Stamford railway station


Stamford railway station serves the town of Stamford in Lincolnshire, England, and is located in St Martin's. The station is west of Peterborough opened by the Syston and Peterborough Railway, part of the present day Birmingham to Peterborough Line. CrossCountry operate the majority of services as part of their Birmingham to Stansted Airport route. It is owned by Network Rail and operated by East Midlands Railway train operating company, who operate a limited service.
The station was formerly known as Stamford Town to distinguish it from the now closed Stamford East station in Water Street. It is often printed on timetables and train tickets as Stamford to distinguish it from either Stamford Hill station in London or Stanford-le-Hope station in Essex.
The station building is a fine stone structure in Mock Tudor style, influenced by the nearby Burghley House, and designed by Sancton Wood. It was upgraded to Grade II* listed building status in March 2020.

Services

From Stamford there is generally an hourly service each day towards Leicester and Birmingham New Street westbound and Peterborough, Cambridge and Stansted Airport eastbound as well as additional PM peak hour services.
Services westbound to Birmingham go via Oakham, Melton Mowbray, Leicester, Narborough, Hinckley, Nuneaton and Coleshill. Services eastbound to Stansted Airport or Cambridge call at Peterborough, March, Ely and Audley End.
Despite managing the station, East Midlands Railway only operates three daily services to the station ; two early morning services to Norwich and a late night service to Nottingham.

Development

undertook internal modifications and refurbishment to the ticket office and booking hall towards the end of their franchise. Network Rail also invested £500,000 on refurbishment of the station building, modern lighting, overbridge and foot crossing to further update the station in late 2007.
In late July 2008, Network Rail was granted listed building consent to make alterations to the then Grade II listed station building to enable larger freight trains of W10 loading gauge to travel on the Peterborough to Nuneaton route. This will involve changes to the platform alignment and the platform canopy and a temporary platform will be provided during the works.
It is planned that both platforms will be extended by up to 5 metres by no later than 2012.

History

Openings

Opened by the Midland Railway on its Syston and Peterborough Railway, train services began on 2 October 1846 on the Peterborough to Stamford section, using a temporary station in Water Street, as the tunnel was not complete. The permanent station opened along with through services to Leicester on 20 March 1848.
The London and North Western Railway opened their single track branch line from Rugby via Market Harborough on 2 June 1851. This actually joined the Midland line at Luffenham, but trains generally worked through to Stamford and terminated in the LNWR bay, platform 3, the far side of the current Leicester platform, which is now disused and filled in.
In 1863, the weekday train service comprised 5 each way per day on the Peterborough - Stamford - Leicester route, 3 each way per day on the Stamford - Market Harborough - Rugby route, and 1 each way per day on the Stamford - Market Harborough - Northampton route, including through coaches to London Euston, then known as Euston Square.
The LNWR Rugby line was double tracked in 1878, but in 1879 the LNWR built a new line from to Wansford on their existing Peterborough to Northampton Nene valley line, and from this time, Rugby to Peterborough was operated as the main line and the Stamford to Seaton section became a branch line, and was singled again in 1907.

Closures

When Stamford East station closed in 1957, the Stamford to Essendine services were diverted to Town station, but these services ceased in 1959. Some minor stations on the Midland line closed in the 1950s and 1960s and the remaining village stations such as Helpston and Ketton & Collyweston closed in 1966, along with the Seaton branch line from Luffenham.

1970s

With the end of steam traction, the service in the 1970s and early 1980s generally comprised a stopping service formed of 2-car DMUs running between Peterborough and Leicester every two hours, supplemented by a two or three times a day Peterborough to Stamford shuttle service. There was also a four or five times daily through Birmingham to Norwich service usually formed by a Class 31 with four or five Mark 1 coaches, these services generally ran non-stop between Peterborough and Leicester.

1980s

General goods services in Stamford finished in the late 1960s but the coal yard remained in use until 16 May 1983.
When the coal yard closed, the opportunity was also taken to close the signal box. All pointwork was removed and mechanical signals were replaced by colour lights controlled by Ketton signal box. Ketton signal box was retained due to the need to monitor the level crossing.
With no crossover, the Peterborough to Stamford shuttles were for a time reversed at Ketton, before being withdrawn altogether.
With the line to the bay platform lifted, the bay was filled in to form a flowerbed.

1990s

In the late 1990s, the toilets were closed, having been the subject of vandalism and variously available since the 1960s. The ticket office is only open in the mornings. The small bicycle rack outside the station was removed.

Summary of former train services

Timetable for February 1863

The table below shows the train departures from Stamford Town on weekdays in February 1863.
DepartureGoing toCalling atArrivalOperator
06.45London Euston SquareLuffenham, Seaton, Rockingham, Medbourne Bridge, Market Harborough, Kelmarsh, Lamport, Brixworth, Brampton, Northampton Castle. Through coaches to Blisworth, Wolverton, Camden, London Euston Square10.30LNWR
07.10LeicesterKetton, Luffenham, Manton, Oakham, Ashwell, Whisendine, Saxby, Melton, Asfordby, Frisby, Brooksby, Rearsby, Syston, Leicester09.10MR
07.30RugbyLuffenham, Seaton, Rockingham, Medbourne Bridge, Market Harborough, Thedingworth, Welford & Kilworth, Stanford Hall, Lilbourne, Rugby09.15LNWR
09.03Peterborough Great EasternUffington & Barnack, Helpstone, Walton, Peterborough Crescent, Peterborough Great Eastern09.40MR
10.00RugbyLuffenham, Seaton, Rockingham, Medbourne Bridge, Market Harborough, Thedingworth, Welford & Kilworth, Stanford Hall, Lilbourne, Rugby11.45LNWR
10.47Peterborough Great EasternHelpstone, Peterborough Crescent, Peterborough Great Eastern11.20MR
10.52LeicesterKetton, Luffenham, Manton, Oakham, Saxby, Melton, Syston, Leicester12.20MR
13.10LeicesterKetton, Luffenham, Manton, Oakham, Ashwell, Melton, Brooksby, Syston, Leicester14.40MR
14.11Peterborough Great EasternHelpstone, Peterborough Crescent, Peterborough Great Eastern14.40MR
16.23LeicesterKetton, Luffenham, Manton, Oakham, Ashwell, Whisendine, Saxby, Melton, Asfordby, Frisby, Brooksby, Rearsby, Syston, Leicester18.15MR
16.45RugbyLuffenham, Seaton, Rockingham, Medbourne Bridge, Market Harborough, Thedingworth, Welford & Kilworth, Stanford Hall, Lilbourne, Rugby18.35LNWR
16.47Peterborough Great EasternUffington & Barnack, Helpstone, Walton, Peterborough Crescent, Peterborough Great Eastern17.25MR
20.44LeicesterKetton, Luffenham, Manton, Oakham, Ashwell, Saxby, Melton, Brooksby, Syston, Leicester22.25MR
21.52Peterborough Great EasternHelpstone, Peterborough Crescent, Peterborough Great Eastern22.20MR

Timetable for July 1922

The table below shows the train departures from Stamford Town on weekdays in July 1922.
DepartureGoing toCalling atArrivalOperator
07.35SeatonKetton, Luffenham, Morcott, Seaton08.03LNWR
08.20LeicesterKetton, Luffenham, Manton, Oakham, Ashwell, Whissendine, Saxby, Melton Mowbray, Asfordby, Frisby, Brooksby, Rearsby, Syston, Leicester10.03MR
08.53Peterborough EastUffington & Barnack, Helpston, Walton, Peterborough North, Peterborough East09.33MR
09.08SeatonKetton, Luffenham, Morcott, Seaton09.33LNWR
09.39OakhamKetton, Luffenham, Oakham10.08MR
10.41LeicesterKetton, Luffenham, Manton, Oakham, Melton Mowbray, Leicester11.56MR
10.43Peterborough EastUffington & Barnack, Helpston, Peterborough North, Peterborough East11.20MR
11.35SeatonKetton, Luffenham, Morcott, Seaton12.01LNWR
11.46Peterborough EastPeterborough North, Peterborough East12.13MR
12.33LeicesterKetton, Luffenham, Manton, Oakham, Ashwell, Whissendine, Saxby, Melton Mowbray, Leicester14.00MR
13.55SeatonKetton, Luffenham, Morcott, Seaton14.20LNWR
14.30Peterborough EastUffington & Barnack, Helpston, Walton, Peterborough North, Peterborough East15.08MR
16.02LeicesterKetton, Luffenham, Manton, Oakham, Ashwell, Whissendine, Saxby, Melton Mowbray, Syston, Leicester17.32MR
16.15SeatonKetton, Luffenham, Morcott, Seaton16.40LNWR
17.01Peterborough EastUffington & Barnack, Helpston, Walton, Peterborough North, Peterborough East17.37MR
17.38LeicesterKetton, Luffenham, Manton, Oakham, Saxby, Melton Mowbray, Asfordby, Frisby, Brooksby, Rearsby, Syston, Leicester19.13MR
17.48SeatonKetton, Luffenham, Morcott, Seaton18.11LNWR
18.31Peterborough EastHelpston, Peterborough North, Peterborough East19.02MR
19.43Peterborough EastHelpston, Peterborough North, Peterborough East20.20MR
19.55SeatonKetton, Luffenham, Morcott, Seaton20.20LNWR
20.45LeicesterKetton, Luffenham, Manton, Oakham, Ashwell, Melton Mowbray, Syston, Leicester22.08MR
22.40Peterborough EastPeterborough North, Peterborough East20.20MR