Great Ayton railway station

Great Ayton is a railway station on the Esk Valley Line, which runs between Middlesbrough and Whitby via Nunthorpe. The station, situated south-east of Middlesbrough, serves the village of Great Ayton in North Yorkshire, England. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by Northern Trains.

History

On 1 June 1864, the North Eastern Railway opened a short line which linked, on their route between Picton and, with on the Middlesbrough and Guisborough Railway – a subsidiary of the Stockton and Darlington Railway.
This link line was initially used solely by mineral trains. Passenger trains along the route began four years later, and a station at Great Ayton was opened on 1 April 1868.
The station is on the single track rail line between and and there are only a few trains per day. The goods yard at the station closed down in July 1965 along with many other stations on the Esk Valley line. Until the 1950s, trains used to run from the station to Stokesley, Whitby Town and but only the latter two destinations are now served.
Next to Great Ayton station is the village garage and towing service. The station had, until 1934, a full station building complete with booking office and waiting room, this however was demolished to save costs.

As of the December 2025 timetable change, the station is served by five trains per day on Mondays to Saturdays and four on Sundays towards Whitby. Heading towards Middlesbrough via Nunthorpe, there are eight trains per day on Mondays to Saturdays, with three continuing to Newcastle via Hartlepool, and four on Sundays, with two continuing to Darlington. All services are operated by Northern Trains.
Rolling stock used: Class 156 Super Sprinter and Class 158 Express Sprinter