Guildford (Surrey) railway station
Encyclopedia
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 (48 km) from London Waterloo.
It provides an interchange station for three other railway lines: the North Downs Line
northwards towards Reading
, and with connection to Aldershot
; the same line eastwards to Redhill
; the New Guildford Line, the alternative route to Waterloo, via Cobham or Epsom
. It is one of two stations in Guildford, the other being London Road (Guildford)
, on the New Guildford Line.
The station was opened by the London and South Western Railway
(LSWR) on 5 May 1845, but was substantially enlarged and rebuilt in 1880.
The Reading, Guildford and Reigate Railway
opened its services on 4 July 1849, and was operated by the South Eastern Railway
. LSWR services to Farnham
via Tongham
began on 8 October 1849 and the New Guildford Line to Leatherhead
and Epsom Downs
on 2 February 1885. On the latter line is the other Guildford station: London Road
: the line to it describes a curve around the town on an embankment, crossing the River Wey
by a high bridge.
Guildford station was also the northern terminus of the (now-closed) Cranleigh Line
of the London Brighton and South Coast Railway, which opened 2 October 1865 and closed almost one hundred years later on 12 June 1965. This line ran to Horsham
by way of Cranleigh
, Rudgwick
and Christ's Hospital.
Platforms 6 and 7 are on opposite sides of the same single line. Automatic train doors only open on the platform 6 side. Doors are not opened on platform 7 due to the live rail being on that side. Platform 6 is signalled for bi-directional working – trains may approach from either direction.
opened by the LSWR in 1845. The original building was demolished in 1887 to make room for the enlargement of the station, and was replaced by a semi-roundhouse
which was substantially enlarged in 1897. This was closed and demolished in 1967. The Farnham Road multi-storey car park
was built on the site in the 1990s.
rail service. The project, promoted by BAA, envisaged the construction of a spur from the Waterloo to Reading Line
to Heathrow Airport, creating direct rail links from the airport to Guildford, , and . Airtrack was planned to open in 2015, subject to government approval. In April 2011, BAA announced that it was abandoning the project, citing the unavailability of government subsidy and other priorities for Heathrow, such as linking to Crossrail
and HS2.
The station is currently served by services operated by First Great Western
from Reading to Gatwick Airport and South West Trains
from London Waterloo
to Portsmouth Harbour
, Waterloo to Guildford via Cobham or Epsom and Ascot
to Guildford via Aldershot. Occasional CrossCountry
trains to Newcastle and Southern
services on the Sutton and Mole Valley
route towards West Croydon & London Bridge also calls.
Portsmouth Direct Line
The Portsmouth Direct Line is the route of a railway service operated by South West Trains which runs between London Waterloo and Portsmouth Harbour, England...
serving the town of Guildford
Guildford
Guildford is the county town of Surrey. England, as well as the seat for the borough of Guildford and the administrative headquarters of the South East England region...
in Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, 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 30.3 miles (48 km) from London Waterloo.
It provides an interchange station for three other railway lines: the North Downs Line
North Downs Line
The North Downs Line is the name of the passenger train service connecting Reading, on the Great Western Main Line, to Gatwick Airport, on the Brighton Main Line...
northwards towards Reading
Reading railway station
Reading railway station is a major rail transport hub in the English town of Reading. It is situated on the northern edge of the town centre, close to the main retail and commercial areas, and also the River Thames...
, and with connection to 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....
; the same line eastwards to Redhill
Redhill railway station
Redhill railway station serves the town of Redhill, Surrey, England. The station is a major interchange point on the Brighton Main Line 21 miles south of London Victoria...
; the New Guildford Line, the alternative route to Waterloo, via Cobham or Epsom
Epsom railway station
Epsom railway station is the main railway station for Epsom in the county of Surrey. It is located off Waterloo Road, near to the High Street....
. It is one of two stations in Guildford, the other being London Road (Guildford)
London Road (Guildford) railway station
London Road railway station is situated in the east of Guildford in Surrey, England, lying close the suburbs of Merrow and Burpham.The station is managed by South West Trains, who provide the majority of train services...
, on the New Guildford Line.
History
The station was opened by the London and South Western Railway
London 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...
(LSWR) on 5 May 1845, but was substantially enlarged and rebuilt in 1880.
The Reading, Guildford and Reigate Railway
North Downs Line
The North Downs Line is the name of the passenger train service connecting Reading, on the Great Western Main Line, to Gatwick Airport, on the Brighton Main Line...
opened its services on 4 July 1849, and was operated by the South Eastern Railway
South Eastern Railway (UK)
The South Eastern Railway was a railway company in south-eastern England from 1836 until 1922. The company was formed to construct a route from London to Dover. Branch lines were later opened to Tunbridge Wells, Hastings, Canterbury and other places in Kent...
. LSWR services to 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...
via Tongham
Tongham railway station
Tongham railway station was a railway station serving the village of Tongham, Guildford, Surrey in England which opened in 1849 and closed in 1937.- History :...
began on 8 October 1849 and the New Guildford Line to Leatherhead
Leatherhead railway station
Leatherhead railway station is a railway station serving the town of Leatherhead in Surrey, England. The station is managed by Southern, who provide train services along with South West Trains....
and Epsom Downs
Epsom Downs railway station
Epsom Downs railway station is a railway station located on the boundary of the Reigate and Banstead and Epsom and Ewell boroughs of Surrey with the railway to the north forming a continuation of the boundary....
on 2 February 1885. On the latter line is the other Guildford station: London Road
London Road (Guildford) railway station
London Road railway station is situated in the east of Guildford in Surrey, England, lying close the suburbs of Merrow and Burpham.The station is managed by South West Trains, who provide the majority of train services...
: the line to it describes a curve around the town on an embankment, crossing the River Wey
River Wey
The River Wey in Surrey, Hampshire and West Sussex is a tributary of the River Thames with two separate branches which join at Tilford. The source of the north branch is at Alton, Hampshire and of the south branch at both Blackdown south of Haslemere, and also close to Gibbet Hill, near Hindhead...
by a high bridge.
Guildford station was also the northern terminus of the (now-closed) Cranleigh Line
Cranleigh Line
The Cranleigh Line was a short railway line that connected Guildford, the county town of Surrey, with the West Sussex market town of Horsham, via Cranleigh, a distance of 19¼ miles...
of the London Brighton and South Coast Railway, which opened 2 October 1865 and closed almost one hundred years later on 12 June 1965. This line ran to Horsham
Horsham railway station
Horsham railway station serves the town of Horsham in West Sussex, England. It is on the Arun Valley Line 61 km south of London Victoria and the Sutton & Mole Valley Lines, and train services are provided by Southern...
by way of Cranleigh
Cranleigh railway station
Cranleigh was a railway station on the Cranleigh Line which served the village of Cranleigh. Opening in 1865 as "Cranley", its name was changed in 1867 to "Cranleigh" at the request of the Postmaster General as badly addressed letters to "Cranley" were often mistaken for "Crawley" and vice versa...
, Rudgwick
Rudgwick railway station
Rudgwick railway station was on the Cranleigh Line. It opened in November 1865, one month after the rest of the stations on the line, due to objections made by the Board of Trade's Colonel Yolland following the obligatory inspection of the line on 2 May in that year.The Colonel objected to the...
and Christ's Hospital.
Platform layout
The main station buildings are on the Down side. At the end of the Down side platform is a bay for the New Guildford Line. There are now three islands with seven platform faces plus the bay linked by both a long footbridge and a subway. Platforms 6 and 7 are opposite sides of the same line: these were used for unloading mail and parcels until the mid 1990s. The station was completely rebuilt (except for the platforms) in the late 1980s.- Platform 1 – Stopping services to London Waterloo via Epsom and peak time trains to London Bridge via Forest Hill, and London Victoria on the Sutton & Mole Valley Lines
- Platform 2 – Stopping services to London Waterloo via Cobham
- Platform 3 – Stopping services to London Waterloo via Woking [Sunday service only]
- Platform 4 – Fast and stopping services towards Portsmouth; semi-fast services to Gatwick Airport
- Platform 5 – Fast services to London Waterloo
- Platform 6 – Stopping services to Redhill
- Platform 8 – Services to Reading, Aldershot and Ascot
Platforms 6 and 7 are on opposite sides of the same single line. Automatic train doors only open on the platform 6 side. Doors are not opened on platform 7 due to the live rail being on that side. Platform 6 is signalled for bi-directional working – trains may approach from either direction.
Motive Power Depot
Guildford station was the site of an important motive power depotMotive power depot
Motive power depot, usually abbreviated to MPD, is a name given to places where locomotives are stored when not being used, and also repaired and maintained. They were originally known as "running sheds", "engine sheds", or, for short, just sheds. Facilities are provided for refuelling and...
opened by the LSWR in 1845. The original building was demolished in 1887 to make room for the enlargement of the station, and was replaced by a semi-roundhouse
Roundhouse
A roundhouse is a building used by railroads for servicing locomotives. Roundhouses are large, circular or semicircular structures that were traditionally located surrounding or adjacent to turntables...
which was substantially enlarged in 1897. This was closed and demolished in 1967. The Farnham Road multi-storey car park
Multi-storey car park
A multi-storey car-park is a building designed specifically to be for car parking and where there are a number of floors or levels on which parking takes place...
was built on the site in the 1990s.
Airtrack
Guildford station was to have been the southern terminus for the proposed Heathrow AirtrackHeathrow Airtrack
Heathrow Airtrack is a proposed railway link in west London, England, UK. The line as proposed by BAA, would have run from into central London and across the suburbs of south-west London. BAA announced that it was abandoning the project in April 2011...
rail service. The project, promoted by BAA, envisaged the construction of a spur from the Waterloo to Reading Line
Waterloo to Reading Line
The Waterloo to Reading Line is a National Rail suburban electric railway line running generally westwards from London, England. It is operated by South West Trains...
to Heathrow Airport, creating direct rail links from the airport to Guildford, , and . Airtrack was planned to open in 2015, subject to government approval. In April 2011, BAA announced that it was abandoning the project, citing the unavailability of government subsidy and other priorities for Heathrow, such as linking to Crossrail
Crossrail
Crossrail is a project to build a major new railway link under central London. The name refers to the first of two routes which are the responsibility of Crossrail Ltd. It is based on an entirely new east-west tunnel with a central section from to Liverpool Street station...
and HS2.
Services
First Great Western
First Great Western is the operating name of First Greater Western Ltd, a British train operating company owned by FirstGroup that serves Greater London, the South East, South West and West Midlands regions of England, and South Wales....
from Reading to Gatwick Airport and 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...
from 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....
to Portsmouth Harbour
Portsmouth Harbour railway station
Portsmouth Harbour railway station is a railway station in Portsmouth, England. It is situated beside Gunwharf Quays in the city's harbour, and is an important transport terminal, with a bus interchange and ferry services to Gosport and the Isle of Wight. The station currently has four platforms:...
, Waterloo to Guildford via Cobham or Epsom and Ascot
Ascot railway station
Ascot railway station is a railway station in the town of Ascot in Berkshire, England. The station, and all trains serving it, are operated by South West Trains. It is at the junction of the Waterloo to Reading line with the Ascot to Guildford line....
to Guildford via Aldershot. Occasional CrossCountry
CrossCountry
CrossCountry is the brand name of XC Trains Ltd., a British train operating company owned by Arriva...
trains to Newcastle and Southern
Southern (train operating company)
Southern is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. Officially named Southern Railway Ltd., it is a subsidiary of Govia, a joint venture between transport groups Go-Ahead Group and Keolis, and has operated the South Central rail franchise since October 2000 and the Gatwick Express service...
services on the Sutton and Mole Valley
Sutton & Mole Valley Line
The Sutton & Mole Valley Lines are a group of railway lines constructed between 1847 and 1868 by the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway, the London and South Western Railway and the LBSCR-sponsored Horsham, Dorking and Leatherhead Railway.-Services:The scheduled services run along the Sutton...
route towards West Croydon & London Bridge also calls.
South West Trains
- 8tph (trains per hour) to London Waterloo, of which:
- 4tph run via WokingWoking railway stationWoking 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...
- 2tph run via Cobham
- 2tph run via EpsomEpsom railway stationEpsom railway station is the main railway station for Epsom in the county of Surrey. It is located off Waterloo Road, near to the High Street....
- 4tph run via Woking
- 2tph fast services to Portsmouth HarbourPortsmouth Harbour railway stationPortsmouth Harbour railway station is a railway station in Portsmouth, England. It is situated beside Gunwharf Quays in the city's harbour, and is an important transport terminal, with a bus interchange and ferry services to Gosport and the Isle of Wight. The station currently has four platforms:...
- 1tph stopping service to Portsmouth and SouthseaPortsmouth and Southsea railway stationPortsmouth and Southsea railway station is the main railway station in central Portsmouth in Hampshire, England. It is close to the Commercial Road shopping centre....
- 1tph stopping service to HaslemereHaslemere railway stationHaslemere railway station is a busy stop on the Portsmouth Direct Line, serving the town of Haslemere, Surrey.The large car park and industrial estate were originally large goods sidings. Platform 3 is an addition to the original structure, built in 1938 when the line was electrified...
- 2tph to AscotAscot railway stationAscot railway station is a railway station in the town of Ascot in Berkshire, England. The station, and all trains serving it, are operated by South West Trains. It is at the junction of the Waterloo to Reading line with the Ascot to Guildford line....
First Great Western
- 2tph to ReadingReading railway stationReading railway station is a major rail transport hub in the English town of Reading. It is situated on the northern edge of the town centre, close to the main retail and commercial areas, and also the River Thames...
- 2tph to RedhillRedhill railway stationRedhill railway station serves the town of Redhill, Surrey, England. The station is a major interchange point on the Brighton Main Line 21 miles south of London Victoria...
- of which 1tph continues to Gatwick AirportGatwick Airport railway stationGatwick Airport station is the railway station at London Gatwick Airport that provides a direct rail connection to London 43 km away. The station platforms are located directly below the airport’s South Terminal, and the ticket office is adjacent to that terminal’s concourse...
- of which 1tph continues to Gatwick Airport
Southern (peak hours only)
- 1tph to London Victoria via NorburyNorbury railway stationNorbury railway station is in the London Borough of Croydon in south London miles from Victoria. The station is operated by Southern, who also provide the majority of services and is in Travelcard Zone 3.Ticket barriers are in operation at this station.- Service :The typical off-peak train...
- 1tph to London BridgeLondon Bridge stationLondon Bridge railway station is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex in the London Borough of Southwark, occupying a large area on two levels immediately south-east of London Bridge and 1.6 miles east of Charing Cross. It is one of the oldest railway stations in the...
via Forest HillForest Hill railway stationForest Hill railway station is situated in Forest Hill, part of the London Borough of Lewisham. The station is located on the South Circular Road ....
CrossCountry
- 1 train per day to Newcastle via ReadingReading railway stationReading railway station is a major rail transport hub in the English town of Reading. It is situated on the northern edge of the town centre, close to the main retail and commercial areas, and also the River Thames...