincoln has a population of around 101,000 - the 2001 census gave the entire urban area of Lincoln a population of 120,779...
. They provide stopper services, which stop at every station along-route, and 'fast' services, stopping at just the principal stations. It is possible to travel on Northern Rail to
RetfordRetford is a market town in Nottinghamshire in the East Midlands of England, located 31 miles from the city of Nottingham, in the district of Bassetlaw...
from Doncaster, via
SheffieldSheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, the city has grown from its largely industrial roots to encompass a wider economic base...
, on a direct train. However this involves a journey of 80 minutes. The direct National Express East Coast service takes, on average, just 14 minutes.
Other Plans
Grand UnionGrand Union,, is a railway group tasked with the proposal and implementation of open-access passenger services in the United Kingdom. The company was formed following the successful launch of Grand Central's open access services between London and Sunderland...
also plans on commencing a route from Bradford Interchange to London King's Cross, under the name
Grand Northern|}Grand Northern Trains is the sister company of Grand Central Railway that has plans to run high-speed InterCity services between Bradford and London. In February 2009, the Office of Rail Regulation approved the company's application for track access rights to operate a service between Bradford...
calling at Doncaster station, although timings have yet to be finalised. Provisional approval for a service of three trains a day each way was granted by the
Office of Rail RegulationThe Office of Rail Regulation is a statutory board which is the combined economic and safety regulatory authority for Great Britain's railway network. It was established on 5 July 2004 by the Railways and Transport Safety Act 2003, replacing the Rail Regulator...
in January 2009.
Grand Northern|}Grand Northern Trains is the sister company of Grand Central Railway that has plans to run high-speed InterCity services between Bradford and London. In February 2009, the Office of Rail Regulation approved the company's application for track access rights to operate a service between Bradford...
have now got full approval for their new service between Kings Cross and Bradford Interchange. This will start running at the December 2009 timetable change, and will be branded under the
Grand Central|}Grand Central Railway Company Ltd is a privately-owned train operating company running services under the name Grand Central within the United Kingdom....
name.
There were plans to add platforms 9 and 10 to cope with
EurostarEurostar is a high-speed railway passenger service connecting London with Paris and Brussels. All its trains cross under the English Channel via the Channel Tunnel between Britain and France, owned and operated separately by Eurotunnel....
trains but this was cancelled.
In the media
In 1973 the station was featured in the first episode of
Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? was a hit 70's Colour British sitcom broadcast between 9 January 1973 and 9 April 1974, as the colour sequel to the mid-1960s hit The Likely Lads. It was created and written, as was its predecessor, by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais...
, entitled
Strangers on a Train. It starred
James BolamJames Christopher Bolam, MBE is an English actor and singer, best known for his roles as Jack Ford in When the Boat Comes In, Trevor Chaplin in The Beiderbecke Trilogy, Terry Collier in The Likely Lads and its sequel Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?, and as Roy Figgis in Only When I...
and
Rodney BewesRodney Bewes is an English television actor probably best known for playing the lovable Bob Ferris in the classic BBC sitcoms The Likely Lads and...
although only Bolam was featured in location filming at the station, which took place in late 1972.
Although it is not known whereabouts in the station the scenes were placed, signs for
Grimsby TownGrimsby Town railway station serves the town of Grimsby in North East Lincolnshire, England. It is currently operated by First TransPennine Express, and is also served by Northern Rail and East Midlands Trains...
and
ScunthorpeScunthorpe railway station serves the town of Scunthorpe in North Lincolnshire, England. The station is located a short walk from the town centre on Station Road....
are visible behind Bolam.
External links