Surbiton railway station
Encyclopedia
Surbiton railway station is a National Rail
station in Surbiton
, south west London, in the Kingston upon Thames
. The station is managed and served by South West Trains
, and is in Travelcard Zone 6
. It is considered to be one of the finest modernist stations in Great Britain and is a Grade II listed building .
The London and Southampton Railway intended its line to go via Kingston but Kingston Corporation
objected, fearing a deleterious impact on their coaching trade, and the railway passed about 1½ miles south of the town with the first Kingston station opening in 1838 on the east side of King Charles Road. In 1845 it was resited half a mile west to Surbiton, then little more than a farm. The Hampton Court Branch
was built in 1849, the New Guildford Line which diverges at the same point opened in 1885.
Successive renamings of the station were Kingston Junction in late 1852, Surbiton and Kingston in 1863 when the present Kingston railway station opened on the branch line
, and Surbiton in 1867. The station was completely rebuilt in 1937 by the Southern Railway
with two island platforms with Southern Railway designed canopies. The buildings were designed by J Robb Scott in an art deco
style. In 1984/85 a large mural titled 'Passengers' was painted in the booking hall by artist Graeme Willson. It has since been removed.
The station had a moderately sized goods yard which was situated on the eastern side of the station platforms. Two additional sidings were located on the western 'up' side of the station and were served by a short loading platform. In addition to local goods facilities, the main yard was also used as the loading point for the short lived Surbiton - Okehampton car carrier service that ran between 1960 and 1964.
The main goods yard finally closed in 1971 with all localised freight operations then being moved to the nearby goods yard at Tolworth on the Chessington branch. The former goods yard site at Surbiton ultimately became the main station car park although some land was also subsequently developed into residential flats.
One of the two 'up' sidings remains in place and still sees occasional use with civil engineering stock.
A major incident occurred on 4 July 1971 when a freight train derailed on the points at the London end of platforms 3 & 4. Unaware of the incident the driver continued through the station with the result that two derailed wagons eventually toppled over south of the platforms and obstructed the down fast through line. At the same time a down express passed through the station and collided with the derailed wagons at speed causing the front of the express to derail and topple over. The leading coach finally came to rest as it struck the road bridge that passes under the line south of the station. Fortunately there were no fatalities and the cause of the initial derailment was eventually attributed to over loading of some of the ballast wagons in the freight train which resulted in buffer locking when the train initially left Clapham Junction yard that day.
The ticket office at Surbiton is open seven days a week, unlike some stations, and so commuters from surrounding areas go to the station to buy and renew tickets.
in October 2007.
National Rail
National Rail is a title used by the Association of Train Operating Companies as a generic term to define the passenger rail services operated in Great Britain...
station in Surbiton
Surbiton
Surbiton, a suburban area of London in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, is situated next to the River Thames, with a mixture of Art-Deco courts, more recent residential blocks and grand, spacious 19th century townhouses blending into a sea of semi-detached 20th century housing estates...
, south west London, in the Kingston upon Thames
Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames
The Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames is a borough in southwest London, England. The main town is Kingston upon Thames and it includes Surbiton, Chessington, New Malden and Tolworth. It is the oldest of the three Royal Boroughs in England, the others are Kensington and Chelsea, also in London,...
. The station is managed and served by 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...
, and is in Travelcard Zone 6
Travelcard Zone 6
Fare zone 6 is an outer zone of Transport for London's zonal fare system used for calculating the price of tickets for travel on the London Underground, London Overground, Docklands Light Railway and, since 2007, on National Rail services. The zone was created in January 1991; from May 1983 it had...
. It is considered to be one of the finest modernist stations in Great Britain and is a Grade II listed building .
History
Municipal Borough of Kingston upon Thames
Kingston upon Thames was a local government district in north east Surrey, England from 1835 to 1965 around the town of Kingston upon Thames. It was alternatively known as Kingston on Thames. It was a municipal borough and also held the rarer status of Royal borough...
objected, fearing a deleterious impact on their coaching trade, and the railway passed about 1½ miles south of the town with the first Kingston station opening in 1838 on the east side of King Charles Road. In 1845 it was resited half a mile west to Surbiton, then little more than a farm. The Hampton Court Branch
Hampton Court Branch Line
The Hampton Court Branch Line is a short branch line off the South Western Main Line. It has a through station at Thames Ditton and a terminus at Hampton Court. The line is electrified, using 750 V DC third rail.-History:...
was built in 1849, the New Guildford Line which diverges at the same point opened in 1885.
Kingston Loop Line
The Kingston Loop Line is a railway line built by the London and South Western Railway in South West London. It runs in an overall southeasterly direction from a junction west of Twickenham on the Waterloo to Reading Line to join the South West Main Line west of New Malden; both connections face...
, and Surbiton in 1867. The station was completely rebuilt in 1937 by 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...
with two island platforms with Southern Railway designed canopies. The buildings were designed by J Robb Scott in an art deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
style. In 1984/85 a large mural titled 'Passengers' was painted in the booking hall by artist Graeme Willson. It has since been removed.
The station had a moderately sized goods yard which was situated on the eastern side of the station platforms. Two additional sidings were located on the western 'up' side of the station and were served by a short loading platform. In addition to local goods facilities, the main yard was also used as the loading point for the short lived Surbiton - Okehampton car carrier service that ran between 1960 and 1964.
The main goods yard finally closed in 1971 with all localised freight operations then being moved to the nearby goods yard at Tolworth on the Chessington branch. The former goods yard site at Surbiton ultimately became the main station car park although some land was also subsequently developed into residential flats.
One of the two 'up' sidings remains in place and still sees occasional use with civil engineering stock.
A major incident occurred on 4 July 1971 when a freight train derailed on the points at the London end of platforms 3 & 4. Unaware of the incident the driver continued through the station with the result that two derailed wagons eventually toppled over south of the platforms and obstructed the down fast through line. At the same time a down express passed through the station and collided with the derailed wagons at speed causing the front of the express to derail and topple over. The leading coach finally came to rest as it struck the road bridge that passes under the line south of the station. Fortunately there were no fatalities and the cause of the initial derailment was eventually attributed to over loading of some of the ballast wagons in the freight train which resulted in buffer locking when the train initially left Clapham Junction yard that day.
The ticket office at Surbiton is open seven days a week, unlike some stations, and so commuters from surrounding areas go to the station to buy and renew tickets.
Services
The typical off-peak service in trains per hour at the station is:- 10 to London Waterloo of which:
- 2 are non-stop
- 2 call at
- 4 run fast to WimbledonWimbledon stationWimbledon station is a National Rail, London Underground, and Tramlink station located in Wimbledon in the London Borough of Merton, and is the only London station that provides an interchange between rail, Underground, and Tramlink services...
then call at all stations except Queenstown RoadQueenstown Road (Battersea) railway stationQueenstown Road is a railway station in South London, between Vauxhall and Clapham Junction. It is a short walk from Battersea Park station and Battersea Park... - 2 call at all stations except Queenstown Road
- 2 to
- 2 on the Waterloo to Woking stopping service to 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...
- 2 to GuildfordGuildford (Surrey) railway stationGuildford 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....
via Cobham (1 on Sundays) - 2 to
- 2 to
Platforms
The station has four platforms on two islands.- Platform 1: for most services to London Waterloo.
- Platform 2: for some services to London Waterloo, mostly in the early morning and late evening. Non-stopping up trains use its track.
- Platform 3: for trains to Basingstoke and the Alton Line.
- Platform 4 is for trains to Woking, the Hampton Court Branch and the New Guildford Line
- An additional track for non-stopping down trains lies between Platforms 2 and 3.
Appearances in media
The station was used for filming of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood PrinceHarry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is a 2009 fantasy film directed by David Yates and based on the novel of the same name by J. K. Rowling. It is the sixth instalment in the Harry Potter film series, written by Steve Kloves and produced by David Heyman and David Barron...
in October 2007.