General information | |
---|---|
Location | Alton, East Hampshire England |
Grid reference | SU723397 |
Managed by | South Western Railway |
Platforms | 3 (2 National Rail, 1 Watercress Line) |
Other information | |
Station code | AON |
Classification | DfT category C2 |
Key dates | |
28 July 1852 | Station opens |
2 October 1865 | Station moves to adjacent site |
February 1973 | National Rail services west of Alton curtailed |
25 May 1985 | Watercress Line begins heritage services west of Alton |
Passengers | |
2018/19 | 0.711 million |
2019/20 | 0.679 million |
2020/21 | 0.133 million |
2021/22 | 0.387 million |
2022/23 | 0.496 million |
Notes | |
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road |
Basingstoke & Alton Light Railway | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Alton railway station is a station in the market 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 on to London Waterloo, and the Mid Hants Watercress Railway which runs to Alresford. The latter once ran through to Winchester but was closed to passengers in February 1973; [1] 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. The line was single-tracked as far as Farnham by British Rail in the early 1980s.
There are three platforms in use. South Western Railway use platforms one and two, connected by a footbridge. Platform three is used by the Mid Hants Railway.
The first station opened by the London and South Western 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.
Alton station is located in the local government district of East Hampshire.
The station is nowhere near Alton Towers Resort, which is located in the rural village of Alton in Staffordshire, about 185 miles away. Many people trying to reach the resort have mistakenly travelled to this station. Historically there could have been grounds for confusion: Alton Towers railway station which closed in 1965 was, before 1954, called Alton railway station.
Local residents, who have encountered many people trying to find Alton Towers, have put up posters at the station containing directions from the station to the resort by train, with a journey time of approximately 4 hours and 46 minutes. [2]
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 units, although the Class 444 & Class 458 is also sometimes used.
The Watercress Line is the marketing name of the Mid-Hants Railway, a heritage railway in Hampshire, England, running 10 miles (16 km) from New Alresford to Alton where it connects to the National Rail network. The line gained its popular name in the days when it was used to transport locally grown watercress to markets in London. The railway currently operates regular scheduled services, along with dining trains, real ale trains and numerous special events throughout the year.
Winchester railway station is a railway station in Winchester in the county of Hampshire, England. It is on the South West Main Line and was known as Winchester City from 1949–67 to distinguish it from Winchester (Chesil) station. It is 66 miles 39 chains (107.0 km) down the line from London Waterloo.
Aldermaston railway station serves the village of Aldermaston in Berkshire, England. The station is at nearby Aldermaston Wharf and about 2 miles (3 km) north of Aldermaston village. It is 44 miles 63 chains measured from London Paddington.
Windsor & Eton Riverside station is a station in Windsor, Berkshire, England. The station, close to the River Thames and Windsor Castle, is a Grade II listed building. It is 25 miles 48 chains (41.2 km) down the line from London Waterloo and is the terminus of the Staines to Windsor Line, served by South Western Railway.
Ascot railway station serves the town of Ascot in Berkshire, England. It is 28 miles 79 chains (46.7 km) down the line from London Waterloo. The station, and all trains serving it, are operated by South Western Railway. It is at the junction of the Waterloo to Reading line with the Ascot to Guildford line.
Aldershot railway station is located near the town centre of Aldershot in Hampshire, England. It is 35 miles (56 km) down the line from London Waterloo. It is on the Alton Line, part of the National Rail network, with train services and station facilities provided by South Western Railway.
The Alton line is a railway line in Hampshire and Surrey, England, operated by South Western Railway as a relatively long branch of the South West Main Line.
Ashurst New Forest railway station is in Ashurst, Hampshire, England, on the South West Main Line from London Waterloo to Weymouth. It is 85 miles 43 chains (137.7 km) down the line from Waterloo.
Andover railway station serves the town of Andover, Hampshire, England. The station is served and operated by South Western Railway. It is 66 miles 19 chains (106.6 km) down the line from London Waterloo on the West of England Main Line.
Ash Vale is a railway station serving the village of Ash Vale in Surrey, England. It is situated at the junction of the London to Alton line and the Ascot to Guildford line, 32 miles 38 chains (52.3 km) down the line from London Waterloo. The station and all trains serving it are operated by South Western Railway.
Alresford railway station in Hampshire, England, is the terminus of the Watercress Line from Alton. It is in the small town of New Alresford, 7½ miles (12 km) northeast of Winchester, close to the town's market square, tea rooms, many small shops and museum.
Ashtead railway station is in Ashtead, Surrey, England. It is 16 miles 19 chains (26.1 km) down the line from London Waterloo.
Totton railway station serves the town of Totton, Hampshire, England and is on the South West Main Line. It is 82 miles 43 chains (132.8 km) down the line from London Waterloo. It is managed by South Western Railway who also operate the only services to stop at the station.
Aldrington railway station, sometimes known by its former names of Aldrington Halt and Dyke Junction, is a railway station that serves the area of Aldrington in Brighton and Hove, in East Sussex, England. The station is 1 mile 74 chains (3.1 km) from Brighton on the West Coastway Line.
Frimley railway station is in the town of Frimley in Surrey, England. The station, and all trains serving it, are operated by South Western Railway. It is situated on the Ascot to Guildford line, 37 miles 48 chains (60.5 km) from London Waterloo.
Bagshot railway station serves the village of Bagshot, in the west of Surrey, England. The station, and all trains calling there, are operated by South Western Railway. It is situated on the Ascot to Guildford line, 32 miles 8 chains (51.7 km) from London Waterloo.
Ash railway station serves the village of Ash in Surrey, England. The station is served by South Western Railway, who manage the station, and by Great Western Railway. It is situated on the Ascot to Guildford line and the North Downs Line, 36 miles 34 chains (58.6 km) from London Waterloo.
Micheldever railway station, in the village of Micheldever Station, serves Micheldever and the surrounding area in Hampshire, England. It is a flint building with an added veranda. The station is on the South West Main Line, 58 miles 4 chains (93.4 km) down the line from London Waterloo towards Southampton and is managed by South Western Railway. The station is near the A303 Basingstoke to Andover road approximately 2.5 miles (4 km) from the village.
The Ascot–Ash Vale line is a railway line in South East England running from Ascot to Ash Vale.
The Meon Valley Railway was a cross-country railway in Hampshire, England, that ran for 22 miles between Alton and Fareham, closely following the course of the River Meon. At its northern (Alton) end, it joined with the Alton Line from London. It was conceived as an additional main line to the area around Gosport, and it was opened in 1903. It never fulfilled its planned potential, and remained a local line through sparsely populated agricultural areas, and it closed to passenger services in 1955; some local goods services continued until total closure in 1968.
Preceding station | National Rail | Following station | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Bentley | South Western Railway Alton Line | Terminus | ||
Heritage railways | ||||
Terminus | Mid Hants Railway (Watercress Line) | Medstead & Four Marks | ||
Disused railways | ||||
Treloar's Hospital Platform Line and station closed | London and South Western Railway Basingstoke and Alton Light Railway | Terminus | ||
Terminus | British Rail Southern Region Meon Valley Railway | Farringdon Platform |