Rugby Station - Train Stations/Depots on Waymarking.com

It opened during the Victorian era, in 1885, replacing earlier stations situated a little further west. Since the closure of the station on the now-abandoned Great Central Railway route through the town, it is Rugby's only station.

Situated on the West Coast Main Line (WCML) connecting London to Birmingham and the North West, the present station, managed by Virgin Trains, is located roughly half a mile north of Rugby town centre. On the WCML as a whole, it is located 82 miles north of London Euston, and 319 miles (513 km) south of Glasgow Central.

The first railway station to be built in Rugby was a wooden temporary structure located around half a mile to the west of the present station. It opened in 1838 when the London and Birmingham Railway was constructed.

This station lasted only a few years. When a junction was made with the Midland Counties Railway in 1840 a new station was built nearer the present station site although still slightly to the west.

This second station was effectively managed by two companies - the London and North Western Railway and the Midland Railway - and for this reason grew up in a haphazard fashion. It was at first no more than a temporary wooden structure, but was rebuilt in brick in 1850. This station consisted of platforms at each side of the track with one bay platform. The platforms were rather low and passengers complained of having to perform an "acrobatic feat" to board trains.

The station was at the centre of a busy junction and often saw chaotic scenes. It featured, only lightly disguised, in Charles Dickens's story Mugby Junction.

The second station lasted until the 1880s, when a new line from Rugby to Northampton was built, and it was replaced by the current structure which opened in 1885.

The station consisted of one large island platform with tracks on both sides and bay platforms at each end (only one of these bay platforms, at the London end, remaining in regular passenger use). The platform was accessed from a tunnel at road level and a ramp leading to the platforms.

The station was noted for an unusual feature, the 'scissor junction' which allowed two trains to be in one platform at the same time. The scissor junction was an X shaped junction which allowed one train to pass another one already in the platform, and call into the same platform ahead of it, and allowed the train to the rear to pull out of the station.

For this reason the station has one of the longest platforms of any British railway station. The scissor junctions were taken out of use when the railway was electrified in the 1960s.

At its height, as well as the West Coast Main Line, Rugby station served railway lines to Leicester, Leamington Spa, and Peterborough via Market Harborough. In the 1960s all but the West Coast line were closed as part of the Beeching Axe.

In 1899 a second station, Rugby Central, was opened in Rugby. To distinguish it from the other station, the present station became known as Rugby Midland. It was called this until Rugby Central closed in 1969, when it reverted to being called just Rugby

When constructed the station had a large steel and glass roof which covered the station platforms and the tracks on eack side. This lasted more than 100 years until ithe structure became unstable and was replaced in the early 2000s with a modern 'gull wing' roof over the platforms which was originally made of glass however that was later replaced with metal 'wings'..

As a part of the West Coast Main Line modernisation programme, new platforms were added on both sides of the line at Rugby retaining the island and increasing the number of platforms to the current 6. The station is currently managed by Virgin trains.

Is the station/depot currently used for railroad purposes?: Yes Is the station/depot open to the public?: Yes What rail lines does/did the station/depot serve?: West Coast Mainline and Stour line If the station/depot is not being used for railroad purposes, what is it currently used for?: Not listed Station/Depot Web Site: Not listed

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