Princes Risborough railway station
Encyclopedia
Princes Risborough station is a railway station on the Chiltern Main Line
that serves the town of Princes Risborough
in Buckinghamshire
, England
. It is operated by Chiltern Railways
.
The first railway to reach Princes Risborough was the Wycombe Railway
, which opened its extension from Wycombe
as far as on 1 August 1862; there were two intermediate stations on this section: Princes Risborough and . A branch of the Wycombe Railway was opened from Princes Risborough to on 1 Oct 1863. The Wycombe Railway was worked by the Great Western Railway
, and was absorbed by that railway in 1867.
The Watlington and Princes Risborough Railway
opened its line on 15 August 1872; that railway became part of the GWR on 1 January 1884.
The Great Western & Great Central Joint Committee was created with the dual objective of providing the Great Central Railway
with a second route into London, bypassing the Metropolitan Railway
; and of providing the GWR with a shorter route to the Midlands. Central to this scheme was the upgrading of the existing GWR route between and Princes Risborough, which was transferred to the Joint Committee at its establishment on 1 August 1899. The line was extended in a north-westerly direction to Ashendon Junction, at which point the joint line ended, and a GCR route ran northwards to Grendon Underwood Junction, just south of ; both sections opened for goods on 20 November 1905, and for passengers on 2 April 1906. Continuing in the same north-westerly direction from Ashendon Junction, the Bicester cut-off line, which was purely GWR property, was opened for goods trains on 4 April 1910, and to passengers on 1 July 1910.
The branch closed to passengers on 1 July 1957, and the route to Thame (and Oxford) closed on 7 January 1963; those over the GCR route ended on 5 September 1966, leaving the present network of two lines to the north, to and to Aylesbury.
The station was transferred from the Western Region of British Rail
to the London Midland Region
on 24 March 1974.
Chiltern Railways considered reopening the Oxford line (via Thame) but are now constructing a spur line at Bicester to create a new service to Oxford.
Part of the Watlington line has been reopened by the Chinnor and Princes Risborough Railway
, which plans to extend its heritage railway
service to an unused platform face at Princes Risborough station.
Princes Risborough station currently has 3 platforms: Platform 1 for Aylesbury; platform 2 for London and Aylesbury; platform 3 for Banbury, and Birmingham. Originally, the station had 4 platforms; two on the mainline to/from London and Birmingham; one for the branch to Oxford or Watlington; and one to Aylesbury. The station also had two fast mainlines running through the middle of the station, one of which, the 'up' line, was restored in September 2011 as part of Chiltern's Evergreen 3 upgrade project. At one time the station only had two usable platforms, the current platforms 1 and 2. This is due to the radical cuts on the Chiltern Main Line and Great Central Main Line
in the 1960s. Chiltern Railways rebuilt the down platform in 1998 to increase capacity on the line, but this is on the old fast down mainline. The original down platforms are still visible from the station.
Train services are provided by Chiltern Railways between Marylebone and Birmingham.
(permit to travel) ticket machine is located (3/09) on the London-bound platform for use when un-staffed. There are also 2 passenger operated ticket vending machines.
Chiltern Main Line
The Chiltern Main Line is an inter-urban, regional and commuter railway, part of the British railway system. It links London and Birmingham on a 112-mile route via the towns of High Wycombe, Banbury, and Leamington Spa...
that serves the town of Princes Risborough
Princes Risborough
Princes Risborough is a small town in Buckinghamshire, England, about 9 miles south of Aylesbury and 8 miles north west of High Wycombe. Bledlow lies to the west and Monks Risborough to the east. It lies at the foot of the Chiltern Hills, at the north end of a gap or pass through the Chilterns,...
in Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
, 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 operated by Chiltern Railways
Chiltern Railways
Chiltern Railways is a British train operating company. It was set up at the privatisation of British Rail in 1996, and operates local passenger trains from Marylebone station in London to Aylesbury and main-line trains on the Chiltern Main Line to Birmingham Snow Hill with its associated branches...
.
History
At one period there were four different railway routes from the northern end of Princes Risborough station, although there has only ever been one to the south.The first railway to reach Princes Risborough was the Wycombe Railway
Wycombe Railway
The Wycombe Railway was a British railway between and that connected with the Great Western Railway at both ends; there was one branch, to .-History:The Wycombe Railway Company was incorporated by an act of Parliament passed in 1846...
, which opened its extension from Wycombe
High Wycombe railway station
High Wycombe railway station is situated in High Wycombe in South Buckinghamshire. The station is served by Chiltern Railways trains on the Chiltern Main Line from Marylebone towards Birmingham Snow Hill. It is situated between Beaconsfield and Saunderton stations.-History:The station was built...
as far as on 1 August 1862; there were two intermediate stations on this section: Princes Risborough and . A branch of the Wycombe Railway was opened from Princes Risborough to on 1 Oct 1863. The Wycombe Railway was worked by the Great Western Railway
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
, and was absorbed by that railway in 1867.
The Watlington and Princes Risborough Railway
Watlington and Princes Risborough Railway
The Watlington and Princes Risborough Railway was a railway branch line between Watlington and Princes Risborough which remained operational for over 88 years between 1872 and 1961....
opened its line on 15 August 1872; that railway became part of the GWR on 1 January 1884.
The Great Western & Great Central Joint Committee was created with the dual objective of providing the Great Central Railway
Great Central Railway
The Great Central Railway was a railway company in England which came into being when the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway changed its name in 1897 in anticipation of the opening in 1899 of its London Extension . On 1 January 1923, it was grouped into the London and North Eastern...
with a second route into London, bypassing the Metropolitan Railway
Metropolitan railway
Metropolitan Railway can refer to:* Metropolitan line, part of the London Underground* Metropolitan Railway, the first underground railway to be built in London...
; and of providing the GWR with a shorter route to the Midlands. Central to this scheme was the upgrading of the existing GWR route between and Princes Risborough, which was transferred to the Joint Committee at its establishment on 1 August 1899. The line was extended in a north-westerly direction to Ashendon Junction, at which point the joint line ended, and a GCR route ran northwards to Grendon Underwood Junction, just south of ; both sections opened for goods on 20 November 1905, and for passengers on 2 April 1906. Continuing in the same north-westerly direction from Ashendon Junction, the Bicester cut-off line, which was purely GWR property, was opened for goods trains on 4 April 1910, and to passengers on 1 July 1910.
The branch closed to passengers on 1 July 1957, and the route to Thame (and Oxford) closed on 7 January 1963; those over the GCR route ended on 5 September 1966, leaving the present network of two lines to the north, to and to Aylesbury.
The station was transferred from the Western Region of British Rail
Western Region of British Railways
The Western 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...
to the London Midland Region
London Midland Region of British Railways
The London Midland Region was one of the six regions created on the formation of the nationalised British Railways and consisted of ex-London, Midland and Scottish Railway lines in England and Wales. The region was managed first from buildings adjacent to Euston Station and later from Stanier...
on 24 March 1974.
Chiltern Railways considered reopening the Oxford line (via Thame) but are now constructing a spur line at Bicester to create a new service to Oxford.
Part of the Watlington line has been reopened by the Chinnor and Princes Risborough Railway
Chinnor and Princes Risborough Railway
The Chinnor & Princes Risborough Railway is a heritage railway with its main station at Chinnor on the border between Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire, England.-History:...
, which plans to extend its heritage railway
Heritage railway
thumb|right|the Historical [[Khyber train safari|Khyber Railway]] goes through the [[Khyber Pass]], [[Pakistan]]A heritage railway , preserved railway , tourist railway , or tourist railroad is a railway that is run as a tourist attraction, in some cases by volunteers, and...
service to an unused platform face at Princes Risborough station.
Princes Risborough station currently has 3 platforms: Platform 1 for Aylesbury; platform 2 for London and Aylesbury; platform 3 for Banbury, and Birmingham. Originally, the station had 4 platforms; two on the mainline to/from London and Birmingham; one for the branch to Oxford or Watlington; and one to Aylesbury. The station also had two fast mainlines running through the middle of the station, one of which, the 'up' line, was restored in September 2011 as part of Chiltern's Evergreen 3 upgrade project. At one time the station only had two usable platforms, the current platforms 1 and 2. This is due to the radical cuts on the Chiltern Main Line and Great Central Main Line
Great Central Main Line
The Great Central Main Line , also known as the London Extension of the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway , is a former railway line which opened in 1899 linking Sheffield with Marylebone Station in London via Nottingham and Leicester.The GCML was the last main line railway built in...
in the 1960s. Chiltern Railways rebuilt the down platform in 1998 to increase capacity on the line, but this is on the old fast down mainline. The original down platforms are still visible from the station.
Services and operators
Facilities
The ticket office is staffed for much of the day and a PERTISPermit to travel
In the ticketing system of the British rail network, a Permit to Travel provisionally allows passengers to travel on a train when they have not purchased a ticket in advance and the ticket office of the station they are travelling from is closed, without incurring a penalty fare.Since a large...
(permit to travel) ticket machine is located (3/09) on the London-bound platform for use when un-staffed. There are also 2 passenger operated ticket vending machines.