The Team Valley line of the North Eastern Railway, which connected Newton Hall Junction near with, was authorised in 1848 but not opened until 2 March 1868. At first only freight trains used the route, but passenger services began on 1 December 1868, and the station at Chester-le-Street opened the same day. In the 1960s, the station was listed for closure as part of the Beeching cuts, which led to it being mentioned in the song Slow Train by Flanders and Swann. However it was saved and remains open.
Services
Mondays to Saturdays there is a mostly two-hourly TransPennine Express service from Chester-le-Street, northbound to Newcastle and southbound to,,,, Manchester Victoria and Liverpool Lime Street. Most services run to and from Liverpool since the May 2014 timetable change, though certain early morning trains come from. On Sundays there is also a two-hourly service in each direction. The station also has a very limited service provided by other operators - CrossCountry have a single service to calling in the evening peak, whilst Northern have three a.m northbound services to Newcastle calling on weekdays & two on Saturdays and one late night weekday southbound service to Darlington. The latter also runs on a Sunday, running through to Middlesbrough. Other CrossCountry services as well as all London North Eastern Railway and some TransPennine Express services pass through the station but do not stop.
Operator and facilities
Chester-le-Track, an independent private limited company, operates the station as an agent for the local franchised train operating company, which, as of 2017, is Northern. Chester-le-Track began operating the station in 1999, Chester-le-Street having lost its part-time staff some 10 years previously. However, Chester-le-Track ceased trading on 31 March 2018. The ticket office is staffed six days per week, between 07:30 and 18:00 on weekdays and 07:30 and 13:00 on Saturdays. At other times tickets must be bought on the train or prior to travel. There are toilets and a waiting room in the main building, along with standard shelters on each platform. Vending machines are also available for the purchase of snacks and cold drinks. However, some of these station services may be unavailable following the closure of operator Chester-le-Track on 31 March 2018. Train running information is offered via timetable posters and telephone. Step-free access is available to both platforms.
