The first station in the area opened in 1860 as Dudley and served Dudley Colliery and the village of Dudley in North Tyneside, England. It was located on the East Coast Main Line to the north of Newcastle upon Tyne. In 1874 it was renamed Dudley Colliery before becoming Annitsford in April 1878. On 8 July 1878 the station was closed and replaced with a second station 352 yards south of the first station. The railway station was located in Dudley but was named after the nearby village of Annitsford, to avoid confusion with another Dudley in the Midlands.