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General information | |
Location | Poole, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole England |
Grid reference | SZ012911 |
Managed by | South Western Railway |
Platforms | 2 |
Other information | |
Station code | POO |
Classification | DfT category C1 |
History | |
Opened | 2 December 1872 |
Pre-grouping | London and South Western Railway |
Post-grouping | Southern Railway |
Passengers | |
2017/18 | ![]() |
Interchange | 6,064 |
2018/19 | ![]() |
Interchange | ![]() |
2019/20 | ![]() |
Interchange | ![]() |
2020/21 | ![]() |
Interchange | ![]() |
2021/22 | ![]() |
Interchange | ![]() |
Notes | |
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road |
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. [note 1]
The station is operated by South Western Railway and is served by London to Weymouth express and semi-fast services. It is also the terminus for the London to Poole stopping service. Virgin CrossCountry used to operate services from Poole to the North West and Scotland but since 2007 these now start/terminate at Bournemouth. [1]
The first Poole station was on the western side of Holes Bay,at the location that ultimately became Hamworthy Goods. There was a branch to the west of Holes Bay from Poole Junction (now Hamworthy) to the station called Poole,situated to the west of the bridge over the inlet. This was the "Poole" station that Somerset &Dorset trains originally reached over L&SWR tracks,after reversing at Wimborne.
This was inconvenient for the town of Poole,and the L&SWR interest built a railway to reach Poole itself from a new junction at what is now Broadstone,opening on 2 December 1872.
The new station was called New Poole,and the junction station at what is now Broadstone was called New Poole Junction. When this caused confusion,the New Poole Junction station was renamed Broadstone,naming it after the nearby Broadstone Farm.
The original New Poole station buildings were built on the London-bound platform,close to the site of Towngate Bridge which replaced a level crossing in 1971. Following the opening of the Bournemouth Direct Railway line via Sway in 1888,the platforms' direction of travel was reversed. The Victorian buildings were replaced by a British Rail prefabricated structure on the other side of the line in the 1970s. This was replaced by the current station building built in the late 1980s. In 2004 proposals were drawn up for the current station buildings and footbridge to be replaced as part of redevelopment plans for the old goods yard. A hotel was to be built on the site of the current station building,however as of 2010 these plans have not progressed. [2]
Until 1967,trains through Poole were normally steam hauled. Between 1967 and 1988,passenger services on the London Waterloo-Weymouth line were normally provided by Class 33/1 diesel locomotives with Class 438 coaching stock (also known as 4-TC units). The line through Poole was electrified in 1988,using the standard British Rail Southern Region direct current third rail at 750 volts. Class 442 electric multiple units were initially used following electrification,until being displaced by new Class 444 electric multiple units in 2007. Nowadays,a mix of Class 444 and Class 450 units are in use.
The station has two platforms capable of handling trains of 12 coaches,platform 1 is bi-directional. Trains from London terminating at the station regularly use platform 1 before moving to the empty stock sidings further west and reversing for the return service. There was a goods line to Poole Quay which joined the main line at the Hamworthy end of the station. It ran along part of what is now the Holes Bay relief road and West Quay Road. It closed in May 1960 and was removed in 1961.
Poole station is 113 miles 62 chains (183.1 km) from Waterloo. The Engineers line reference code for the line is BML2. [3]
Under the station name signs on the platforms are additional boards informing passengers that Poole is the home of Bournemouth University,the main campus of which is located in the Talbot Village area of the borough. The signs replaced most of the ones displaying the Condor Ferries logo with information on alighting at the station for services to the Channel Islands,though some remain on the station building. The Condor signs,the original version of which were installed in 1997,were in place due to the Condor Ferries Rail/Sea through ticketing scheme which includes a taxi to the Harbour ferry port from Poole station.
There is no passenger service along the railway line linking Poole station with Poole Harbour ferry terminal;however,it is only a 15-minute walk and there is a regular bus service provided by Wilts &Dorset (t/a Morebus) to a stop close to the port (Routes 8/9).
Facilities include: [4]
Train running information is provided via digital information displays,timetable poster boards,customer help points and automated announcements. Step-free access is available to both platforms via a ramped underpass.
The station is served by South Western Railway.
The typical off-peak stopping pattern of this station,as of June 2021,is below:
The Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway, also known as the S&D, SDJR or S&DJR, was an English railway line connecting Bath and Bournemouth, with a branch from Evercreech Junction to Burnham-on-Sea and Bridgwater. Strictly speaking, the main line ran from Bath Junction to Broadstone, as the line between Broadstone and Bournemouth was owned by the London and South Western Railway, while the line between Bath Junction and Bath was owned by the Midland Railway.
Upton is a town in south-east Dorset, England. Upton is to the east of Holton Heath and Upton Heath, and to the north of the Poole suburb of Hamworthy. It is the second largest town in the Purbeck Hills.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Parkstone railway station serves the Parkstone area of Poole in Dorset, England. The platform sign formerly read "Parkstone ".
Hamworthy railway station serves Hamworthy, an area of Poole in Dorset, England. It is 115 miles 77 chains (186.6 km) down the line from London Waterloo.
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.
The Salisbury and Dorset Junction Railway was a railway company, that built a line from a junction near Salisbury to another near West Moors on the Ringwood to Wimborne line. It ran through the counties of Wiltshire, Hampshire and Dorset in England. It opened the line in 1866, and was worked by the London and South Western Railway (LSWR).
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.
Wimborne was a railway station in Wimborne Minster in the county of Dorset in England. Open from 1 June 1847 to 2 May 1977, it was sited just north of the River Stour in what is still Station Road. Built for the Southampton and Dorchester Railway, the station was operated from the start by the London and South Western Railway, which took over ownership in 1848. It was then operated by the Southern Railway (1923–47) and from 1948 by the Southern Region of British Railways which traded as British Rail from 1965.
Broadstone was a railway station in the northern part of the Borough of Poole in the county of Dorset in England. It opened in 1872 under the name of New Poole Junction and closed to passengers in 1966 and to goods in 1969. Between these dates there were several changes of name for a station which at its height provided a suburb of Poole with four substantial platforms and a goods yard. A prominent feature of the station was the large footbridge needed to span the four running lines.
Preceding station | ![]() | Following station | ||
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Parkstone or Bournemouth | South Western Railway South West Main Line | Hamworthy | ||
Disused railways | ||||
Parkstone | Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway LSWR and Midland Railways | Creekmoor Halt | ||
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Terminus (Poole Harbour) | Brittany Ferries Ferry | Cherbourg Maritime | ||
Terminus (Poole Harbour) | Condor Ferries high-speed catamaran | St Peter Port | ||
St Helier |
This station offers access to the South West Coast Path | |
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Distance to path | 4 miles (plus ferry) |
Next station clockwise | Swanage 12 miles total |