Syston railway station
Encyclopedia
Syston railway station is a railway station serving the town of Syston
in Leicestershire
, England. The station is located on the Midland Main Line
between Leicester
to Loughborough
, 103¾ miles from London St Pancras.
For journeys beginning at Syston, the full range of tickets for travel for any destination in the country may be purchased from the guard
on the train at no extra cost. It is a penalty fare station however so a permit to travel
must be bought from the machine installed on the platform before joining the train.
line from Leicester
to Nottingham and Derby. Shortly afterwards, the Midland Counties merged with the North Midland Railway
and the Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway
to form the Midland Railway
.
Syston became a junction station on 1 September 1846 with the opening of the Syston and Peterborough Railway
to Melton Mowbray
, which was extended in 1848 to Peterborough
. The north to east curve was opened in 1854.
A replacement station was opened in 1874 when the Midland Main Line was increased from two to four tracks.
with the help of David Wilson Homes
, who erected a housing estate over the old station land in 2006.
The station is sometimes used by photographers and train spotters, especially when steam specials are expected. The fast lines are those at the left of the picture. The platform line is on the bidirectional slow line.
Network Rail adopted a Route Utilisation Strategy for freight in 2007 which will create a new cross country freight route from Peterborough
(East Coast Main Line
) to Nuneaton
(West Coast Main Line
). One of the next stages (around 2013) will create additional lines through Leicester during a re-signalling scheme, during this time Syston station will be rebuilt.
It is planned that both platform will be extended by up to 41 metres by no later than 2012.
Services are formed using diesel multiple unit
s of class 153
, 156
or 158
Syston
Syston is a town and civil parish in the district of Charnwood in Leicestershire, England. The population is 11,508 as of the 2001 Census.-Overview:...
in Leicestershire
Leicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
, England. The station is located on the Midland Main Line
Midland Main Line
The Midland Main Line is a major railway route in the United Kingdom, part of the British railway system.The present-day line links London St...
between Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
to Loughborough
Loughborough
Loughborough is a town within the Charnwood borough of Leicestershire, England. It is the seat of Charnwood Borough Council and is home to Loughborough University...
, 103¾ miles from London St Pancras.
For journeys beginning at Syston, the full range of tickets for travel for any destination in the country may be purchased from the guard
Conductor (transportation)
A conductor is a member of a railway train's crew that is responsible for operational and safety duties that do not involve the actual operation of the train. The title of conductor is most associated with railway operations in North America, but the role of conductor is common to railways...
on the train at no extra cost. It is a penalty fare station however so a permit to travel
Permit to travel
In the ticketing system of the British rail network, a Permit to Travel provisionally allows passengers to travel on a train when they have not purchased a ticket in advance and the ticket office of the station they are travelling from is closed, without incurring a penalty fare.Since a large...
must be bought from the machine installed on the platform before joining the train.
Early history
The station was opened on 5 May 1840 as a minor intermediate station on the Midland Counties RailwayMidland Counties Railway
The Midland Counties Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom which existed between 1832 and 1844, connecting Nottingham, Leicester and Derby with Rugby and thence, via the London and Birmingham Railway, to London. The MCR system connected with the North Midland Railway and the...
line from Leicester
Leicester railway station
Leicester railway station serves the City of Leicester in Leicestershire, England.As of late 2009 Leicester is a Penalty fare station, a valid ticket or Permit to travel must be shown when requested.-Background:...
to Nottingham and Derby. Shortly afterwards, the Midland Counties merged with the North Midland Railway
North Midland Railway
The North Midland Railway was a British railway company, which opened its line from Derby to Rotherham and Leeds in 1840.At Derby it connected with the Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway and the Midland Counties Railway at what became known as the Tri Junct Station...
and the Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway
Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway
The Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway was a British railway company. From Birmingham it connected at Derby with the North Midland Railway and the Midland Counties Railway at what became known as the Tri Junct Station...
to form the Midland Railway
Midland Railway
The Midland Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 to 1922, when it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway....
.
Syston became a junction station on 1 September 1846 with the opening of the Syston and Peterborough Railway
Syston and Peterborough Railway
The Syston and Peterborough Railway was an early railway in England opened between 1845 and 1848 to form a branch from the Midland Counties Railway at Syston just north of Leicester to Peterborough.-Origins:...
to Melton Mowbray
Melton Mowbray railway station
Melton Mowbray railway station serves the town of Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire, England. It is owned by Network Rail and operated by East Midlands Trains train operating company ....
, which was extended in 1848 to Peterborough
Peterborough railway station
Peterborough railway station serves the city of Peterborough, England. It is located approximately north of London Kings Cross on the East Coast Main Line...
. The north to east curve was opened in 1854.
A replacement station was opened in 1874 when the Midland Main Line was increased from two to four tracks.
Closure
The station closed in 1968. The station building, having been hidden by fencing for many years, was later dismantled and rebuilt at Midland Railway - ButterleyMidland Railway - Butterley
The Midland Railway – Butterley is a heritage railway, formerly known until 2004 as the Midland Railway Centre, at Butterley, near Ripley in Derbyshire.-Overview:...
with the help of David Wilson Homes
Wilson Bowden
Wilson Bowden plc was a British housebuilding and general construction company headquartered in Coalville in central England.-History:Wilson Bowden was the holding company for David Wilson Homes and its commercial property subsidiary, Wilson Bowden Properties, the name being adopted at the time of...
, who erected a housing estate over the old station land in 2006.
Reopening
The station reopened on 27 May 1994 as part of phase one of the Ivanhoe Line.- The station is served hourly in both directions by East Midlands TrainsEast Midlands TrainsEast Midlands Trains is a British passenger train operating company. Based in Derby, it provides train services in the East Midlands, chiefly in the counties of Lincolnshire, South Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Northamptonshire, and between the East Midlands and London...
local services, running between LeicesterLeicester railway stationLeicester railway station serves the City of Leicester in Leicestershire, England.As of late 2009 Leicester is a Penalty fare station, a valid ticket or Permit to travel must be shown when requested.-Background:...
and Lincoln via LoughboroughLoughborough railway stationLoughborough railway station serves the town of Loughborough in Leicestershire, England. Situated on the Midland Main Line, 20 km north of Leicester, the station lies to the north-east of the town centre....
, Nottingham and Newark. There is no Sunday service. - Express trains do not stop at Syston, as the single platform is on the bidirectional Leicester to Syston slow line. No Peterborough line trains call at the station although it is possible for them to do so.
The station is sometimes used by photographers and train spotters, especially when steam specials are expected. The fast lines are those at the left of the picture. The platform line is on the bidirectional slow line.
Network Rail adopted a Route Utilisation Strategy for freight in 2007 which will create a new cross country freight route from Peterborough
Peterborough
Peterborough is a cathedral city and unitary authority area in the East of England, with an estimated population of in June 2007. For ceremonial purposes it is in the county of Cambridgeshire. Situated north of London, the city stands on the River Nene which flows into the North Sea...
(East Coast Main Line
East Coast Main Line
The East Coast Main Line is a long electrified high-speed railway link between London, Peterborough, Doncaster, Wakefield, Leeds, York, Darlington, Newcastle and Edinburgh...
) to Nuneaton
Nuneaton
Nuneaton is the largest town in the Borough of Nuneaton and Bedworth and in the English county of Warwickshire.Nuneaton is most famous for its associations with the 19th century author George Eliot, who was born on a farm on the Arbury Estate just outside Nuneaton in 1819 and lived in the town for...
(West Coast Main Line
West Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line is the busiest mixed-traffic railway route in Britain, being the country's most important rail backbone in terms of population served. Fast, long-distance inter-city passenger services are provided between London, the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and the...
). One of the next stages (around 2013) will create additional lines through Leicester during a re-signalling scheme, during this time Syston station will be rebuilt.
It is planned that both platform will be extended by up to 41 metres by no later than 2012.
Services
- First southbound service is the: 07:10. Last is the: 22:07
- First northbound service is the: 06:43. Last is the: 21:32
Services are formed using diesel multiple unit
Diesel multiple unit
A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple unit train consisting of multiple carriages powered by one or more on-board diesel engines. They may also be referred to as a railcar or railmotor, depending on country.-Design:...
s of class 153
British Rail Class 153
The British Rail Class 153 Super Sprinter is a single car diesel multiple unit converted from British Rail Class 155s.-Description:These units were originally built as two-car Class 155 units by British Leyland from 1987–88, but were converted by Hunslet-Barclay at Kilmarnock from 1991-92...
, 156
British Rail Class 156
The British Rail Class 156 Super Sprinter is a diesel multiple-unit train . 114 of these units were built from 1987 to 1989 by Metro-Cammell at its Washwood Heath Works in Birmingham...
or 158
British Rail Class 158
British Rail Class 158 Express Sprinter is a diesel multiple-unit train, built for British Rail between 1989 and 1992 by BREL at its Derby Works. They were built to replace many locomotive-hauled passenger trains, and allowed cascading of existing Sprinter units to replace elderly 'heritage' DMUs...