Notes: Terminus of the Victoria Dock Branch, also the original terminus of the Hull & Holderness Railway.

BRIEF HISTORY OF THE VICTORIA DOCK BRANCH
The York and North Midland railway served Hull's town docks on the western side of the River Hull from the goods station on Railway Street, however after the Victoria Dock on the east side of Hull opened in 1850 a new railway was necessary to serve it.

The Victoria Dock branch line was just over 3 miles long, running in a rough semicircle from Anlaby Road (junction with the Hull-Selby line) to the north of Hull and terminating at the dock; powers were obtained in June 1852 and the line opened for freight on 16.5.1853. The line was built at ground level, and there were level crossings on all of Hull's main roads. A suburban passenger service, one of the earliest in the country, began on 1.6.1853, it lasted only until 1854 due to lack of passenger numbers.

On initial opening of the Hull and Holderness Railway on 27.6.1854 trains terminated at Victoria Dock; Hull-Hornsea branch trains terminated at Wilmington station when that line opened on 28.3.1864. However from 1.6.1864 trains from both branch lines ran into Hull's Paragon Station via the Victoria Dock branch, bringing the passenger stations back into use.

With closure of the Hornsea and Withernsea routes in October 1964, the Victoria Dock branch stations closed, through freight services to and from the docks continued to use the line until its complete closure in 1968.

The trackbed eastwards beyond Wilmington station and at Southcoates has been obliterated by a new Ring Road, Victoria Dock station can be traced on the 1850's OS maps but closed in the 1860's and there is no trace

To see the other stations on the Victoria Dock Branch Line click on the
station name: Botanic Gardens, Stepney, Sculcoates & Wilmington