Come and see historic rail roundhouses uncovered in York

We’ve discovered foundations for the North Eastern Railway roundhouses, believed to date from around 1864 and abandoned in the 1960s. They’ll be open to the public on 27 and 28 April 2012.

The roundhouses were used to service steam trains and were uncovered by engineers carrying out site inspections for a planned rail operating and training facility on the site.

Open event

• Friday 27 April 2012 11:00 - 17:00
• Saturday 28 April 2012 10:00 - 16:00

First come, first served basis. Visitors should come to the site entrance on Cinder Lane in York and wear sturdy footwear suitable for rough, dirty terrain

Our rail heritage

We are working with a trained archaeologist to fully uncover and record the roundhouses.

Phil Verster, our route managing director for the London North Eastern route, said: “This site is a great example of respecting our rail heritage whilst at the same time making exciting plans for our future. We are working closely with experts to make sure the roundhouses are looked after.”

Economic growth

“Meanwhile, the plans for operating and training facilities are being developed to help us to deliver a modern, efficient railway. They will allow us to maintain York’s position as a proud rail city by retaining jobs here as well as bringing future employment benefits which are vital for economic growth and prosperity.

“We hope that the location of the facilities, on the edge of the York Central development site, could act as a catalyst for further investment in the area.”

Fact file

• The land identified for development is known as the engineer’s triangle and lies between York station and Holgate bridge
• A planning application for the development has been submitted to City of York council, planning reference 12/01176/FULM
• We plan to consolidate all signalling and control activity into 14 modern rail operating centres over the next 15-30 years and will install the latest technology and tools to better manage and control the railway