General information | |
---|---|
Location | Bournemouth, Dorset, England |
Grid reference | SZ096919 |
Managed by | South Western Railway |
Platforms | 4 |
Other information | |
Station code | BMH |
Classification | DfT category C1 |
History | |
Pre-grouping | London and South Western Railway |
Post-grouping | Southern Railway |
Key dates | |
20 July 1885 | Opened (Bournemouth East) |
1 May 1899 | Renamed (Bournemouth Central) |
10 July 1967 | Renamed (Bournemouth) |
Passengers | |
2018/19 | 2.752 million |
Interchange | 48,752 |
2019/20 | 2.526 million |
Interchange | 64,754 |
2020/21 | 0.698 million |
Interchange | 13,233 |
2021/22 | 2.010 million |
Interchange | 39,650 |
2022/23 | 2.430 million |
Interchange | 48,487 |
Notes | |
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road |
Railways in the Bournemouth area | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Bournemouth railway station is the main railway station serving the seaside town of Bournemouth, Dorset, England. It was previously known as Bournemouth East (1885 to 1899) and then Bournemouth Central (1899 to 1967). It has long been treated as an obligatory stop (major stop) on the South West Main Line from London Waterloo to Weymouth. It is 108 miles 2 chains (173.8 km) down the main line from Waterloo [note 1] and is situated between Pokesdown and Branksome.
A previous incarnation of Bournemouth East station was on another site. Ticket barriers were installed in 2008 and British Transport Police have a Bournemouth office at the station which acts as a regional hub. [1]
The station was designed by William Jacob, chief engineer of the London and South Western Railway, and opened on 20 July 1885 as Bournemouth East replacing the original station of the same name on the other side of Holdenhurst Road from 1870 to 1885, see Bournemouth East railway station (Ringwood, Christchurch and Bournemouth Railway). [2] The station was over 1 km (0.62 mi) from the town centre on the insistence of town authorities of the time. It was renamed Bournemouth Central on 1 May 1899 and became Bournemouth on 10 July 1967 following the closure of Bournemouth West. By 1967 third rail electrification had reached Bournemouth and continued beyond to Branksome and Bournemouth Train & Rolling Stock Maintenance Depot but no further. From the end of steam most trains were formed of 4REP EMUs coupled up with one or more unpowered 4TC units. The 4TC units would be uncoupled at Bournemouth and attached to a Class 33/1 diesel locomotive for the onward journey to Weymouth. This continued until the electrification of the line from Branksome to Weymouth and the introduction of Class 442 units in 1988. The end of steam also saw the removal of the station's centre tracks which ran between the up and down lines serving platforms 2 and 3 respectively and the demolition of the locomotive sheds to the west; the station car park took over their site.
The station roof was severely damaged by the Great Storm of 1987 that hit the South of England. It was extensively refurbished in 2000 by Railtrack after many years of disrepair and being surrounded by scaffolding to protect people from falling debris.
Ticket barriers were installed in 2008.
Bournemouth railway station was once served by services and goods deliveries across five railways, the South West Main Line, Southampton and Dorchester Railway, Ringwood, Christchurch and Bournemouth Railway, Salisbury and Dorset Junction Railway and Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway.
On 2 September 1961, a train, hauled by SR West Country Class 4-6-2 No. 34045 Ottery St. Mary, was derailed by trap points at the west end of the down platform. [3]
The station has four platforms:
Platforms 3 and 4 are continuous, and both can accommodate full-length trains. This means Bournemouth has one of the longest platforms in the country. Other stations with this arrangement include Gloucester, Cambridge, Bristol Temple Meads and Edinburgh Waverley.
A small locomotive depot was opened at Bournemouth East in 1870, but closed in 1883. [4] This was replaced by a larger shed, adjacent to Bournemouth Central station, in 1883. This in turn was supplemented by another shed nearby in 1888. In 1921, the 1883 shed was closed and the 1888 one was extended to increase capacity, and between 1936 and 1938 this was rebuilt and enlarged. The new shed included a 65 ft (20 m) turntable and a 50 LT (51 t) hoist. However the facilities remained cramped and awkwardly sited; there were proposals to move the depot to Branksome which were never implemented. This site therefore remained in use until June 1967 when the site was cleared. [5]
The station is fully accessible, with an underpass going from Platform 3 to Platform 2. [6]
The station is primarily served by South Western Railway, who operate fast and semi-fast trains from London Waterloo to Weymouth or Poole, and stopping services from Winchester to Bournemouth. [7]
CrossCountry operate services from Bournemouth to Manchester Piccadilly via Birmingham New Street. [8] All CrossCountry services at Bournemouth use Voyagers. Before the CrossCountry service was standardised in 2007 there were for many years CrossCountry services to many other destinations, including the Dorset Scot, Pines Express and Wessex Scot and other trains to Scotland via both the West Coast Main Line and East Coast Main Line, along with trains to Leeds and to Liverpool Lime Street.
As of 2024, the typical off peak stopping pattern at the station is as follows: [9]
Preceding station | National Rail | Following station | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Brockenhurst or Southampton Central | CrossCountry Manchester–Bournemouth | Terminus | ||
Pokesdown or New Milton or Brockenhurst | South Western Railway London–Weymouth | Branksome or Poole | ||
Historical railways | ||||
Boscombe Line open, station closed | London and South Western Railway Southampton and Dorchester Railway | Meyrick Park Halt Line open, station closed |
In May 1994, Network SouthEast extended its service London Victoria to Southampton Central service to terminate at Bournemouth. [10] It was truncated back to Southampton Central in the 2000s by Southern. The service was one of the few regular services to use platform 1.
Bournemouth railway station also serves as a hub for local bus services. On the down side of the station is Bournemouth Travel Interchange which is served by morebus, operating frequent buses to the town centre. A regular bus service to Bournemouth Airport, the 737, is operated by morebus. It is also a stop on National Express coach routes which serve the town. The station was served by Yellow Buses until their collapse on 4 August 2022. [11]
Stagecoach South Western Trains Limited, trading as South West Trains (SWT), was an English train operating company owned by Stagecoach, which operated the South Western franchise between February 1996 and August 2017.
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.
The South West Main Line (SWML) is a 143-mile major railway line between Waterloo station in central London and Weymouth on the south coast of England. A predominantly passenger line, it serves many commuter areas including south western suburbs of London and the conurbations based on Southampton and Bournemouth. It runs through the counties of Surrey, Hampshire and Dorset. It forms the core of the network built by the London and South Western Railway, today mostly operated by South Western Railway.
Basingstoke railway station serves the town of Basingstoke in the county of Hampshire in England. It is on the South West Main Line from London Waterloo, with local and fast services operated by South Western Railway. It is the terminus of Great Western Railway local services on the Reading to Basingstoke Line. Long-distance cross-country services operated by CrossCountry to Bournemouth from Birmingham, Manchester and further north, join the main line from the branch there.
Brockenhurst railway station serves the village of Brockenhurst in Hampshire, England. It is located on the South West Main Line from London Waterloo to Weymouth. It is also the junction of the Lymington Branch Line with the main line. It is 92 miles 66 chains (149.4 km) down the line from Waterloo. It is managed and served by South Western Railway and it is also served by CrossCountry trains.
Woking railway station is a major stop in Woking, England, on the South West Main Line used by many commuters. It is 24 miles 27 chains (39.2 km) down the line from London Waterloo. The station is managed by South Western Railway, who operate all trains serving it.
Pokesdown railway station serves the Pokesdown, Boscombe and Southbourne areas of Bournemouth in Dorset, England. It is on the South West Main Line, 106 miles 24 chains (171.1 km) down the line from London Waterloo.
Branksome railway station serves the Branksome and Branksome Park areas of Poole in Dorset, England. It is on the South West Main Line, 110 miles 51 chains (178.1 km) down the line from London Waterloo.
Branksome is a suburb of Poole, in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole district, in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. The area consists of residential properties and also a number of commercial and industrial areas.
Southampton Central railway station is a main line station serving the city of Southampton in Hampshire, southern England. It is on the South West Main Line and also serves the Wessex Main Line and the West Coastway Line. The station is approached from the London direction by passing through Southampton Tunnel and is 79 miles 19 chains (127.5 km) measured from London Waterloo. It is the busiest station in Hampshire, and the fifth busiest in South East England.
Fleet railway station serves the town of Fleet in Hampshire, England. It is situated on the South West Main Line, which has four tracks through the station. There are two platforms on the outer pair of tracks, which are served by trains between London Waterloo and Basingstoke and Southampton. The centre pair of tracks have no platforms and are used by through-services.
Christchurch railway station serves the town of Christchurch in Dorset, England. The station is on the London Waterloo to Weymouth line operated by South Western Railway. It is 104 miles 28 chains (167.9 km) down the line from Waterloo.
Dorchester South railway station is one of two stations serving the town of Dorchester in Dorset, England, the other one being Dorchester West. The station is on the South West Main Line. It is 135 miles 70 chains (218.7 km) down the line from London Waterloo and is situated between Moreton and Upwey. The station is managed by South Western Railway, who operate all trains serving it.
Southampton Airport Parkway railway station is on the South West Main Line located in the south of Eastleigh in Hampshire, England, 74 miles 66 chains (120.4 km) down the line from London Waterloo. It is adjacent to Southampton Airport.
Sway railway station serves the village of Sway in Hampshire, England. It is located on the South West Main Line from London Waterloo to Weymouth. It is 95 miles 45 chains (153.8 km) down the line from Waterloo.
Redbridge railway station is a small station in the Redbridge area of Southampton, England. The station is located at the junction of the Wessex Main Line, towards Cardiff Central and the South West Main Line towards Weymouth, although most trains calling at Redbridge continue along the Wessex Main Line; trains on the South West Main Line usually pass through without stopping. It is 81 miles 70 chains (131.8 km) from London Waterloo.
Totton railway station serves the towns of Totton and Eling, 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.
Hinton Admiral railway station is a station serving the villages of Bransgore and Hinton and the seaside town of Highcliffe on the Hampshire/Dorset border in southern England. It is 101 miles 5 chains (162.6 km) down the line from London Waterloo.
Poole railway station is on the South West Main Line serving the town of Poole in Dorset, England. It is situated in the town centre next to Holes Bay. It is one of four stations in the Borough of Poole and is 113 miles 62 chains (183.1 km) down the main line from London Waterloo.
South Western Railway is a British train operating company owned by FirstGroup (70%) and MTR Corporation (30%) that operates the South Western franchise.