The station was opened by the North Eastern Railway on 1 January 1903, to serve the nearby village and colliery.[1] The line passing through the station, which was constructed by the Newcastle and Berwick Railway during the 1840s, had opened more than fifty years earlier.
The station was twice threatened with closure after nationalisation. The first attempt to close the station was made in 1958, with a further attempt made in 1966, during the Beeching cuts. The station was reprieved each time. Until 1968, the station was served by through trains running between Newcastle and Alnwick.[2]
An average of 3 or 4 services each way per day ran to and from Berwick-upon-Tweed and Edinburgh Waverley until the 1980s. Following the electrification of the East Coast Main Line, these services were curtailed to Berwick-upon-Tweed. Services were further cut (and reduced in frequency to the present residual level) by British Rail in May 1991, due to a shortage of rolling stock.[3]
The local rail user group, SENRUG, has been campaigning to improve service levels at the station, and at neighbouring Widdrington, since September 2016.
Facilities
The station has two platforms with basic facilities. A waiting shelter is located on the Newcastle-bound platform. There is step-free access to both platforms, which are linked by road bridge.[4]
Pegswood is not part of the Northern Trains penalty fare network, as a ticket machine has not yet (as of January 2023[update]) been installed at the station.[5]
As of the December 2021 timetable change, the station is served by one train per day (excluding Sunday) towards Chathill, and two trains towards Newcastle via Morpeth. All services are operated by Northern Trains.[6]
^ abStations in Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland, and Stockton-on-Tees are considered part of North East England, while stations in the unitary areas of York and North Yorkshire are considered part of Yorkshire and the Humber.
^Stations in North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire are considered part of Yorkshire and the Humber, while all other stations are considered part of the East Midlands.