Coordinates	36°55′21″N71°2′57″N
{{infobox uk station|symbol	rail
Name	Buxton
Code	BUX
Manager	Northern Rail
Locale	Buxton
Borough	High Peak
Usage0405	0.225
Usage0506	0.261
Usage0607	0.264
Usage0708	0.284
Usage0809	0.301
Usage0910	0.301
Platforms	2
Start	1863 }}

Buxton railway station is a railway station that serves the town of Buxton in Derbyshire. It is managed and served by Northern Rail. The station is 25¾ miles (41 km) south east of Manchester Piccadilly and is the terminus of the Buxton Line.

History

Two railways arrived in Buxton almost simultaneously in 1863. The Stockport, Disley and Whaley Bridge Railway, heavily promoted by the LNWR, built its line from Manchester to Whaley Bridge and extended it to Buxton. Meanwhile the Midland Railway extended the Manchester, Buxton, Matlock and Midlands Junction Railway from Rowsley. When the Midland extended its main line to New Mills in 1867, to bypass the LNWR, Buxton became a branch line from Millers Dale. The stations were side by side, with identical frontages designed by J. Smith with guidance from Joseph Paxton, each having a wrought iron glazed train shed.

The Midland station closed in 1967, along with the line to Rowsley, and the site is now a roadway. However the line through Dove Holes Tunnel from Chinley is still used for freight, such as limestone from Tunstead, along with the old Midland branch into Buxton. The LNWR station now handles local trains into Manchester, using its line through Dove Holes and Chapel-en-le-Frith.

Services

There is generally an hourly service each day (every half-hour during the morning and evening peaks) to Manchester Piccadilly. Services to Blackpool North have now ceased, meaning passengers must now change at Manchester Piccadilly.

Platform 1 is a Departure Platform by Shunt Move. It is usually used in early mornings by the first trains of the day which stable in the platform overnight.

It is also used around 6pm: on arrival, 4 car trains are shunted into the platform so that 2 carriages can be detached for overnight stabling. 2 car units are also shunted into the platform when not required to work any further services for the rest of the day or in the coming few hours.

Platform 2 is the main platform for most arrivals and departures.

December 2008

From December 2008 the West Coast main line timetable was revamped and the Buxton-Blackpool service was be divided (). The two services which were created from the split were:

Manchester Victoria To Blackpool North

Manchester Piccadilly To Buxton

In addition to this a new hourly Hazel Grove to Preston service was introduced.

5 through services continue to operate between Buxton and Blackpool North

Some Manchester Victoria to Blackpool North services are operated by 5 Car Class 180s (Monday - Friday Only)

Future

Transport for Greater Manchester has proposed increasing the frequency of services between Buxton/Hazel Grove and Manchester Piccadilly to 2/4 trains per hour from December 2009. However there are currently concerns about the availability of stock and paths for these additional services.

Network Rail has proposed, in their North West RUS, installing a cross-over which will allow platform 1 to become fully operational as an arrival and departure platform. Doing this will reduce the number of shunt moves.

References

Radford, B., (1988) ''Midland Though The Peak'' Unicorn Books

Pevsner, Nikolaus (1953) (revised Elizabeth Williamson 1978). ''The Buildings of England: Derbyshire''. Penguin Books. ISBN 0-14-071008-6

External links

"Picture the Past" Midland railway station

"Picture the Past" Train in Ashwood Dale showing typical terrain for this line.

English Heritage - Buxton station frontage

Station Category:Railway stations in Derbyshire Category:Former London and North Western Railway stations Category:Railway stations opened in 1863 Category:Railway stations served by Northern Rail Category:DfT Category E stations

nl:Station Buxton

Coordinates	36°55′21″N71°2′57″N
{{infobox uk place | official name	Buxton | country England | region East Midlands
population	20,836
population ref	(2001 Census) | os_grid_reference SK059735 | latitude 53.259 | longitude -1.911 | map_type Derbyshire | post_town BUXTON | postcode_area SK | postcode_district SK17 | dial_code 01298 | constituency_westminster High Peak | civil_parish | shire_districtHigh Peak | shire_countyDerbyshire |static_image | static_image_captionBuxton from Solomon's Temple looking northwards }}

Buxton is a spa town in Derbyshire, England. It has the highest elevation of any market town in England. Located close to the county boundary with Cheshire to the west and Staffordshire to the south, Buxton is described as "the gateway to the Peak District National Park". A municipal borough until 1974, Buxton was then merged with other localities including Glossop, lying primarily to the north, to form the local government district and borough of High Peak within the county of Derbyshire. Buxton is within the sphere of influence of Greater Manchester due to its close proximity to the area.

Buxton is home to Poole's Cavern, an extensive limestone cavern open to the public, and St Ann's Well, fed by the geothermal spring bottled and sold internationally by Buxton Mineral Water Company. Also in the town is the Buxton Opera House, which hosts several music and theatre festivals each year. The Devonshire Campus of the University of Derby is housed in one of the town's historic buildings. Other attractions for visitors include two speedway stadia, two golf courses, a pedestrian-only street with small shops and an indoor shopping mall.

Buxton is twinned with two other towns: Oignies in France and Bad Nauheim in Germany.

Geology

Built on the boundary of the Lower Carboniferous limestone and the Upper Carboniferous shale, sandstone and gritstone, the original settlement was largely of limestone construction, of which only the parish church of St Anne, built in 1625, remains. The present buildings, of locally quarried sandstone, mostly date from the late 18th century.

At the southern edge of the town the River Wye has carved an extensive limestone cavern, known as Poole's Cavern, whose more than 300 metres of chambers are open to the public. The cavern contains Derbyshire's largest stalactite. There are also unique 'poached egg' stalagmites. There are various stories connected with the cavern, such as that of a notorious local highwayman called Poole, who gives the cavern its name. Daniel Defoe called the cavern one of the wonders of the Peaks.

History

Built on the River Wye, and overlooked by Axe Edge Moor, Buxton has a long history as a spa town due to its geothermal spring which rises at a constant temperature of 28 °C. The source of the spring is behind Eagle Parade and piped to St Ann's Well (often mistaken for the source) opposite the Crescent near the town centre. Each summer the wells are decorated according to the local tradition of well dressing. The well dressing weekend has developed to become something of a town carnival, including live music and funfair.

The Romans developed the settlement when it was known as Aquae Arnemetiae (or the spa of the goddess of the grove). Findings of coins indicate that the Romans were in Buxton throughout their occupation. The town largely grew in importance in the late 18th century when it was developed by the Dukes of Devonshire, with a second resurgence a century later as the Victorians were drawn to the reputed healing properties of the waters.

The Dukes of Devonshire have been closely involved with Buxton since 1780, when the 5th Duke used the profits from his copper mines to develop the town as a spa in the style of Bath. Their ancestor Bess of Hardwick had taken one of her four husbands, the Earl of Shrewsbury, to "take the waters" at Buxton shortly after he became the gaoler of Mary, Queen of Scots, in 1569, and they took Mary there in 1573—she called Buxton "''La Fontagne de Bogsby''", but stayed at the site of the Old Hall Hotel.

Instrumental in the popularity of Buxton was the recommendation by Dr. Erasmus Darwin of the waters at Buxton and Matlock to Josiah Wedgwood I. The Wedgwood family subsequently often journeyed to Buxton on holiday and recommended the area to their friends. Two of Charles Darwin's half-cousins, Edward Levett Darwin and Reginald Darwin also decided to settle there.

The introduction of the railway to the town in 1863 considerably stimulated its growth; the population of 1,800 in 1861 had grown to over 6,000 by 1881.

Notable architecture

The Crescent (1780–1784) was modelled on Bath's Royal Crescent by John Carr along with the neighbouring irregular octagon and colonnade of the Great Stables. The Crescent incorporates a grand assembly room with a fine painted ceiling. Nearby stands the elegant and imposing monument to Samuel Turner (1805–1878), treasurer of the Devonshire Hospital and Buxton Bath Charity, built in 1879 and accidentally lost for the latter part of the 20th century during construction work before being found and restored in 1994.

The Devonshire Dome (1780–1789) was created from the Great Stables, converted in 1859 by Henry Currey, architect to the 7th Duke of Devonshire. It became the Devonshire Royal Hospital (now the Devonshire Campus of the University of Derby). Later phases of the conversion were by local architect Robert Rippon Duke including his design for what was the world's largest unsupported dome with a diameter of 44 m (144.356 ft), beating the Pantheon () and St Peter's Basilica 42 m (137.794 ft) in Rome, and St Paul's Cathedral (). However, this record is now routinely surpassed by space frame domes such as the Georgia Dome (). The main building and its surrounding Victorian villas are now part of the University of Derby. Peregrine Cavendish, 12th Duke of Devonshire was appointed Chancellor of the university in October 2008, a five-year appointment.

Buxton Opera House was designed by Frank Matcham in 1903 and is the highest opera house in the country. He was a prolific theatrical architect and also designed several London theatres, including the London Palladium, the London Coliseum and the Hackney Empire. It is attached to the Pavilion Gardens, Octagonal Hall (built in 1875) and the smaller Pavilion Arts Centre (''see'' below). The Pavilion Gardens, designed by Edward Milner, contain 93,000 m² of gardens and ponds and were opened in 1871. Opposite is an original Penfold octagonal post box.

Buxton railway station was designed by Joseph Paxton, who also designed the layout of the Park Road circular estate. He is perhaps more famous for his design of the Crystal Palace in London.

The Pavilion Gardens, by Jeffry Wyattville.

The Natural Baths, by Henry Currey, sit on the site of the original Roman baths. The building was opened in 1854 and re-developed as an arcade in 1987, featuring a barrel vaulted stained glass canopy — the largest stained glass window in Britain — designed by Brian Clarke.

The Pump Room, also by Currey, was built in 1884 opposite the Crescent. Visitors could 'take the waters' until 1981. Between 1981 and 1995 the building housed the unique Micrarium Exhibition. The building is being refurbished as part of the National Lottery-funded Buxton Crescent and Thermal Spa re-development. Beside it, added in 1940, stands St Ann’s Well.

The 122-room Palace Hotel, built in 1868, is a prominent feature of the Buxton skyline, situated on the hill above the railway station. It was also designed by Currey.

The Old Hall Hotel is one of the oldest buildings in Buxton. It was owned by the 6th Earl of Shrewsbury, George Talbot. He and his wife, Bess of Hardwick, were the "gaolers" of Mary, Queen of Scots. She came to Buxton several times to take the waters, the last of which was in 1584. The present building dates from 1670 and has a five-bay front with a Tuscan doorway.

The town is overlooked by two highly visible landmarks. Atop Grinlow Hill, 1,441 feet (439 m) above sea level, is Grinlow Tower (locally also called "Solomon's Temple"), a two-storey granite, crooked, crenelated folly built in 1834 by Solomon Mycock to provide work for the town's unemployed and later restored in 1996 after a lengthy closure to the public. In the other direction, on Corbar Hill, 1,433 feet (437 m) above sea level, stands Corbar Cross, a tall, simple, wooden cross. Originally given to the Roman Catholic Church by the Duke of Devonshire in 1950 to commemorate Holy Year, it was replaced in the 1980s but cut down in 2010 during the visit of Pope Benedict XVI to the UK as a protest against a long history of child abuse at the Catholic St Williams School, Market Weighton, Yorkshire. The Buxton ecumenical group Churches Together organised several benefactors to replace the cross in May 2011.

Culture

Cultural events in Buxton include the annual Buxton Festival and the International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival, among other festivals and performances held in the Opera House and other venues. The Buxton Museum & Art Gallery offers year-round exhibitions.

The Buxton Festival, founded in 1979, runs for about three weeks in July at various venues including the Opera House. The programme includes literary events in the mornings, concerts and recitals in the afternoon, and operas, many of them rarely-performed, in the evenings. There has been a noticeable increase in the quality of the operatic programme in recent years, after decades when, according to critic Rupert Christiansen, the festival featured "work of such mediocre quality that I just longed for someone to put it out of its misery." Running alongside it is the ''Buxton Festival Fringe'', which is known as a warm-up for the Edinburgh Fringe. The Buxton fringe features drama, music, dance, comedy, music, poetry, art exhibitions and films in various venues around the town. In 2009 there were over 500 events from over 140 entrants.

The International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival, founded in 1994, runs for over three weeks from the end of July through most of August. It is an adjudicated competition, held in the Opera House, comprising over a dozen amateur G&S; troupes, while professional performances are given on the weekends. There are dozens of fringe events in the adjoining Pavilion Arts Centre and elsewhere, during the daytime and as an alternative to the evening operas in the Opera House. The week-long ''Four Four Time'' music festival is held every February and features a variety of rock, pop, folk, blues, jazz and world music.

The Opera House has a year-long programme of drama, concerts, comedy and other events. In September 2010, following a £2.5 million reconstruction, the former Paxton Suite in the Pavilion Gardens was re-opened as a performance venue called the Pavilion Arts Centre. The centre, located behind the Opera House, includes a 369-seat auditorium. The stage area can be converted into a separate 93-seat studio theatre.

The Buxton Museum & Art Gallery has a permanent collection of local artefacts, geological and archaeological samples (including the William Boyd Dawkins collection) and 19th and 20th century paintings, including works by Brangwyn, Chagall, Chahine and their contemporaries. There are also regular exhibitions by local and regional artists and various other events. The Pavilion Gardens hosts regular arts, crafts, antiques and jewellery fairs.

Economy

Buxton has a mixed economy including tourism, retail, quarrying, scientific research, light industry and mineral water bottling. The University of Derby is a significant employer.

Surrounded by the Peak District National Park and offering a range of cultural events, tourism is a major industry, with more than a million visitors to Buxton each year. Having over 64% of its visitor bedspace, it is the main centre for overnight accommodation within the Peak District.

A number of limestone quarries are located close to Buxton, including the ''"Tunstead Superquarry"'', the largest producer of high purity industrial limestone in Europe, which employs 400 people. The quarrying sector also provides employment in limestone processing and distribution. Other industrial employers include the Health & Safety Laboratory, which engages in health and safety research and incident investigations and maintains over 350 staff locally. The Waterswallows, Harpur Hill, Tongue Lane and Staden Lane industrial estates comprise a variety of light engineering and commercial units.

The Buxton Mineral Water Company (owned by Nestle) and Buxton Spring Ltd extract and bottle mineral waters in Buxton.

Sport and civic organizations

In the high land above the town there are two small speedway stadia. The High Edge Raceway was the original home of the speedway team Buxton High Edge Hitmen in the mid-1990s before the team moved to the custom-built track immediately to the north of the original circuit. The original track in the High Edge Raceway was amongst the shortest and trickiest tracks in the UK. The custom-built track is of a more conventional shape and length. Buxton have been regular competitors in the Conference League.

Buxton has a football club (Buxton F.C., who play at the Silverlands), a cricket club (Buxton Cricket Club), a rugby union club (Buxton Rugby Club) and a hockey club (Buxton Hockey Club). In addition four Hope Valley League football clubs are based in Buxton: Buxton Christians and Queens Reserves play at the Fairfield Centre with Blazing Rag and Buxton Town playing at the Kents Bank Recreation Ground.

There are two 18-hole golf courses in Buxton. In the eastern suburb of Fairfield is the Buxton & High Peak club. Founded in 1887 it is the oldest in Derbyshire. On the western edge of the town is the Cavendish Club (1925), designed by the renowned course architect Dr. Alister MacKenzie.

The hillside around Solomon's Temple is a popular local bouldering venue with many small outcrops giving problems mainly in the lower grades. These are described in the 2003 guidebook ''High over Buxton: A Boulderer's Guide''. Hoffman Quarry at Harpur Hill, sitting prominently above Buxton, is a local venue for sport climbing.

Youth groups include Buxton Squadron Air Cadets, Derbyshire Army Cadet Force and also the Sea Cadet Corps, in addition to units from the Scouts & Guide Association.

Climate

At 1,000 feet (307 m) above sea level, Buxton is the highest market town in England. Alston, Cumbria also makes this claim (but lacks a ''regular'' market). Buxton has an annual rainfall (1959–1995) of 1 286 mm (50.6") with a mean temperature (1959–1995) of 7.8 °C. The town is sometimes described by Derbyshire locals as being 'a top coat colder'.

Public transport

Buxton railway station is served by the ex L&NWR; and LMS line via Whaley Bridge. It has frequent trains to Stockport and the nearby city of Manchester. The journey from Buxton to Manchester Piccadilly takes just under an hour. Buxton had two stations, but the Midland Railway station was closed on 6 March 1967, later becoming the site for the Spring Gardens shopping centre. The trackbed of the Manchester, Buxton, Matlock and Midlands Junction Railway has in part been utilised as a walk and cycleway called the Monsal Trail. Peak Rail, a heritage railway group, have restored the section from Rowsley to Matlock, with the long-term objective of trying to re-open back to Buxton.

The town's buses offer affordable travel into the Peak District National Park. Other buses run to the nearby towns of Whaley Bridge, Chapel en le Frith, New Mills and Glossop, and the Trent Barton 'Transpeak' coach service offers an hourly link southwards to Taddington, Matlock, Derby and Nottingham and northwards to Stockport and Manchester. There is also a Trent Barton bus directly from Manchester Airport to Buxton. Other buses provide roughly two-hourly services linking Buxton with Macclesfield, Stoke-on-Trent and Sheffield. A list of them can be viewed on the List of bus routes in Buxton page. There are also taxi services based in the town.

Famous Buxtonians

Vera Brittain (1893–1970): author of ''Testament of Youth'' and mother of Shirley Williams

Tim Brooke-Taylor: comedy actor and one of the Goodies

Lloyd Cole: musician and songwriter, frontman of Lloyd Cole and the Commotions

Henry Guppy (1861–1948): librarian

John Pilkington Hudson (1910–2007), horticultural scientist and bomb disposal expert, born in Buxton

Bruno Langley: actor in ''Coronation Street''

Elizabeth Spriggs (1929–2008): actress

Robert Stevenson (1905–1986): director of many Disney films including ''Mary Poppins''

Dave Lee Travis: former BBC Radio 1 DJ

Paul Scholes: former Manchester United midfielder; owns a house in Buxton

See also

Cat and Fiddle Road

Peak Rail

References

External links

Information about Buxton

About Buxton The Buxton Community Portal

Buxton Opera House

Visit Buxton.co.uk

Times Online. 17th April 2010. Great British Weekend: Buxton

Buxton Carnival 2008 video footage from the Buxton Advertiser

Buxton Festival Fringe

Buxton lodging information

360° panoramic photo taken from the top of the tower at Trinity Church in Buxton

Buxton Online

Buxton weather station

Category:Spa towns in England Category:Towns in Derbyshire Category:Towns and villages of the Peak District Category:70s establishments

de:Buxton (Derbyshire) fr:Buxton it:Buxton la:Aquae Arnemetiae nl:Buxton (Derbyshire) no:Buxton nn:Buxton pl:Buxton pt:Buxton ro:Buxton simple:Buxton sv:Buxton zh:巴克斯頓

A train station, also called a railway station (mainly British Commonwealth) or railroad station (mainly US), and often shortened to just station, is a railway facility where trains regularly stop to load or unload passengers or freight (goods). It generally consists of a platform next to the tracks and a station building (depot) providing related services such as ticket sales and waiting rooms. If a station is on a single track main line, it usually has a passing loop to facilitate the traffic. The smallest stations are referred as stops or halts (flag stops). Connections may be available to intersecting rail lines or other transport modes such as buses or rapid transit (metro) systems.

Development

The world's oldest railway station built for steam locomotives still in use is Broad Green railway station in Liverpool, which was built in 1830 and is on the Liverpool to Manchester line. The world's oldest terminal station was Crown Street railway station in Liverpool, built in 1830, also on the Liverpool to Manchester line. The station was the first to incorporate a Train shed. The station was demolished in 1836 as the Liverpool terminal station moved to Lime Street railway station. The station was converted to a Goods station terminal.

The first stations had little in the way of buildings or amenities. The first stations in the modern sense were on the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, opened in 1830. As of 2008, Manchester's ''Liverpool Road Station'' is preserved as part of the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester. It resembles a row of Georgian houses. Early stations were sometimes built with both passenger and goods facilities, though some railway lines were goods-only or passenger-only, and if a line was dual-purpose there would often be a goods depot apart from the passenger station.

Dual-purpose stations can sometimes still be found today, though in many cases goods facilities are restricted to major stations. In rural and remote communities across Canada and the United States, passengers wanting to board the train had to flag the train down in order for it to stop. Such stations were known as "flag stops" or "flag stations".

Many railway stations date from the 19th century and reflect the grandiose architecture of the time, lending prestige to the city as well as to railway operations. Countries where railways arrived later may still have such architecture, as later stations often imitated 19th-century styles. Berlin Central Station (''Berlin Hauptbahnhof''), Various forms of architecture have been used in the construction of railway stations, from those boasting grand, intricate, Baroque- or Gothic-style edifices, to plainer utilitarian or modernist styles. Stations in Europe tended to follow British designs, and were in some countries, like Italy, financed by British railway companies.

Stations built more recently, often have a similar feel to airports, with a simple abstract style. Examples of modern stations include those on newer high-speed rail networks, such as the Shinkansen in Japan, TGV lines in France and ICE lines in Germany.

== Terminus == A "terminal" or "terminus" is a station at the end of a railway line. Trains arriving there have to end their journeys (terminate) or reverse out of the station. Depending on the layout of the station, this usually permits travellers to reach all the platforms without the need to cross any tracks – the public entrance to the station and the main reception facilities being at the far end of the platforms.

Sometimes, however, the railway line continues for a short distance beyond the station, and terminating trains continue forwards after depositing their passengers, before either proceeding to sidings or reversing back to the station to pick up departing passengers. Bondi Junction is like this.

Many terminus stations have underground rapid-transit urban rail stations beneath, to transit passengers to the local city or district.

A terminus is frequently, but not always, the final destination of trains arriving at the station. However a number of cities, especially in continental Europe, have a terminus as their main railway stations, and all main lines converge on this station. There may also be a bypass line, used by freight trains that do not need to stop at the main station. In such cases all trains passing through that main station must leave in the reverse direction from that of their arrival. There are several ways in which this can be accomplished:

arranging for the service to be provided by a multiple unit, or push-pull train, both of which are capable of operating in either direction. The driver simply walks to the other end of the train and takes control from the other cab. This is increasingly the normal method in Europe.

by detaching the locomotive which brought the train into the station and then either

* using another track to "run it around" to the other end of the train, to which it then re-attaches;

* attaching a second locomotive to the outbound end of the train; or

by the use of a "wye", a roughly triangular arrangement of track and switches (points) where a train can reverse direction and back into the terminal.

Some former termini have a newer set of through platforms underneath (or above, or alongside) the terminal platforms on the main level. They are used by a cross-city extension of the main line, often for commuter trains, while the terminal platforms may serve long-distance services. Examples of underground through lines include the Thameslink platforms at in London, the Argyle and North Clyde lines of Glasgow's suburban rail network, the recently built Malmö City Tunnel, in Antwerp in Belgium, the RER at the Gare du Nord in Paris, and many of the numerous S-Bahn lines at terminal stations in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, such as at Zurich Hauptbahnhof.

An American example of a terminal with this feature is Washington, DC's Union Station, where there are higher-level platforms, Gates A through G serving the terminating trains, such as some Northeast Regionals, the Vermonter and all Acela Expresses. Some other Northeast Regional trains and Atlantic Coast service trains use lower-level platforms, Gates H through L (there is no Gate I), that tunnel right under the station concourse and continue to Virginia and beyond. Auto Train uses Lorton, Virginia Station for three primary reasons:

the tri-level auto racks used to carry the cars are too tall to fit in the tunnels;

the platforms would be too short to accommodate the 30-60 coach trainset;

there is not enough room and there are too many tracks, trains, buildings and people around, so loading cars would be quite tricky.

Terminus stations in large cities are by far the biggest stations, with the largest being the Grand Central Terminal in New York City, United States. Often major cities, such as London, Boston, Paris, Tokyo and Milan have more than one terminus, rather than routes straight through the city. Train journeys through such cities often require alternative transport (metro, bus or taxi) from one terminus to the other. Some cities, including New York, have both termini and through lines.

Terminals that have competing rail lines using the station frequently set up a jointly owned terminal railroad to own and operate the station and its associated tracks and switching operations.

Station facilities

Railway stations usually have ticket booths (British English: "ticket office" or "booking office"), ticket machines, or both, although on some lines tickets are sold on board the trains. Ticket sales may also be combined with customer service desks or convenience stores. Many stations include some form of convenience store. Larger stations usually have fast-food or restaurant facilities. In some countries, stations may also have a bar or pub. Other station facilities may include: toilets, left-luggage, lost-and-found, departures and arrivals boards, luggage carts, waiting rooms, taxi ranks and bus bays. Larger or manned stations tend to have a greater range of facilities. A most basic station might only have platforms, though it might still be distinguished from a halt, a stopping or halting place that may not even have platforms. In many African and South American countries, and in many places in India, stations are used as a place for public markets and other informal business. This is especially true on tourist routes or stations near tourist destinations, as souvenirs can be made and sold to "wealthy" visitors to the country.

As well as providing services for passengers and loading facilities for goods, stations can sometimes have locomotive and rolling stock depots (usually with facilities for storing and refuelling locomotives and rolling stock and carrying out minor repair jobs).

Configurations of railway stations

In addition to the basic configuration of a railway station, various features set certain types of station apart. The first is the level of the tracks. Stations are often sited where a road crosses the railway: unless the crossing is a level crossing, the road and railway will be at different levels. The platforms will often be raised or lowered relative to the station entrance: the station buildings may be on either level, or both. The other arrangement, where the station entrance and platforms are on the same level, is also common, but is perhaps rarer in urban areas, except when the station is a terminus. Elevated stations are more common, not including metro stations. Stations located at level crossings can be problematic if the train blocks the roadway while it stops, causing road traffic to wait for an extended period of time.

Occasionally a station serves two or more railway lines at differing levels. This may be due to the station's position at a point where two lines cross (example: Berlin Hauptbahnhof), or may be to provide separate station capacity for two types of service, e.g. intercity and suburban (examples: Paris-Gare de Lyon and Philadelphia's 30th Street Station), or for two different destinations.

Stations may also be classified according to the layout of the platforms. Apart from single-track lines, the most basic arrangement is a pair of railway tracks for the two directions; there is then a basic choice of an island platform between, or two separate platforms outside, the tracks. With more tracks, the possibilities expand.

Some stations have unusual platform layouts due to space constraints of the station location, or the alignment of the railway lines. Examples include staggered platforms, such as at Tutbury and Hatton railway station on the Derby - Crewe line, and curved platforms, such as Cheadle Hulme railway station on the Macclesfield to Manchester Line. Triangular stations also exist where two lines form a three-way junction and platforms are built on all three sides.

Stop

During a journey, the term station stop may be used in announcements, to differentiate a halt during which passengers may alight from a halt for another reason, such as a locomotive change.

A railway stop is a spot along a railway line, usually between stations or at a seldom-used station, where passengers can board and exit the train.

While a junction or interlocking usually divides two or more railway lines or routes, and thus has remotely or locally operated signals, a station stop does not. A station stop usually does not have any tracks other than the main tracks, and may or may not have switches (points, crossovers).

=== Halt === A halt, in railway parlance, is a small railway station, usually unstaffed and with few or no facilities. In some cases, trains only stop "on request"; i.e. when a passenger on the platform indicates that they wish to board, or a passenger on the train informs the crew that they wish to alight.

In the United Kingdom, most former halts on the national railway networks have had the word ''halt'' removed from their names. Historically, in many instances the spelling 'halte' was used, before the spelling 'halt' became commonplace. There are three national rail stations with the suffix 'halt' remaining - Coombe Junction, St Keyne Wishing Well and IBM. A number of other halts are still open and operational on privately owned, heritage, and preserved railways throughout the British Isles, and the word is often used informally to describe national rail network stations with limited service and low usage, such as the ''Oxfordshire Halts'' on the Cotswold Line. The title halt is also sometimes applied colloquially to stations served by public services but not available for use by the general public, being accessible only by persons travelling to/from an associated factory (for example IBM near Greenock and British Steel Redcar), military base (such as Lympstone Commando) or railway yard. The only such stations where the "halt" designation is still officially used are IBM Halt and Hoo Junction Staff Halt on the North Kent Line, which is used by staff to access marshalling yards and is not open to passengers.

The Great Western Railway, in Great Britain, began opening haltes on 12 October 1903; from 1905, the French spelling was anglicised to 'halt'. These GWR halts had the most basic facilities, with platforms long enough for just one or two carriages; some had no platform at all, necessitating the provision of steps on the carriages. There was normally no station staff at a halt, tickets being sold on the train. On 1 September 1904, a larger version, known on the GWR as a 'platform' instead of a 'halt', was introduced; these had longer platforms, and were usually staffed by a senior grade porter, who sold tickets, and sometimes booked parcels or milk consignments.

In many Commonwealth countries, the term "halt" is still used.

In the United States, such stations are now referred to as a flag stop.

Accessibility

Accessibility for people with disabilities is mandated by law in some countries. Considerations include: elevator or ramp access to all platforms, matching platform height to train floors, making wheelchair lifts available when platforms do not match vehicle floors, accessible toilets and pay phones, audible station announcements, and safety measures such as tactile marking of platform edges.

Goods stations

Goods or freight stations deal exclusively or predominantly with the loading and unloading of goods and may well have marshalling yards (classification yards) for the sorting of wagons. The world's first Goods terminal was the Park Lane railway goods station at the South End Liverpool Docks. Built in 1830 the terminal was accessed by a 1.25 mile tunnel.

As goods have been increasingly moved by road, many former goods stations, as well as the goods sheds at passenger stations, have closed. In addition, many goods stations today are used purely for the cross-loading of freight and may be known as transshipment stations. Where they primarily handle containers they are also known as container stations or terminals.

Largest and busiest stations

Worldwide

The world's busiest passenger station, in terms of daily passenger throughput, is Shinjuku Station in Tokyo, Japan. The station was used by an average of 3.64 million people per day in 2007.

* Ikebukuro Station in Tokyo is the world's second-busiest. The station was used by an average of 2.71 million people per day in 2007.

As of 2006, the world's largest station was Beijing West station in Beijing, China. But today, many new stations are larger than Beijing West; Beijing South, Guangzhou South, Nanjing South, Shanghai Hongqiao and Xi'an North all also claim to be Asia's largest. In terms of platform capacity, the world's largest station by platforms is Grand Central Terminal in New York City, USA with 44 platforms and, as part of the East Side Access Project, the MTA will be adding 4 more platforms to accommodate future LIRR trains.

* The Gare du Nord, Paris, is the second largest with 42 platforms.

Europe

Busiest

The Gare du Nord, in Paris, is Europe's busiest railway station by total passenger numbers.

, in south London, is Europe's busiest railway station by daily rail traffic (one train every 13 seconds at peak times; one train every 30 seconds at off-peak times).

Zurich Hauptbahnhof, Switzerland, is Europe's busiest railway terminus by daily rail traffic (Clapham Junction is a through station).

Largest

Leipzig Hauptbahnhof in Germany is Europe's largest railway station by floor area (24 platforms and several levels of shopping facilities beneath).

Berlin Hauptbahnhof is Europe's largest crossing station and two-level station (6 upper and 8 lower platforms).

The Gare du Nord, in Paris, is Europe's largest railway station by number of platforms (44 - two not in service).

North America

Penn Station in New York City is the busiest station in North America.

Toronto's Union Station is the busiest station in Canada.

Other records

Coney Island – Stillwell Avenue in New York City is the world's largest ''elevated'' terminal with 8 tracks and 4 island platforms. The Shanghai South Railway Station, opened in June 2006, has the world's largest circular transparent roof. Châtelet-Les Halles, in the centre of Paris, is the busiest underground railway station in the world. Approximately 750,000 passengers pass through it per day.

The New Delhi Railway Station in New Delhi, India holds the record for the largest route interlock system in the world.

Gallery

See also

Bus station

Bus stop

Bus terminus

Goods station

Hauptbahnhof

Hump yard

Interchange station

Intermodal

List of IATA-indexed train stations

List of railway stations

Marshalling yard

Metro station

Public transport

Railway station layout

Signal box

Tram stop

Transport

Train order station

Paid area

Train ticket

Notes

References

External links

A comprehensive technical article about stations from Railway Technical Web Pages

Branch Line Britain gives details of many railway stations throughout Britain

Old photos of UK railway stations old photos of British railway stations before the Beeching closures

Railway stations photo album of railway stations around the world

Heritage Railway Stations of Canada from Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada

Postcards of Railroad Stations, 1903 to 1972 from the Hagley Library's Digital Archives

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