Monkseaton had been served by a station since 1864. However, the development of new housing in the area adjoining the line led the London and North Eastern Railway to construct an additional station, about west along the line from the station at Monkseaton. West Monkseaton opened in March 1933, with the platforms taking just a month to build after plans were approved. The reinforced concreteArt Deco station building is attributed to the London and North Eastern Railway architect, H. H. Powell. Work on the station building, however, did not begin until 1934. Staircases and ramps led down from this building to two timber platforms, both of which featured waiting rooms. The westbound platform featured a concrete canopy, which was added by the London and North Eastern Railway, following the construction of the waiting rooms. Prior to the station's closure for conversion in the late 1970s, the station generally received a service every 20 minutes in both directions, on the Coast Circle route. The service from West Monkseaton to Newcastle via South Gosforth was removed in January 1978, in order to facilitate conversion work on the stations to the west. This meant that the station was briefly a terminus for trains from Newcastle via Tynemouth, with trains reversing using a crossover to the west of the station. The station closed for conversion in September 1979, ahead of opening as part of the Tyne and WearMetro network, re-opening in August 1980. Conversion work saw the loss of the wooden station buildings at platform level, as well as the replacement of the timber platforms with shorter concrete ones. The canopy on the westbound platform was retained, while a smaller canopy in a similar style was added to the eastbound platform. The original street-level entrance building remains, and was refurbished in 1999, along with the original London and North Eastern Railway platform canopy. As part of this refurbishment, an art installation by Richard Talbot, Bridge, was commissioned. It features a number of coloured stained glass windows, and is located in the station's ticket hall, overlooking the track and platforms. West Monkseaton was recently refurbished, along with Cullercoats and Monkseaton, in 2018, as part of the Metro: All Change programme. The refurbishment involved the installation of new seating and lighting, resurfaced platforms, and improved security and accessibility. The station was also painted in to the new black and white corporate colour scheme.
Facilities
Step-free access is available at all stations across the Tyne and Wear Metro network, with ramped access to both platforms. The station is equipped with ticket machines, waiting shelter, seating, next train information displays, timetable posters, and an emergency help point on both platforms. Ticket machines are able to accept payment with credit and debit card, notes and coins. The station is also fitted with smartcard validators, which feature at all stations across the network. There is no dedicated car parking available at the station. There is the provision for cycle parking, with 3 cycle lockers and 5 cycle pods available for use.
Service and frequency
West Monkseaton is served by the, which operates between South Shields and St. James with an end-to-end journey time of 83 minutes. Services from platform 1 operate towards South Shields, with the first train departing at 05:44. Services from platform 2 operate towards St. James via Whitley Bay, with the first train departing at 05:20. Trains run frequently across the network, at intervals of up to every 12 minutes, and every 15 minutes, with the last trains departing at around midnight. Additional trains run during morning and evening peak hours between Pelaw and Monkseaton. This provides up to 10 trains per hour through the station at peak times. Journey times from West Monkseaton are:
