Alton railway station
Encyclopedia
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 through Winchester
but was closed to passengers in February 1973. It reopened as a heritage line in 1985. Two other routes (both now closed) also served the station – the Meon Valley line
to Fareham
and the Basingstoke and Alton Light Railway
.
Services operate along the Alton Line to Brookwood and join the South West Main Line towards London Waterloo which is 46¾ miles (75 km) to the north east. The line was single-tracked as far as Farnham
by British Rail
in the early 1980s.
use platforms one and two, connected by a footbridge. Platform three is used by the Mid Hants Watercress Railway.
in 1852 was sited on what is now the station car park. It closed when the present station opened in 1865. The London & South Western Railway became part of the Southern Railway
during the Grouping
of 1923. The line from Woking to Alton was electrified in 1937 and the station passed on to the Southern Region of British Railways
on nationalisation in 1948.
When Sectorisation
was introduced in 1986, the station was served by Network SouthEast
, until the privatisation of British Rail
in 1997.
Services are usually operated by Class 450 Desiro
units.
Alton, Hampshire
Alton is a historic market town and civil parish in the East Hampshire district of the English county of Hampshire. It had a population of 16,584 at the 1991 census and is administered by East Hampshire district council. It is located on the source of the River Wey and is the highest town in...
, in the English
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...
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...
. The station is the terminus
Terminal Station
Terminal Station is a 1953 film by Italian director Vittorio De Sica. It tells the story of the love affair between an Italian man and an American woman. The film was entered into the 1953 Cannes Film Festival.-Production:...
for two railway lines; the Alton Line
Alton Line
The Alton Line is a railway line operated by South West Trains. Today Alton station is the terminus of a main line branch, although it was at one time the junction for three lines. The branch leaves the South Western Main Line at Pirbright Junction near Brookwood...
which runs to Brookwood
Brookwood railway station
Brookwood is a National Rail railway station in Brookwood in the English county of Surrey. It was constructed to serve the adjacent Brookwood Cemetery and was at one stage served by its own station in London for the funeral trains...
and onto London Waterloo and the Mid Hants Watercress Railway, which runs to Alresford
Alresford (Hampshire) railway station
Alresford station is a railway station in New Alresford, Hampshire, UK.-History:Constructed in 1865 for the new Alton, Alresford and Winchester Railway Company which later became the first incarnation of the Mid-Hants Railway, the station later joined the London and South Western Railway. It was...
. The latter once ran through Winchester
Winchester railway station
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 station....
but was closed to passengers in February 1973. It reopened as a heritage line in 1985. Two other routes (both now closed) also served the station – the Meon Valley line
Meon Valley Railway
The Meon Valley Railway was a cross-country railway in Hampshire, England that ran for between Alton and Fareham, closely following the course of the River Meon. At its northern end, it joined with the Mid-Hants Railway to Winchester, the Alton Line to Brookwood and the Basingstoke and Alton...
to Fareham
Fareham railway station
Fareham railway station is a railway station on the West Coastway Line situated about from the town of Fareham in Hampshire.- History :Fareham station was first opened by the London and South Western Railway in 1841 on the line from Eastleigh to Gosport. Later additions connected Fareham station...
and the Basingstoke and Alton Light Railway
Basingstoke and Alton Light Railway
The Basingstoke and Alton Light Railway was a railway in Hampshire, UK, opened on Saturday, 1 June 1901, with no formal ceremony.It was the first railway to be enabled by an Order of the Light Railway Commission under the Light Railways Act of 1896...
.
Services operate along the Alton Line to Brookwood and join the South West Main Line towards London Waterloo which is 46¾ miles (75 km) to the north east. The line was single-tracked as far as 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...
by British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
in the early 1980s.
Platforms
There are three platforms in use. South West TrainsSouth 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...
use platforms one and two, connected by a footbridge. Platform three is used by the Mid Hants Watercress Railway.
History
The first station opened 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...
in 1852 was sited on what is now the station car park. It closed when the present station opened in 1865. The London & South Western Railway became part of the Southern Railway
Southern 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...
during the Grouping
Railways Act 1921
The Railways Act 1921, also known as the Grouping Act, was an enactment by the British government of David Lloyd George intended to stem the losses being made by many of the country's 120 railway companies, move the railways away from internal competition, and to retain some of the benefits which...
of 1923. The line from Woking to Alton was electrified in 1937 and the station passed on to the Southern Region of British Railways
Southern Region of British Railways
The Southern Region was a region of British Railways from 1948. The region ceased to be an operating unit in its own right in the 1980s and was wound up at the end of 1992. The region covered south London, southern England and the south coast, including the busy commuter belt areas of Kent, Sussex...
on nationalisation in 1948.
When Sectorisation
British Rail brand names
British Rail was the brand image of the nationalised railway owner and operator in Great Britain, the British Railways Board, used from 1965 until its breakup and sell-off from 1993 onwards....
was introduced in 1986, the station was served by Network SouthEast
Network SouthEast
Network SouthEast was one of three passenger sectors of British Rail created in 1982. NSE principally operated commuter trains in the London area and inter-urban services in densely populated South East England, although the network reached as far west as Exeter...
, until the privatisation of British Rail
Privatisation of British Rail
The privatisation of British Rail was set in motion when the Conservative government enacted, on 19 January 1993, the British Coal and British Rail Act 1993 . This enabled the relevant Secretary of State to issue directions to the relevant Board...
in 1997.
Services
Monday to Saturdays there is a half-hourly service to London Waterloo and an hourly service on Sundays, increasing to half-hourly from approximately 1330.Services are usually operated by Class 450 Desiro
British Rail Class 450
The British Rail Class 450 third-rail DC EMU began service during 2003. They are a part of the Siemens Desiro modular train family and are more commonly known as the 'Blue Desiro'...
units.