History
The station was opened by the Newcastle and Darlington Junction Railway on 18 June 1844.[1] The Team Valley Line from Gateshead to Durham via Chester-le-Street opened to passengers on 1 December 1868, and on that day, a second pair of platforms at Gateshead opened to serve that line; these were known as Gateshead West, and the original pair became Gateshead East. Facilities were initially modest at both stations, but the NER subsequently provided trainsheds on both sides to give waiting passengers shelter from the wind at what was quite an exposed location. The West station has its roof built prior to opening, whilst its immediate neighbour was given one when rebuilt between 1884 and 1886.[1] Both stations were well served in NER and LNER days - the East station had over 100 departures on the lines to Sunderland and South Shields whilst West had around 30 trains per day to Durham and to Blackhill via Consett. The frequent service and location close to the main centres of industry and population meant both stations were very well patronised - in 1911 more than 491,000 tickets were issued from the two combined.[1] In 1938, the London and North Eastern Railway also electrified the lines through the East station as an extension of the electric system already in use on the suburban routes north of the river.
At some point between 1948 and 1953, the name was simplified to Gateshead as the number of services from the West station had dwindled to almost nothing by 1951.[1] The 1960s brought further retrenchment - British Railways ended electric services to and from South Shields in 1963 in favour of diesel operation (deeming that the cost of renewing the electrical equipment was not justifiable in the face of declining patronage) and on 1 November 1965, the former Gateshead West platforms finally closed.[2]
The remainder of the station lost its trainshed in 1968, but continued to be served throughout the 1970s. It was eventually closed on 23 November 1981,[3] having been effectively made redundant by the newly commissioned Tyne and Wear Metro route between Newcastle and Heworth. A new sub-surface Gateshead Metro station on this line had been opened about 1⁄4 mile (400 m) to the south-east a few days previously.[4] The platforms and buildings at Gateshead East remained substantially intact until the late 1980s, but after sustaining major fire damage they were demolished in 1990.[1] The former West platforms by contrast are still intact and visible from passing trains, though the buildings have been cleared and the line passing through them singled in 1991 as part of the Newcastle area resignalling scheme.[2]