Leicester railway station
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Leicester | |
 |
|
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Place | Leicester |
| Local authority | Leicester |
| Operations | |
| Managed by | Midland Mainline |
| Platforms in use | 4 |
| Annual entry/exit | 4.456 million * |
| History | |
| Key dates | Opened 1840 Rebuilt 1894 |
| National Rail - UK railway stations | |
| * based on sales of tickets in 2004/05 financial year which end or originate at Leicester. Disclaimer (PDF) | |
Leicester station is a railway station in Leicester, England. It is just east of the city centre, on the A6 road. The first station on this site was constructed by the Midland Counties Railway and was first used on 4 May 1840, when a train of four first and six second-class carriages, pulled by the 'Leopard' steam engine, arrived from Nottingham. All that remains of the first station are a pair of Egyptian-looking gateposts in Campbell Street. The station was subsequently operated by the Midland Railway, who rebuilt it in 1894.
Leicester used to have three other railway stations, including Leicester Belgrave Road (on the Great Northern Railway), Leicester West Bridge (Leicester's original station) and Leicester Central (on the Great Central Railway). Until the last of these others (Leicester Central) was shut down in 1969, the current Leicester station was known as Leicester London Road. The heritage Great Central Steam Railway operates a station in the suburb of Belgrave called 'Leicester North'.
Rail routes run north-south through Leicester, going south to London St Pancras and north to Nottingham station and beyond (this route being called the Midland Main Line). There are four platforms at Leicester. Junctions north and south of the city connect to other lines. Train operators using the station include Midland Mainline, and Central Trains. Due to a 15mph speed restriction to the south of the station, all passenger trains stop at the station with the exception of the up 'Master Cutler' express from Leeds to St Pancras.
The station frontage is a well-preserved late Victorian building, but the interior of the booking hall and the structures on the platforms were reconstructed by British Rail in the 1970s. The platforms, railway lines, and car park are well-hidden from the nearby area (unless in a tall vehicle).
[edit] External links
- Train times and station information for Leicester railway station from National Rail
- Street map and aerial photo of Leicester railway station from Multimap.com
| Preceding station | National Rail | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Market Harborough | Midland Mainline Midland Main Line |
Loughborough | ||
| Terminus | Central Trains Ivanhoe Line |
Syston | ||
| Nuneaton | Central Trains Birmingham-Stansted service |
Melton Mowbray | ||
| South Wigston | Central Trains Birmingham-Leicester service |
Terminus | ||
| UK railway stations |
|---|
