![]() Dorchester South railway station in July 2005 | |
General information | |
Location | Dorchester, Dorset England |
Coordinates | 50°42′32″N2°26′13″W / 50.709°N 2.437°W Coordinates: 50°42′32″N2°26′13″W / 50.709°N 2.437°W |
Grid reference | SY692900 |
Managed by | South Western Railway |
Platforms | 2 |
Other information | |
Station code | DCH |
Classification | DfT category D |
History | |
Original company | Southampton and Dorchester Railway |
Pre-grouping | London and South Western Railway |
Post-grouping | Southern Railway |
Key dates | |
1 June 1847 | Terminus opened as Dorchester |
1878 | Westbound through platform opened |
26 September 1949 | Renamed Dorchester South |
1970 | Eastbound through platform opened |
Passengers | |
2017/18 | ![]() |
Interchange | ![]() |
2018/19 | ![]() |
Interchange | ![]() |
2019/20 | ![]() |
Interchange | ![]() |
2020/21 | ![]() |
Interchange | ![]() |
2021/22 | ![]() |
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Notes | |
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road |
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 [note 1] and is situated between Moreton and Upwey. The station is managed by South Western Railway,who operate all trains serving it.
The station opened on 1 June 1847 when the Southampton and Dorchester Railway was completed. [1] [2] The station was built as an east facing terminus with the intent of continuing the line westwards towards Exeter. [3] These plans were never realised,and instead another line was built from the terminus towards Weymouth. This joined with the Great Western Railway's line (now the Heart of Wessex Line) from Dorchester West and continued as a joint line to Weymouth.[ citation needed ]
Originally named Dorchester,the station was renamed Dorchester South on 26 September 1949. [1] The station remained a terminus with trains from Bournemouth having to enter the station,reverse out back the way they came then reverse again and proceed to Weymouth. Trains from Weymouth had to pass the station,then reverse into it,and then back out. [3] This process often caused delays and brought criticism following an accident in 1877. As a result,a curved platform was provided for southbound trains;this was brought into use during 1878. [4] Eastbound trains still reversed into the original platform until 1970 when a platform was built on the curve. The buildings on the trackless original platform remained in use until 1989. As part of the modernisation work preparatory to electrification a new booking hall was built on the curved platform,replacing the building on the original platform which was then demolished.
The Southampton and Dorchester Railway constructed a motive power depot at the station in 1847 together with a coal stage and turntable. This closed in 1957 and was demolished soon afterwards. [13]
During late 2010/early 2011, CCTV monitor podiums were installed on platform 1 (similar to those used on the London Underground) so as to allow the guards of each London-bound train to have easier visuals of the platforms (because platform 1 has a tight curve, and makes it difficult to see the length of the platform whilst a train is in the vicinity of the station). New entrances have also been constructed from the southern end of platform 1 to the adjacent car park, as well as new waiting shelters built near the new entrance and on the site of the former brick hut on platform 2.
All services at Dorchester South are operated by South Western Railway.
On weekdays and Saturdays, the station is served by two trains per hour between London Waterloo and Weymouth. [14]
One of these is a stopping service calling at most stops northbound to Winchester, then Basingstoke, Clapham Junction and London Waterloo. Southbound this service calls at Upwey and Weymouth.
The second is a semi-fast service calling at principal stations only northbound to Winchester, then Woking and London Waterloo. Southbound, this service runs non-stop to Weymouth.
On Sundays, the service is reduced to hourly in each direction.
A less frequent service is also available from the nearby Dorchester West station, which is served by Great Western Railway, with trains heading towards Westbury, Bristol Temple Meads and Gloucester.
Preceding station | ![]() | Following station | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Moreton or Wareham | South Western Railway | Upwey or Weymouth |
The London and South Western Railway was a railway company in England from 1838 to 1922. Originating as the London and Southampton Railway, its network extended to Dorchester and Weymouth, to Salisbury, Exeter and Plymouth, and to Padstow, Ilfracombe and Bude. It developed a network of routes in Hampshire, Surrey and Berkshire, including Portsmouth and Reading.
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. Network Rail refers to it as the South West Main Line.
Didcot Parkway is a railway station serving the town of Didcot in Oxfordshire, England. The station was opened as Didcot on 12 June 1844 and renamed Didcot Parkway on 29 July 1985 by British Rail to reflect its role as a park and ride railhead. It is 53 miles 10 chains down the line from London Paddington and is situated between Cholsey to the east and Swindon to the west.
Exeter St Davids is the principal railway station serving the city of Exeter in Devon, England. It is 193 miles 72 chains from the zero point at London Paddington on the line through Bristol which continues to Plymouth and Penzance. It is also served by an alternative route to London Waterloo via Salisbury and branch lines to Exmouth, Barnstaple, and Okehampton. It is currently managed by Great Western Railway and is served by trains operated by Great Western Railway, South Western Railway and CrossCountry.
Yeovil Pen Mill railway station is one of two stations serving the town of Yeovil, Somerset, England. The station is situated just under a mile to the east of the town centre. The station is located 59.5 miles (96 km) south of Bristol Temple Meads, on the Heart of Wessex Line. The station is managed by Great Western Railway, with trains being operated by them and by South Western Railway.
Bournemouth railway station is the main railway station serving the seaside town of Bournemouth, Dorset, England. It was previously known as Bournemouth East and then Bournemouth Central. It has long been treated as an obligatory 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 and is situated between Pokesdown and Branksome.
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.
Weymouth railway station is the main railway station serving the town of Weymouth, Dorset, England. The station is the southern terminus of both the South West Main Line, 142 miles 64 chains (229.8 km) down the line from London Waterloo, and the Heart of Wessex Line from Bristol Temple Meads and Gloucester, 168 miles 63 chains (271.6 km) from London Paddington.
Upwey railway station serves the urban areas of Broadwey, Upwey and Littlemoor which are northern suburbs of Weymouth, Dorset, England. The station is situated on the South West Main Line, 140 miles 31 chains (225.9 km) from London Waterloo and on the Heart of Wessex Line, 166 miles 30 chains (267.8 km) from London Paddington.
Dorchester West railway station is one of two railway stations serving the town of Dorchester in Dorset, England. The station is managed by Great Western Railway. The station is located on the Heart of Wessex Line between Castle Cary and Weymouth, 161.63 miles from the zero point at London Paddington, and is at the southern end of a single track section from Maiden Newton. The line becomes double at the station and remains so to just before nearby Dorchester Junction, where the line joins the South West Main Line from London Waterloo to Weymouth.
Maiden Newton railway station is a railway station serving the village of Maiden Newton in Dorset, England. The station is located on the Heart of Wessex, 154.12 miles from the zero point at London Paddington, measured via Swindon and Westbury.
Castle Cary railway station is on the Reading to Taunton line 115.25 miles (185.48 km) south west of London Paddington and the Bristol to Weymouth line 47.75 miles (77 km) south of Bristol Temple Meads. The two routes share tracks between Westbury and Castle Cary stations and are both operated by Great Western Railway, which also manages the station. The station is 1 mile (1.6 km) north of the town of Castle Cary and 5 miles (8 km) south of Shepton Mallet in a largely rural area of Somerset, England.
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.
Bruton railway station serves a largely rural area in the county of Somerset in England. The station is situated in the market town of Bruton. The station is on the Bristol to Weymouth line some 32.75 miles (53 km) south of Bath Spa. Trains on the Reading to Taunton line pass through the station but do not normally stop. Services are operated by Great Western Railway and South Western Railway.
Ringwood is a closed railway station in the county of Hampshire, England which served the town of Ringwood. It lay on the former Southampton and Dorchester Railway, the original main line from a connection with the London and South Western Railway at Southampton through Brockenhurst to Dorchester.
Frome railway station serves a largely rural area of the county of Somerset in England, and is situated in the town of Frome. The station is located on a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) long branch line which loops off the main line railway, which carries services on both the Reading to Taunton line and Bristol to Weymouth route. Most of the trains which take the loop line in order to serve Frome station are on the Bristol to Weymouth route, and most trains on the Reading to Taunton line by-pass the station on the main line. The station is 22.25 miles (36 km) south of Bath Spa on the Bristol to Weymouth line, it is owned by Network Rail and is operated by Great Western Railway.
The Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth Railway (WS&WR) was an early railway company in south-western England. It obtained Parliamentary powers in 1845 to build a railway from near Chippenham in Wiltshire, southward to Salisbury and Weymouth in Dorset. It opened the first part of the network but found it impossible to raise further money and sold its line to the Great Western Railway (GWR) in 1850.
The Abbotsbury Railway was a standard gauge railway line which ran in the west of the county of Dorset in England opening in 1885. Although great hopes of mineral traffic drove the original construction of the line, these failed to materialise and after a quiet existence carrying local passengers and agricultural produce, the line closed in 1952.
The Southampton and Dorchester Railway was an English railway company formed to join Southampton in Hampshire with Dorchester in Dorset, with hopes of forming part of a route from London to Exeter. It received Parliamentary authority in 1845 and opened in 1847. It was promoted by Charles Castleman of Wimborne Minster, and became known as Castleman's Corkscrew because of the meandering route it followed.
The Ringwood, Christchurch and Bournemouth Railway was a railway company to link Christchurch and Bournemouth, England, to the London and South Western Railway's Southampton and Dorchester line at Ringwood. The RC&BR opened in 1862 from Christchurch to Ringwood, and was extended to Bournemouth in 1870, sharing in the growing popularity of the town. However the route was circuitous, and the London and South Western Railway opened a shorter route between Brockenhurst and Christchurch via Sway in 1888, making the Ringwood to Christchurch section a branch line.
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