One of the two passing loops on the line is located here and there is a level crossing at the eastern end. The signal box that operates it also supervises the movements of trains on the entire branch and remotely controls the junction further down the line at Battersby.
History
Nunthorpe was originally on the Middlesbrough and Guisborough Railway line from Middlesbrough to Guisborough and opened in 1854. In 1964, the line between Nunthorpe and Guisborough was closed, meaning Nunthorpe was no longer a junction and only a station on the line to Whitby via Battersby.[1]
The December 2007 timetable brought about significant changes, and the service is now better than it has been since the mid-1980s when there was an hourly Nunthorpe – Middlesbrough service including seven Whitby trains.
Tees Valley Metro
Starting in 2006, Nunthorpe was mentioned within the Tees Valley Metro scheme. This was a plan to upgrade the Tees Valley Line and sections of the Esk Valley Line and Durham Coast Line to provide a faster and more frequent service across the North East of England. In the initial phases the services would have been heavy rail mostly along existing alignments with new additional infrastructure and rollingstock. The later phase would have introduced tram-trains to allow street running and further heavy rail extensions.[2][3][4][5]
As part of the scheme, Nunthorpe station would have received improved service to Hartlepool, possibly a street-running link to Guisborough and the Headland, as well as new rollingstock.[2][4]
However, due to a change in government in 2010 and the 2008 financial crisis, the project was ultimately shelved.[6] Several stations eventually got their improvements and there is a possibility of improved rollingstock and services in the future which may affect Nunthorpe.[7]
Facilities
The station is unstaffed. The main buildings still stand, but are now used as private residential accommodation. A waiting shelter is located on platform 2 (used by trains to Whitby and those that terminate here and return to Newcastle), whilst platform 1 has a canopied waiting area adjoining the main building, where there is an automated ticket machine. Digital CIS displays, timetable posters and a public telephone are provided to offer train running information. Step-free access is available to both platforms via the level crossing. There is no toilet.[8]
Following the May 2021 timetable change, the station is served by an hourly service between Middlesbrough and Nunthorpe, with two trains per day (excluding Sunday) continuing to Battersby, and six per day (four on Sunday) continuing to Whitby. Most trains continue to Newcastle via Hartlepool. All services are operated by Northern Trains.[9]
^ abStations in Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland, and Stockton-on-Tees are considered part of North East England, while stations in the unitary areas of York and North Yorkshire are considered part of Yorkshire and the Humber.
^Stations in North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire are considered part of Yorkshire and the Humber, while all other stations are considered part of the East Midlands.