On 4 July 1905,Fratton railway station's name was changed to Fratton &Southsea to promote its Southsea Railway branchline link to the seaside resort of Southsea.[4] After the Southsea Railway branchline was closed on 6 August 1914,the name of the station was eventually changed back to Fratton on 1 December 1921.[4] The Southsea name was later reused in 1925 to rename Portsmouth's main Portsmouth Town station to Portsmouth &Southsea,as Portsmouth would be elevated from a town to city status in 1926.
One mile to the east of Fratton railway station is Fratton Park,built in 1899 as the home football ground of Portsmouth F.C. Fratton Park's naming was purposely influenced by its proximity to the convenient Fratton railway station,although the stadium is actually located in the Milton district of Portsmouth.
Fratton is one of the four railway stations on Portsea Island. Due to its location as the last south-bound stop before the main Portsmouth &Southsea railway station,Fratton has been adopted in naval slang as a euphemism for the withdrawal method of contraception,"to get off at Fratton".[5] However,despite Portsmouth &Southsea often being considered the principal station,Fratton is,as of the 2023-24 data collection period,the busiest station in Portsmouth,with Portsmouth &Southsea placing at third place in usage within Portsmouth.[6]
Platforms
Normally,platforms 2 and 3 serve Portsmouth &Southsea and Portsmouth Harbour,with platform 1 serving all other destinations. Platforms 2 and 3 are also signalled to allow northbound passenger departures.
Between 1885 and 1914,a separate island platform at Fratton station served as the interchange platform to the short-lived Southsea Railway branchline. The island was accessed from a staircase built on the south-east side of the main footbridge.[7] This island was demolished after the Southsea Railway was closed. A modern train washing machine structure is now located on the site.
History
The main station buildings in Selbourne Terrace,Fratton.Fratton train wash,the former site of the Southsea Railwayisland platformFratton station pedestrian footbridge in Goldsmith Avenue.
The line through Fratton and into central Portsmouth was laid on the abandoned dry canal bed of the unsuccessful Portsmouth and Arundel Canal,which was opened in 1823 and closed in 1827,after seawater from the canal contaminated some of Portsmouth's fresh water wells. In 1845 parts of this section were sold to the Chichester to Portsmouth Branch Railway company with another section being sold to the company in 1851.[8] The former canal walls are still clearly visible between Fratton and Portsmouth city centre today. Canal barges also had an alternative route to and from Portsmouth via Portsbridge Creek,avoiding the need to move through Portsea Island.
The railway line through Fratton was planned by the Brighton and Chichester Railway as part of the Chichester to Portsmouth Branch Railway,approved in 1845.[9] The line was completed in 1847,the Brighton and Chichester railway merging with several other companies to form the London,Brighton and South Coast Railway in 1846,who went on to operate the line.
Fratton railway station was planned and built to serve as an interchange station between Portsmouth and the new one-and-a-quarter mile (2km) long Southsea Railway branch line,built to serve the fashionable Victorian seaside resort of Southsea. It was built with an additional island platform to the south of the station's three main platforms,which specifically served the Southsea Railway and was reached by a staircase leading from the main overhead footbridge.[7] This island platform and staircase was removed after the Southsea Railway was closed,its former location now has a modern train washing facility built over it.
Originally,an alternative interchange station for the Southsea Railway was to be built at Copnor,Portsmouth –at the purposely built Station Road –but it never was,with Fratton being the later preferred location. Ironically,Station Road still survives in Copnor today. The unbuilt station site,near today's Copnor Bridge,has since been developed with a short row of terraced houses,a bus stop and a public lavatory block.[10]
Fratton railway station and the Southsea Railway were jointly opened on 1 July 1885 by Lady Ada Mary Willis[2] (née Neeld),wife of General Sir George Willis,the Lieutenant Governor of Portsmouth.[3] Fratton railway station was used as the interchange station to the Southsea Railway branch line,whose original 1885 terminus at Southsea station was built on Granada Road,Southsea,replaced by East Southsea in 1904. On 4 July 1905,Fratton railway station's name was changed to Fratton &Southsea.[4]
In 1891,the main Portsmouth Town engine sheds were moved to the railway sidings at Fratton.[4] By 1914,with the threat of the First World War and an urgent need to expand railway freight sidings in Fratton,the loss-making Southsea Railway branch line was closed to passengers on 6 August 1914 and became an overflow freight siding,and never reopened.[4] After the war,Fratton &Southsea reverted to its original name of Fratton on 1 December 1921.[4] The Southsea name was later reused to rename the main Portsmouth Town station in 1925,to Portsmouth &Southsea.
After the Motive power depot closed in the late 1950s,some former sidings were used during the withdrawal of the South West Trains greyhound fleet around 2003. The same sidings were then used in 2007[11] and in 2009 for freight trials,this involved DB Schenker Rail (UK) hauling small container trains to and from Eastleigh.[12] The Idea was abandoned in 2010 due to running costs.
Portsmouth Area Resignalling (PARS)
The Portsmouth Area Resignalling project was instigated in late 2006,aiming to improve the flexibility of the track layout in the Fratton area. Platform 1 became the Up Main,Platform 3 became the Down Main with Platform 2 as a bidirectional through platform (although the main function of platform 2 is down line trains). Prior to the project,trains could not reverse south to north at Fratton in service.
The work,scheduled by Network Rail to take place between 23 December 2006 and 4 February 2007,was subject to a massive overrun. The works were first extended six weeks into mid-March 2007 but in late February it became obvious that there were major problems with the new equipment being installed by the contractor Siemens AG.[13]
Until 1 April 2007 there were only three trains per hour between Fratton and Portsmouth Harbour with the remaining services terminating at Fratton and passengers using a replacement bus service. After 2 April 2007 there were five trains per hour running between Fratton and Portsmouth –three South West Trains services,one Southern service and one Great Western Railway service with some services still terminating at Fratton with passengers forced to change to continue their journey. The 'six-week project' was eventually completed in October 2007 –some ten months after it started.
New footbridge
A new footbridge is now operational,linking the island platform (platforms 2 and 3) with the Up Main platform (1). This has stairs and lifts to allow disabled users full access to all trains,with lifts designed for easy wheelchair use.
Portsea Island is a flat and low-lying natural island 24.5 square kilometres in area, just off the southern coast of Hampshire in England. Portsea Island contains the majority of the city of Portsmouth.
The Portsmouth Direct line is a railway route between Woking in Surrey and Portsmouth Harbour in Hampshire, England. It forms the principal route for passenger trains between London, Guildford and Portsmouth; connections are made to the ferry services which operate between Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight. The final section of line from Havant to Portsmouth is shared with other passenger routes.
Worthing railway station is the largest of the five stations serving the town of Worthing in West Sussex. It is 10 miles 46 chains (17.0 km) down the line from Brighton. The station is managed by Southern who operate all the services. It is one of the main stations on the West Coastway Line; all timetabled trains stop here.
West Worthing railway station is one of five stations serving the town of Worthing in the county of West Sussex, England.. It is 11 miles 30 chains (18.3 km) down the line from Brighton. The station is operated by Southern.
Lancing railway station is in Lancing in the county of West Sussex, England. It is 8 miles 19 chains (13.3 km) down the line from Brighton. The station is operated by Southern.
Durrington-on-Sea railway station is in Goring, a suburb of Worthing in the county of West Sussex. It is 12 miles 13 chains (19.6 km) down the line from Brighton. The station is operated by Southern.
Goring-by-Sea railway station is in Goring by Sea in the county of West Sussex. It is 13 miles 7 chains (21.1 km) down the line from Brighton. The station is operated by Southern. It serves the Worthing suburb of Goring and the neighbouring village of Ferring. It is also located between two education facilities, thus providing a method of transport for students of St. Oscar Romero Catholic School and Northbrook College's West Durrington campus, also known as University Centre Worthing.
The Southsea Railway was a short railway branch line. It was built to give easier access from the jointly operated main line railway approaching Portsmouth to the Clarence Pier from which Isle of Wight ferries sailed. In 1879 the extension of the main line railway to Portsmouth Harbour station, where direct transfer from train to steamer was possible, eliminated most of the steamer business at Clarence Pier. Undeterred, promoters interested in developing Southsea projected the Southsea Railway, connecting a new Fratton station on the main line, with Southsea. The line was opened on 1 July 1885. Its independent promoters believed that it could be a main line terminus for London trains, and they constructed the line lavishly in consequence.
Portsmouth & Southsea railway station is a Grade II listed building and the main railway station in the city of Portsmouth in Hampshire, England. It is in the Landport area close to the Commercial Road shopping area. British Transport Police maintain a presence at the station. There is a taxi rank at the front of the building and regular local buses within five minutes' walking distance.
Hilsea railway station is a railway station on Airport Service Road, Hilsea, Portsmouth, England serving the northern end of Portsea Island, including a large industrial estate nearby. The station was once the closest to Portsmouth Airport, which was closed in 1973.
Havant railway station is a railway station in Havant, Hampshire, near Portsmouth, located on the Portsmouth Direct Line which runs between London Waterloo and Portsmouth Harbour.
Barnham railway station is in Barnham, West Sussex, England around 5 miles (8.0 km) north of Bognor Regis.
Chichester railway station is a railway station in the city of Chichester in West Sussex, England. It is 28 miles 51 chains from Brighton.
Fareham railway station is on the West Coastway Line, situated about 0.62 miles (1 km) from the town of Fareham in Hampshire, England. It is 84 miles 21 chains (135.6 km) down the line from London Waterloo.
Southampton Central is a main line railway 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.
Southwick railway station serves the town of Southwick in West Sussex, England. It is on the West Coastway Line, 4 miles 30 chains (7.0 km) from Brighton. It is operated by Southern. Its platforms are long enough for eight-coach trains.
Portslade railway station is a railway station located in Portslade-by-Sea in the city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, but located on the western fringes of the village of Aldrington. It is 2 miles 73 chains (4.7 km) down the line from Brighton.
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.
The Portsmouth and Ryde Joint Railway was a group of three railway lines in Southern England that were jointly owned and operated by the London and South Western Railway and the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway. The main line was between Cosham and Portsmouth Harbour; there was a branch from Fratton to East Southsea; and a line between Ryde Pier Head and Ryde St John's Road. The last-named section was isolated from the others, being on the Isle of Wight. The first section of line opened in 1847 and the last in 1885; the Southsea branch closed in 1914 but all of the other routes have since been electrified and remain open.
The Portsmouth to Brighton Railway was built by the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway and its immediate predecessor in several stages.
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