Ilkeston Junction and Cossall railway station was a

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a prep ...

which served the town of

Ilkeston Ilkeston is a town in the Borough of Erewash, Derbyshire, England, on the River Erewash, from which the borough takes its name, with a population at the 2011 census of 38,640. Its major industries, coal mining, iron working and lace making/texti ...

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

History

It was opened in 1847 by the

Midland Railway The Midland Railway (MR) was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844. The Midland was one of the largest railway companies in Britain in the early 20th century, and the largest employer in Derby, where it had its headquarters. It ama ...

on the Erewash Valley Line at the

junction Junction may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Junction'' (film), a 2012 American film * Jjunction, a 2002 Indian film * Junction (album), a 1976 album by Andrew Cyrille * Junction (EP), by Basement Jaxx, 2002 * Junction (manga), or ''Hot ...

of a short branch to the town itself. The station became known locally as Ilkeston Junction, and when first opened had no road leading from it to either Cossall or Ilkeston. Passengers would use farm tracks and the canal towpath to reach its isolated location.Shaw, G & Miller, P, (2012) ''Railway Tales - Ilkeston and District in the Age of Steam,'' Ilkeston: Ilkeston & District Local History Society In 1870 a proper road ('Station Road' or 'Station Street') was completed to the station from Ilkeston, the original station closing in that year after completion of a new station further north. The new station opened on 2 May 1870; originally named ''Ilkeston'', it was renamed ''Ilkeston Junction'' on 1 July 1879, and ''Ilkeston Junction and Cossall'' on 1 December 1890. It carried a shuttle service to Ilkeston Town railway station which was never particularly popular since the GNR provided a direct main line service. Some services were also provided to

Nottingham Nottingham ( , locally ) is a city and unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east of Sheffield and north-east of Birmingham. Nottingham has links to the legend of Robi ...

and

Chesterfield Chesterfield may refer to: Places Canada * Rural Municipality of Chesterfield No. 261, Saskatchewan * Chesterfield Inlet, Nunavut United Kingdom * Chesterfield, Derbyshire, a market town in England ** Chesterfield (UK Parliament constitue ...

. Since the latter passed through the north curve of the junction, they were unable to call at the station. The same was true of Nottingham trains when they ran on the short-lived branch between Bennerley Junction and Basford. In the

Grouping Grouping may refer to: * Muenchian grouping * Principles of grouping * Railways Act 1921, also known as Grouping Act, a reorganisation of the British railway system * Grouping (firearms), the pattern of multiple shots from a sidearm See also ...

of all lines (into four main companies) in 1923 the station became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway . The branch closed in 1960 (although passenger traffic had ceased by the late 1940s) and the tracks were lifted, with the junction station finally closing to all traffic on 2 January 1967. There were several subsequent proposals for a new station to be opened on the Erewash Line, with Ilkeston often quoted in the press as being 'the largest town in England without a railway station'. As part of the new station fund set out in March 2013, Ilkeston, Pye Corner and Lea Bridge were narrowed down as the three most likely stations to open or reopen, with the final announcement being made in May. Work started in summer 2014 on site clearance work to construct new station. The new Ilkeston station, built on the same site as Ilkeston Junction and Cossall, opened on 2 April 2017. Midland Railway Ilkeston

References

{{Closed stations Derbyshire Disused railway stations in Derbyshire Former Midland Railway stations Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1847 Railway stations in Great Britain closed in 1967 Ilkeston 1847 establishments in England Beeching closures in England Reopened railway stations in Great Britain