Whitley Bay is a Tyne and Wear Metro station, serving the coastal town of Whitley Bay, North Tyneside in Tyne and Wear, England. It joined the network on 11 August 1980, following the opening of the first phase of the network, between Haymarket and Tynemouth via Four Lane Ends. History In 1860, the Blyth and Tyne Railway opened the line from Tynemouth to Dairy House Junction, situated south of the village of Hartley in Northumberland. The original station serving the coastal town was named Whitley, and was located around west of the present station. However, this station was only open for four years, being closed in June 1864 and replaced by a station to the north, adjacent to the present day station at Monkseaton. On 3 July 1882, the North Eastern Railway opened the coastal route between Monkseaton and Tynemouth, replacing the inland Blyth and Tyne Railway route. A new station, designed by William Bell, was opened the same year. Also known as Whitley, the station was renamed Whitley Bay on 1 July1899. From 1904, the station was served by the electric trains of the North Eastern Railway. The electric services became so popular with people living in Whitley Bay and travelling to Newcastle to work, and also with those visiting the town for a day out or a holiday, that a new station became a necessity. The new building opened in October 1910. Architectural historian Nikolaus Pevsner later said of the building that it "(lends) some distinction to an undistinguished neighbourhood". The Tyneside Electrics were withdrawn by British Rail in 1967, and replaced by diesel multiple unit trains. The diesel trains provided a slower service, and trains called at intervals of every 30 minutes instead of every 20, although a limited-stop express service also called every hour. In preparation for its second conversion to electric train operation, this time to join the Tyne and Wear Metro system, the station lost its services towards Newcastle via Monkseaton on 23 January 1978, and was closed completely on 10 September 1979. It reopened on 11 August 1980, the first day of Metro service. The main changes involved in the station's conversion were shortening of the train shed at each end of the platforms and replacement of the original footbridge, with no further major changes having been made as of 2014. The station's main building and train shed were given Grade II listed