Swanwick Junction railway station (pronounced "Swannick") is a

heritage railway A heritage railway or heritage railroad (U.S. usage) is a railway operated as living history to re-create or preserve railway scenes of the past. Heritage railways are often old railway lines preserved in a state depicting a period (or periods) ...

station Station may refer to: Agriculture * Station (Australian agriculture), a large Australian landholding used for livestock production * Station (New Zealand agriculture), a large New Zealand farm used for grazing by sheep and cattle ** Cattle statio ...

situated on the former Ambergate to Pye Bridge Line which closed in 1968, but has been partially reopened by the

Midland Railway - Butterley Midland may refer to: Places Australia * Midland, Western Australia Canada * Midland, Albert County, New Brunswick * Midland, Kings County, New Brunswick * Midland, Newfoundland and Labrador * Midland, Ontario India * Midland Ward, Kohima, Na ...

. Despite the station's name it is some distance from Swanwick. Previously, there was originally no station here (during BR/LMS days), only a junction with the Swanwick Colliery Branch Line. However, when the line was restored, Swanwick campus was the centre for the main activities of the

, and the station gives access to the attractions there. The station itself is within walking distance of Butterley railway station to the west. The station has four platforms. Platform No. 1 is the southernmost and is a

bay platform In the United Kingdom and in Australia, a bay platform is a dead-end railway platform at a railway station that has through lines. It is normal for bay platforms to be shorter than their associated through platforms. They must have a buffer stop ...

. Platform No. 2 is the main platform in use and is a

side platform A side platform (also known as a marginal platform or a single-face platform) is a platform positioned to the side of one or more railway tracks or guideways at a railway station, tram stop, or transitway. A station having dual side platforms, ...

. On platforms 1 and 2, the ex-Midland station building from

Syston railway station Syston railway station ( ) is a railway station serving the town of Syston in Leicestershire, England. The station is on the Midland Main Line from Leicester to Loughborough, down the line from St Pancras railway station, London St Pancras. E ...

Leicestershire Leicestershire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire to the north, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire to the south-east, Warw ...

has been rebuilt. In addition, there is an

island platform An island platform (also center platform (American English) or centre platform (British English)) is a station layout arrangement where a single platform is positioned between two tracks within a railway station, tram stop or transitway inte ...

with Platform Nos 3 and 4. The building here is a replica of that at Broom Junction railway station. Platform No. 4 is the only platform which can serve the Swanwick Colliery Branch, with DMU shuttles, demonstration goods trains or footplate experience locomotives running from this platform up the branch on gala days. In 2013, a footbridge linking platforms 1 and 2 to platforms 3 and 4 was completed; this was originally located at

Belle Vue railway station Belle Vue railway station serves the area of Belle Vue, Manchester, England. It is a stop on the Hope Valley line for services between and . History The station was built by the Sheffield and Midland Railway Companies' Committee and opene ...

. Wheelchair access is provided by means of a foot crossing at the west end of the platform. The signal box originally comes from Kettering railway station in

Northamptonshire Northamptonshire ( ; abbreviated Northants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Leicestershire, Rutland and Lincolnshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshi ...

. There is currently no station further east of Swanwick Junction, though trains continue to a run-round loop at Riddings situated on the northern branch of a

triangle A triangle is a polygon with three corners and three sides, one of the basic shapes in geometry. The corners, also called ''vertices'', are zero-dimensional points while the sides connecting them, also called ''edges'', are one-dimension ...

with the

Midland Main Line The Midland Main Line (MML), sometimes also spelt Midland Mainline, is a major Rail transport in Great Britain, railway line from London to Sheffield in Yorkshire via the East Midlands. It comprises the lines from London's St Pancras railway ...

, close by. The MR-B has stated an ambition to build a new station at the loop as well as to reopen the site of

Pye Bridge railway station Pye Bridge railway station served the village of Pye Bridge, Derbyshire, England from 1851 to 1967 on the Erewash Valley Line. History The station opened as Pye Bridge for Alfreton on 1 December 1851 by the Midland Railway The Midland ...

as the preserved line's eastern terminus. The station is the main location of the

Indietracks Indietracks was an annual indie pop music festival at the Midland Railway – Butterley, Midland Railway in Butterley, Derbyshire, England. The main site was located at Swanwick Junction railway station, Swanwick Junction. Bands played in variet ...

music festival.

References

{{reflist Heritage railway stations in Derbyshire Railway stations built for UK heritage railways