Callerton railway station

The Gosforth and Ponteland Light Railway was formed in 1899, under the Light Railways Act 1896 (59 & 60 Vict. c. 48), and construction of the line, by the North Eastern Railway, was authorised by Parliament in February 1901. In March 1905, the 7-mile section from South Gosforth to Ponteland was opened to goods traffic, with passenger services commencing in June 1905.^[1]

Callerton station was opened on 1 June 1905. The original station building was destroyed by fire in March 1915, and was later replaced by a replica. In 1913, goods traffic arriving at the station included potatoes, livestock, hay and clover. In 1922, the branch line was served by six weekday passenger trains, with an additional train running on Saturday. Only three trains ran through to Darras Hall.^[2][3]

As a result of poor passenger numbers, the station, along with the branch line closed to passengers on 17 June 1929.^[4] The station remained open for goods traffic, before closing altogether on 29 November 1965. The station was demolished almost entirely by 1973. The line through the station remained open until March 1989, to serve the explosives depot at ICI Callerton, situated between Callerton and Ponteland stations, where explosives were transferred from rail to road for onward transport to quarries in Northumberland. ^[2]

In May 1981, a section of the former branch line was reopened in stages between South Gosforth and Bank Foot, as part of the Tyne and Wear Metro network.^[5] The line was later extended from Bank Foot to Newcastle Airport in November 1991, with an intermediate station at Callerton Parkway.^[6][7] Callerton Parkway was built some 125 metres (410 ft) to the south-east of the former station at Callerton, on the opposite side of the level crossing over Callerton Lane.^[8]