Cullercoats is a station on the Tyne and Wear Metro, serving Cullercoats and Marden in North Tyneside. The station joined the network in August 1980, following the opening of the line between Haymarket and Tynemouth – the first stage of the network to open. Cullercoats has been served by a station since 1864, with the station at the current site opened in July 1882, under the North Eastern Railway. The station is located a short walk from Cullercoats Bay and the north end of Longsands Beach. Cullercoats was used by 334,225 passengers in 2017–18, making it the eleventh-most-used station in North Tyneside.
History
The original Cullercoats station was opened under the Blyth and Tyne Railway in June 1864, and was located further inland than the current site. This station, in the area now occupied by housing on Sedbergh Road, was closed in 1882, when the line was re-routed to be closer to the North Sea coast. The replacement station was built by the North Eastern Railway, as part of the North Tyneside Loop, opening in July 1882. While built on a smaller scale than neighbouring Tynemouth and Whitley Bay stations, it still proved popular with commuters and visitors alike – with 271,939 tickets being issued in 1911. Most of the original station structures are still present, the only major architectural changes being alterations to the verandahs, dating from the 1920s, and the demolition of the station master's house in the early 1970s. The station's adjoining signal box has also been demolished. The station closed for conversion in September 1979, ahead of opening as part of the Tyne and WearMetro network, re-opening in August 1980. Conversion work saw only minor modifications made to the station buildings and platforms, consisting mainly of new signage and restoration work. The installation The Day Before You Looked Through Me by British artist Cathy de Monchaux was commissioned for the station in 1998, and features in the ticket area of the southbound platform. In 2011, Paul William Llewellyn Jones's Whitley Bay in Colour was installed at the station, showcasing a number of images of the North Tyneside coastline. Cullercoats was recently refurbished, along with Monkseaton and West Monkseaton, in 2018, as part of the Metro: All Change programme. The refurbishment involved the installation of new seating and lighting, resurfaced platforms, and improved security and accessibility. The station was also painted in to the new black and white corporate colour scheme.
Facilities
Step-free access is available at all stations across the Tyne and Wear Metro network, with level access to both platforms. Step-free access between platforms is by the Mast Lane bridge, which is located about to the south of the station. The station is equipped with ticket machines, waiting shelter, seating, next train information displays, timetable posters, and an emergency help point on both platforms. Ticket machines are able to accept payment with credit and debit card, notes and coins. The station is also fitted with smartcard validators, which feature at all stations across the network. The station houses a shop, on the southbound platform, specialising in pet accessories, which opened in January 2015. There is a small free car park available, with 22 spaces. There is also the provision for cycle parking, with 6 cycle pods available for use.
Service and frequency
Cullercoats is served by the, which operates between South Shields and St. James with an end-to-end journey time of 83 minutes. Services from platform 1 operate towards South Shields via Whitley Bay, with the first train departing at 05:39. Services from platform 2 operate towards St. James, with the first train departing at 05:25. Trains run frequently across the network, at intervals of up to every 12 minutes, and every 15 minutes, with the last trains departing at around midnight. Journey times from Cullercoats are:
