New Mills Central railway station serves the town of New Mills, in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the Hope Valley Line between and , east of the former. The town is also served by on the Buxton Line.
History
In the mid-19th century, the Manchester, Buxton, Matlock and Midland Junction Railway ran as far as and was extended by the Midland Railway to , in its aim to run as far as Manchester. The Manchester, Sheffield & Lincolnshire Railway (MS&LR) also wished to extend southwards from its main line through the Woodhead Tunnel to and had built a branch to . Meanwhile, the London and North Western Railway had constructed its own line to Buxton from , with a station at , which effectively blocked the other two.
An agreement was reached whereby the MS&LR would build their proposed Marple, New Mills and Hayfield Junction Railway, while the Midland Railway would extend its line to New Mills from , via . Passenger services to commenced in 1868 and the line came under joint control as the Sheffield and Midland Railway Companies' Committee in 1870, while the Midland's line opened in 1867.
The buildings on the down side are extant, as is the stationmaster's house built in 1864. The line to through Millers Dale was closed in 1967 and the Hayfield branch closed in January 1970, but the station still serves the Hope Valley Line services between Sheffield and Manchester. Stopping trains from Sheffield formerly terminated here and those passengers wishing to travel onwards to Manchester had to change trains. This practice ceased, however, when through trains were diverted via and in 1986.
Although the Hayfield branch is now closed, as is the tunnel, users can still travel most of its route on foot, bicycle or horse, along what is now known as the Sett Valley Trail.
Layout and facilities
The station lies at the junction of what was the Hayfield branch and the Midland line; the two appearing through tunnels on a ledge blasted out of the cliff face, some above the river Goyt.
The station remains a terminus for hourly services from Manchester; these can now return directly from the eastbound platform following signalling alterations in 2007, which also saw the remaining semaphore signals at the station replaced by colour lights. A siding remains at the end of the station to enable empty rolling stock to be stabled clear of the main line.
The booking office is on platform 1. Train information is offered via automated announcements, digital display screens and timetable posters. No level access is available; access to the booking office and platform 1 is via a steep lane from the main road, while platform 2 is accessed by means of a path and flight of steps.
Services There is now a half-hourly service to Manchester Piccadilly northbound on weekdays and Saturdays, with an hourly stopping eastbound service to Sheffield. An hourly service between Manchester and Sheffield operates in both directions on Sundays.
Notes
References Citations
Sources
External links
RailScot website - station facts, map and photographs