Stockton railway station (County Durham)

Stockton is a railway station on the Durham Coast Line, which runs between Newcastle and Middlesbrough via Hartlepool. The station, situated 5 miles 45 chains (9.0 km) west of Middlesbrough, serves the market town of Stockton-on-Tees in County Durham, England. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by Northern Trains. Thornaby railway station (known as "South Stockton" until 1892), across the River Tees from Stockton-on-Tees provides a wider range of services and acts as the main railway station for most of Stockton-on-Tees. This station originally had a roof but it was removed in 1979 due to being in a bad state of repair and it has not been replaced since (the same work also saw the removal of redundant track & platforms). The other main buildings are also no longer in rail use, having been converted into apartments. Station facilities here have been improved and included new fully lit waiting shelters, digital information screens and the installation of CCTV. The long-line public-address (PA) system has been renewed and upgraded with pre-recorded train announcements. A fully accessible footbridge has also been built to provide step-free access to both platforms. There are however no ticket facilities here (the station being unstaffed), so all tickets have to be bought prior to travel or on the train. Grand Central services between Sunderland and London King's Cross pass through the station but do not stop here.