LIFE AND THE RAILWAY

                         Northampton Bridge Street Station 

 The level crossing at Bridge Street went across the only road into Northampton from the south and every time the gates were closed traffic would build up causing people and bus services to be late running. Bridge Street Station importance declined and closed in 1964.

A personal account from Susan E Clarke:

Bridge St. station was well kept and the railway staff kept the station well stocked with flowers and plants so it looked nice. At factory fortnight the station would be packed with families going on holiday by train as the factories in the town would shut down. 

Each morning [1950`s] the local train would come from Wellingborough and stop at Bridge St Station and half the coaches were across the road and no traffic could get by . Those people walking or on bike walked up the steps and over the bridge of the line and down the other side and they would not be late for work. The rest of us catching buses or in a car waited until the passengers got off and the train moved on. We would all be late but could not do any thing about it."

The wooden gates were eventually replaced with metal ones, mechanically operated but still from the signal box. After the station closed the line remained open until 2005 and the signal box was an unfortunate victim of arson in 2006. Now the metal gates have been removed and the crossing fenced off.

        Today all that remains of Bridge Street crossing , signal box and station  is the crossing lights and mechanism of the automatic gates.

                                             As of the weekend 15 August 2015 the road crossing is being removed.

In the mid 1990's plans were proposed for a new station 'Northampton International Parkway Station' to be built at Blisworth providing direct access for the Northamptonshire community to Intercity and International passenger services, which would become the counties gateway to Europe. 

It was ideally located next to the A43 which had a nearby junction to the M1 motorway.
Also proposed was a Rapid Transit System to Northampton to complete the public transport network for Greater Northampton.
The proposed development would have reinstated Blisworth Station which closed in 1960's, and a large car park would have also served as a Park and Ride facility for Northampton via the Rapid Transit System.
Plans were also made for the old railway lines to be used as guided busways for the 'Millenium', none of these ideas were put into place.