Winchester railway station
Encyclopedia
Winchester railway station is a railway station located in Winchester
in the county of Hampshire
in England
. It is located on the South Western Main Line
and was originally known as Winchester City to distinguish it from Winchester (Chesil) station
.
Despite its prominence (most passing passenger trains stop here), the station only has two platforms. One is on the western side, with the line running in the northern direction via Basingstoke
, Woking
and Clapham Junction
, towards the terminal of London Waterloo
. The other is on the eastern side, with the line running in the southern direction, towards Eastleigh
, where it splits and runs towards Southampton Central
, Bournemouth
and or .
(then the London and Southampton Railway). It became a temporary terminus for the Winchester to Southampton section. It was opened on the 10 June 1839. On the same day, another station was opened at Basingstoke, which was a temporary terminus of the London to Basingstoke section.
The following year, a line was built joining Winchester and Basingstoke and the line was complete. This line was the trickiest to construct and had four tunnels and a single station called (rather optimistically given Andover lay 13 miles west) Andover Road (now Micheldever
). Winchester became a through station on the 30 March 1840.
As the line bypassed Kingston upon Thames
, Winchester was the only major settlement between London and Southampton. Since the original Southampton line ran via the then small market town of Basingstoke (where lines to the west would be built), it was not very direct. Another line was constructed to run via Guildford
, Farnham
and Alton
, which joined the main line north of Winchester. The present day line runs via Aldershot
instead of Guildford and the line finishes at Alton. A section from Alton to Alresford is preserved as the Watercress Line
but the final gap from Alresford to Winchester is unlikely ever to be reinstated due to housing having been built on the trackbed.
Later, the Great Western Railway built the Didcot, Newbury and Southampton Railway
. This passed at a separate station on the eastern side of Winchester called . In 1949, it was renamed Winchester Chesil, whilst Winchester's main station was renamed Winchester City. This did not last long: In 1966 Chesil closed and the following year, City station was changed back to simply 'Winchester'.
Renovations in summer 2004 gave the western side a refurbished entrance and second ticket office; albeit with shorter opening hours than that on the eastern side.
In summer 2009, both platforms received ticket barriers with CCTV, with the entrance to platform 2 from the forecourt reorganised as part of South West Trains
' plan to fit or refit ticket barriers on the busiest stations on the network.
in 1927. This housed a shunting locomotive which worked in the local goods yard. It was closed together with the goods yard in 1963.
link operated on behalf of South West Trains by parent company Stagecoach Group
. This was known as the Romsey Rail-Link service and followed the same route as the X66, linking the station with Romsey
via Ampfield
but with limited stops. Specially trained drivers were equipped with rail ticket machines and were able to issue tickets for the entire rail network as well as weekly season tickets, thereby saving passengers the necessity of queuing at the station ticket office. The service ceased on 28 July 2008 when South West Trains withdrew its subsidy citing lack of use despite a protest group having formed and collecting a petition of over 1,000 signatures to oppose the closure.
As part of the X66 timetable, Stagecoach continue to operate two of the early morning peak services which were well-used alongside the existing hourly services but without the facility to purchase rail tickets on the buses.
Winchester
Winchester is a historic cathedral city and former capital city of England. It is the county town of Hampshire, in South East England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, and is located at the western end of the South Downs, along the course of...
in the county of Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is located on the South Western Main Line
South Western Main Line
The South Western Main Line is a railway line between London Waterloo and Weymouth on the Dorset coast, in the south of England. It is a major railway which serves many important commuter areas, as well as the major settlements of Southampton and Bournemouth...
and was originally known as Winchester City to distinguish it from Winchester (Chesil) station
Winchester (Chesil) railway station
Winchester railway station was, for the first six years after the opening of the line, the terminus of the Didcot, Newbury and Southampton Railway , until the line was extended to link up with the Southern Railway line to Southampton...
.
Despite its prominence (most passing passenger trains stop here), the station only has two platforms. One is on the western side, with the line running in the northern direction via Basingstoke
Basingstoke railway station
Basingstoke railway station, in the town of Basingstoke in the county of Hampshire in England, is on the South Western Main Line from London Waterloo, with local and fast services operated by South West Trains. It is also the terminus of First Great Western local services on the Reading to...
, Woking
Woking railway station
Woking railway station is a railway station in England, serving the town of Woking, Surrey. It is a major stop on the South Western Main Line and is used by many commuters...
and Clapham Junction
Clapham Junction railway station
Clapham Junction railway station is near St John's Hill in the south-west of Battersea in the London Borough of Wandsworth. Although it is in Battersea, the area around the station is commonly identified as Clapham Junction....
, towards the terminal of London Waterloo
Waterloo station
Waterloo station, also known as London Waterloo, is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex. The station is owned and operated by Network Rail and is close to the South Bank of the River Thames, and in Travelcard Zone 1....
. The other is on the eastern side, with the line running in the southern direction, towards Eastleigh
Eastleigh railway station
Eastleigh railway station serves the town of Eastleigh in the county of Hampshire in England. It is located on the South Western Main Line and is the junction station for two other routes, the Eastleigh-Fareham Line and the Eastleigh-Romsey Line...
, where it splits and runs towards Southampton Central
Southampton Central railway station
Southampton Central railway station is a main line railway station serving the city of Southampton in Hampshire, southern England. It is on the Wessex Main Line, the South Western Main Line and the West Coastway Line...
, Bournemouth
Bournemouth railway station
Bournemouth railway station, originally known as Bournemouth East and then Bournemouth Central , is the main railway station serving the town of Bournemouth in Dorset, England. It is located on the South Western Main Line from London Waterloo to Weymouth...
and or .
History
The station was built in 1839 by the London and South Western RailwayLondon and South Western Railway
The London and South Western Railway was a railway company in England from 1838 to 1922. Its network extended from London to Plymouth via Salisbury and Exeter, with branches to Ilfracombe and Padstow and via Southampton to Bournemouth and Weymouth. It also had many routes connecting towns in...
(then the London and Southampton Railway). It became a temporary terminus for the Winchester to Southampton section. It was opened on the 10 June 1839. On the same day, another station was opened at Basingstoke, which was a temporary terminus of the London to Basingstoke section.
The following year, a line was built joining Winchester and Basingstoke and the line was complete. This line was the trickiest to construct and had four tunnels and a single station called (rather optimistically given Andover lay 13 miles west) Andover Road (now Micheldever
Micheldever railway station
Micheldever railway station serves the village of Micheldever and surrounding area in Hampshire, England. The station is on the South Western Main Line, south west of London Waterloo towards Southampton and is managed by South West Trains....
). Winchester became a through station on the 30 March 1840.
As the line bypassed Kingston upon Thames
Kingston upon Thames
Kingston upon Thames is the principal settlement of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames in southwest London. It was the ancient market town where Saxon kings were crowned and is now a suburb situated south west of Charing Cross. It is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the...
, Winchester was the only major settlement between London and Southampton. Since the original Southampton line ran via the then small market town of Basingstoke (where lines to the west would be built), it was not very direct. Another line was constructed to run via Guildford
Guildford (Surrey) railway station
Guildford railway station is an important railway junction on the Portsmouth Direct Line serving the town of Guildford in Surrey, England. It is 30.3 miles from London Waterloo....
, Farnham
Farnham railway station
Farnham railway station serves the town of Farnham in Surrey. It is located on Station Hill by the level crossing that carries the Alton Line across the B3001 secondary road. The town centre is about ten minutes away on foot to the north of the A31 Farnham Bypass via a signal-controlled crossing...
and Alton
Alton railway station
Alton railway station is a railway station in the town of Alton, in the English county of Hampshire. The station is the terminus for two railway lines; the Alton Line which runs to Brookwood and onto London Waterloo and the Mid Hants Watercress Railway, which runs to Alresford. The latter once ran...
, which joined the main line north of Winchester. The present day line runs via Aldershot
Aldershot railway station
Aldershot railway station is on Station Road, near the town centre of Aldershot, Hampshire, England. It is on the Alton Line, part of the National Rail network, with train services and station facilities provided by South West Trains....
instead of Guildford and the line finishes at Alton. A section from Alton to Alresford is preserved as the Watercress Line
Watercress Line
The Watercress Line is the marketing name of the Mid-Hants Railway, a heritage railway in Hampshire, England, running from New Alresford to Alton where it connects to the National Rail network. The line gained its popular name in the days that it was used to transport locally grown watercress to...
but the final gap from Alresford to Winchester is unlikely ever to be reinstated due to housing having been built on the trackbed.
Later, the Great Western Railway built the Didcot, Newbury and Southampton Railway
Didcot, Newbury and Southampton Railway
The Didcot, Newbury and Southampton Railway was a cross-country railway running north-south between Didcot, Newbury and Southampton although it actually reached the latter by running over the London and South Western Railway tracks from Shawford Junction, south of Winchester...
. This passed at a separate station on the eastern side of Winchester called . In 1949, it was renamed Winchester Chesil, whilst Winchester's main station was renamed Winchester City. This did not last long: In 1966 Chesil closed and the following year, City station was changed back to simply 'Winchester'.
Renovations in summer 2004 gave the western side a refurbished entrance and second ticket office; albeit with shorter opening hours than that on the eastern side.
In summer 2009, both platforms received ticket barriers with CCTV, with the entrance to platform 2 from the forecourt reorganised as part of South West Trains
South West Trains
South West Trains is a British train operating company providing, under franchise, passenger rail services, mostly out of Waterloo station, to the southwest of London in the suburbs and in the counties of Surrey, Hampshire, Dorset, Devon, Somerset, Berkshire, and Wiltshire and on the Isle of Wight...
' plan to fit or refit ticket barriers on the busiest stations on the network.
Motive power depot
A small engine shed was built by the Southern RailwaySouthern Railway (Great Britain)
The Southern Railway was a British railway company established in the 1923 Grouping. It linked London with the Channel ports, South West England, South coast resorts and Kent...
in 1927. This housed a shunting locomotive which worked in the local goods yard. It was closed together with the goods yard in 1963.
Facilities
- Concourse (x2)
- Ticket Offices (5 windows in total)
- Automatic Ticket Gates
- Quick Ticket
- Pumpkin Cafe
- Small Shop
- Vending Machines
- Telephones (x5)
- Photo Booth
- Toilets
- Bicycle Storage
- Car park (x2)
Services
There was a rail-busBus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
link operated on behalf of South West Trains by parent company Stagecoach Group
Stagecoach Group
Stagecoach Group plc is an international transport group operating buses, trains, trams, express coaches and ferries. The group was founded in 1980 by the current chairman, Sir Brian Souter, his sister, Ann Gloag, and her former husband Robin...
. This was known as the Romsey Rail-Link service and followed the same route as the X66, linking the station with Romsey
Romsey
Romsey is a small market town in the county of Hampshire, England.It is 8 miles northwest of Southampton and 11 miles southwest of Winchester, neighbouring the village of North Baddesley...
via Ampfield
Ampfield
Ampfield is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Test Valley in Hampshire, England, between Romsey, Eastleigh, and Winchester. It had a population at the 2001 census of 1,474....
but with limited stops. Specially trained drivers were equipped with rail ticket machines and were able to issue tickets for the entire rail network as well as weekly season tickets, thereby saving passengers the necessity of queuing at the station ticket office. The service ceased on 28 July 2008 when South West Trains withdrew its subsidy citing lack of use despite a protest group having formed and collecting a petition of over 1,000 signatures to oppose the closure.
As part of the X66 timetable, Stagecoach continue to operate two of the early morning peak services which were well-used alongside the existing hourly services but without the facility to purchase rail tickets on the buses.