Calling at... British railway stations: Rugby (RUG)

Rugby is a stop on the West Coast Main Line in Warwickshire between Coventry and Long Buckby.

Chiltern Railways 68 015 heads light engine through Rugby

Information
Type:	National Rail (West Coast Main Line)
Station code:	RUG
Opened:	1838
Platforms:	6

The current Rugby station is the third station on the line. The first was opened in 1838 by the London & Birmingham Railway a few hundred metres to the West of the current station [1]. This was a temporary wooden structure which was replaced by the second station, a little more to the East in 1840. This station was made a more permanent structure over the following decades.

However when a new line from Rugby to Northampton was opened in the early 1880s the need was felt by the then owners London & North Western Railway to replace the existing station with a new one. This was opened in 1882 (part of the second station continued to be used by the Midland Railway until 1930). The station was renamed Rugby Midland in 1948 [2] to differentiate the station from the one the Great Central Railway opened in 1899, Rugby Central. After the former GCR station was closed in 1969 Rugby Midland reverted back to just Rugby. The station had a number of bay platforms but most of these were closed in the 1960s. Through trains used the island platform, this was one of the longest platforms in the country and, thanks to a scissors crossover half way along, could accomodate two trains at a time.

The station receives a major upgrade between 2006 and 2008 which included a remodelling to allow passing trains to travel faster through Rugby. The number of platforms was also increased to six with three new through platforms, the old island platform was reduced in length. A new road level booking office and main entrance were also built. Before this the booking office had been in the building on the original island platform.

Rugby is managed by Avanti West Coast.