Newport (Essex) railway station

Newport (Essex)
Location
Place	Newport
Local authority	District of Uttlesford
Grid reference	TL522335
Operations
Station code	NWE
Managed by	Abellio Greater Anglia
Owned by	Network Rail
Number of platforms	2
DfT category	E
Live arrivals/departures, station information and onward connections from National Rail Enquiries
Annual rail passenger usage*
2004/05	0.229 million
2005/06	0.216 million
2006/07	0.207 million
2007/08	0.215 million
2008/09	0.213 million
2009/10	0.200 million
2010/11	0.220 million
2011/12	0.211 million
2012/13	0.208 million
2013/14	0.195 million
National Rail – UK railway stations
* Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Newport (Essex) from Office of Rail and Road statistics. Methodology may vary year on year.
UK Railways portal

Newport railway station serves the village of Newport in Essex, England. To the north of the Victorian station is the little-known Audley End Viaduct. At 60 feet (18 m) high at its centre this is the highest viaduct in Essex

The station is 40 miles (64 km) north of London Liverpool Street on the West Anglia Main Line towards Cambridge.

History

The main station building was built in 1845 with the canopies added in 1884/1885. The station was built following the passing of a bill in Parliament in 1836 for a railway from London to Cambridge on a revised route passing through Newport. The Northern and Eastern Railway Company was incorporated in 1836 to build from London to Cambridge, but by 1843 they had only reached Bishop's Stortford and they were taken over by the Eastern Counties Railway Company. A contemporary newspaper, the Chelmsford Chronicle, recorded the applause and welcome the villagers gave to the first train passing through on 29 July 1845; "The music of the military band mingled at Stansted and Newport with the cheers of the mustered throngs, while the line of flags upon the carriages which danced as they rapidly cut the air, gave to the progress of the train not merely the character of gaiety, but an air of grandeur."^[1]

The station design is similar to others on the same line- particularly Great Chesterford and March with only slight variants in construction and detailing. The waiting rooms still retain two distinctive painted Victorian Arts & Crafts cast iron fire surrounds designed by Thomas Jeckyll (1827–1881) and produced by Barnard, Bishop and Barnard in Norwich for the Great Eastern Railway. Thomas Jeckyll was a trained architect and started working at the foundry in 1859 and is best known for his metal work design in particular fireplace and fireplace grates.

In March 1970 the old shed over a siding at Newport station was demolished. The demolition went underway without consultation with the local community. A week later it had completely disappeared.

Siding demolition March 1970

Adoption

In November 2010 the station was "adopted" on behalf of the community by the Newport Business Association (NBA). At the heart of Newport the railway station serves over 200,000 passengers every year. With commuters bound for London and Cambridge and children attending Joyce Frankland Academy it is people’s first sight of Newport - their introduction to the village. The station is 165 years old

In conjunction with National Express East Anglia, Network Rail, British Transport Police and local businesses NBA is renovating the Station, making the gateway into Newport welcoming, attractive and secure for businesses, residents and visitors alike.^[2] The station is having the front entrance renovated, bridge refurbished, station buildings repainted and decorated and replanted and landscaped wild flower areas. One in three mouthfuls of the food we eat is dependent on pollination and honey bees are dying out across the world. The overgrown woods and gardens will therefore be planted up with flowers and shrubs that encourage birds, bees and butterflies.

In 2011 2,500 plants were planted, and a further 300 lavender plants and five cherry trees were planted near the station in 2012.^[3]

Victorian fire surround

Service

There is an hourly service each day and in each direction to London Liverpool Street southbound and Cambridge northbound,increasing to half-hourly in the weekday rush hours. The booking office is staffed, and waiting rooms on both platforms are open only when staff are present. There is also an automatic ticket machine.

References

1. The history of Newport, Essex by Bernard Nurse, Joy Pugh and Imogen Mollet, edited by Angela Archer. Published in 1995 by Newport News, ISBN no 0 9514601 1 0.
2. Newport Business Association (November 2010). "Newport Station adopted by local Businesses".
3. Saffron Walden Reporter (November 2010). "Newport Station adopted by local Businesses".

External links

• Train times and station information for Newport (Essex) railway station from National Rail

Coordinates: 51°58′48″N 0°12′54″E / 51.980°N 0.215°E