Bank Foot station, looking east in 1981, before the Airport extension was built
Bank Foot is a Tyne and Wear Metro station, serving the suburbs of Woolsington and Kenton in the English city of Newcastle upon Tyne. It opened as a single platform terminal station in 1981, with the opening of the second phase of the metro, between South Gosforth and Bank Foot. It was restructured as a two platform through station in 1991, with the opening of the extension to Newcastle Airport.
History
The Metro station is located at the site of the former Kenton Bank station, which opened on 1 June 1905 as part of the Gosforth and Ponteland Light Railway. The line closed to passengers on 17 June 1929, with goods services operating from the station until January 1966. The line through the station however remained open 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][3]
The Metro station opened on 10 May 1981.[2] As opened, the approach from the east was single track opening out into three tracks. On the south side was the platform line, serving the stations single platform (now used by trains towards Airport), On the north side there was a siding used by the Metro, and in the middle a non-electrified through line for freight services to ICI Callerton. The ownership boundary between the Tyne and Wear Metro and British Rail was the level crossing on Station Road, to the west of the station.[citation needed]
In March 1989, ICI Callerton closed, and freight services through the station ceased. The following year, the construction of the extension of the Metro from Bank Foot to Newcastle Airport commenced, after funding had been secured from the European Economic Community (now the European Union). The extension used the alignment of the former freight line to the west of Bank Foot, ownership of which was transferred to the Metro.[2][4]
At the same time, the single-track bridge to the east of the station was re-built as double track, with Bank Foot station re-modelled as a double track station. A second platform was built on the north side (now used for trains towards South Hylton). The level crossing was also re-built in the same style as the other open level crossings on the system. Following the opening of the 3.5 km (2.2 mi) line between Bank Foot and Airport on 17 November 1991, the station opened to through services.[4]
The station was used by 0.11 million passengers in 2017–18, making it the third-least-used station on the network, after St Peter's and Pallion.[1]
In 2018, the station, along with others on the Airport branch, were refurbished as part of the Metro: All Change programme. The project saw improvements to accessibility, security and energy efficiency, as well as the re-branding of the station to the new black and white corporate colour scheme.[8]
Facilities
The station has two platforms, with separate step-free ramped access to each platform from the street. A pay and display car park is available, with 62 spaces. There is also the provision for cycle parking, with eight cycle pods available for use.[9]
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 (including contactless payment), notes and coins.[10][11] The station is also fitted with smartcard validators, which feature at all stations across the network.[12][13]
Services
As of October 2024[update], the station is served by up to five trains per hour on weekdays and Saturday, and up to four trains per hour during the evening and on Sunday. In the southbound direction, trains run to South Hylton via Newcastle and Sunderland. In the northbound direction, trains run to Newcastle Airport.[9][14][a]
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