Mexborough railway station
| Company type | Railway station |
|---|---|
| Industry | Rail transport |
| Founded | 1871 |
| Headquarters | Mexborough , England |
Area served | Mexborough, South Yorkshire |
Mexborough railway station provides rail services to the town of Mexborough within the City of Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. Positioned on the Sheffield to Doncaster Line, it lies about southwest of Doncaster.
The initial facility, known as Mexborough Junction, did not accommodate the route towards Rotherham and Sheffield. It was superseded by a newly constructed station situated just on the Doncaster side of the junction, approximately midway between Mexborough Junction and Mexborough (Ferry Boat) Halt. This location offered improved access to the town centre near the upper part of Station Road.
On 1 June 1874, the third side of the triangular track arrangement—referred to as the Mexborough Reverse Curve—was introduced. This addition allowed trains traveling from Sheffield to Barnsley to do so without needing to reverse direction; however, this curve was closed on 5 September 1966.
Local passenger services running between Barnsley and Doncaster were discontinued on 29 June 1959. After Aldwarke Junction opened in 1966, all passenger trains bound for Sheffield were redirected to Sheffield Midland. Initially, this routing used the Swinton curve until its closure in January 1968, after which trains ran via the Great Central route passing through the now-closed Kilnhurst Central. Presently, most services utilize the reinstated Swinton curve to reach Swinton, although a limited number still operate along the former GCR line for operational purposes.
Historically, Mexborough featured a third platform forming an "island" dedicated to Sheffield-bound trains. This platform mainly served Great Central line services as well as excursion trains heading to coastal destinations like Scarborough, Bridlington, and Cleethorpes. Although this platform was taken out of regular use in the late 1970s, its structure remains visible today.
As part of a four-year enhancement scheme by the South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive, Mexborough underwent upgrades including a refurbished waiting area and ticket office, completed in May 1989. Additional improvements carried out during 2009 and 2010 comprised installation of help points, an upgraded public address system, renovated toilets and booking facilities, extra shelters, CCTV coverage, electronic information displays, and better accessibility for disabled passengers.
In recognition of these efforts, Mexborough earned the 'Station of the Year (Small)' award at the National Rail Awards in 2011.
Facilities
The station's ticket office is staffed part-time: from 06:00 to 19:00 Monday through Saturday and from 08:00 to 15:00 on Sundays. Outside these hours, passengers can purchase tickets either onboard trains, in advance, or via two card-only ticket machines located on each platform. Both platforms are equipped with waiting rooms, customer assistance points, digital display boards, timetable posters, automated announcement systems, and provide step-free access.
Services
From Monday to Saturday, trains run hourly westbound towards Sheffield and eastbound towards Doncaster, with most eastbound services continuing beyond Doncaster to Adwick. On Sundays, an hourly service operates in both directions between Sheffield and Doncaster. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, frequencies were twice per hour until spring 2020.
The majority of services use Class 150 and Class 158 diesel multiple units (DMUs), with occasional deployments of Class 195 units during weekday mornings.
Since changes implemented in May 2018, Mexborough no longer has direct train connections to Scunthorpe and Lincoln; two former TransPennine Express services now pass through without stopping. Regular direct trains to Hull ended in December 2019, requiring passengers traveling there to change at Doncaster for onward connections.