Notes: Finningley Station was located five miles east of Doncaster on the Doncaster - Lincoln Great Northern & Great Eastern Joint line. The GN & GE Joint, originally left the East Coast Main Line at Huntingdon, running through March, Spalding, Lincoln Central and Gainsborough Lea Road, rejoining the ECML at Black Carr Junction, just south of Doncaster. Two sections have closed, but the rest remains open although most of the intermediate stations closed in the 1950's. Finningley survived into the 1960's but succumbed to the Beeching Axe closing on 11th September 1961.
After closure the station was used by occasional excursions bring visitors to the annual RAF Air Show at Finningley airfield until at least 23rd June 1963; it was also used by royal trains when members of the Royal Family attended the Air Show. Freight traffic continued but the station was downgraded to an unstaffed public siding in November 1962 and all freight traffic was withdrawn on 6th September 1965.
On 19th September 1981 a temporary scaffolding and timber platform was used to bring passengers to an air display at RAF Finningley, this temporary station was sited close to the earlier station.
Following the closure of the ex-V bomber base in April 1995 the airfield was redeveloped as Robin Hood Airport, reopening on 28th April 2005 to serve Doncaster and Sheffield. Doncaster Council is now backing a proposal for a new Finningley station to serve the airport which should be open by 2011. In the long term the council are proposing to build a spur into the airport. The new station will be on the west side of the Auckley level crossing 1 mile west of the earlier station. |