General information | |||||
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Location | Landport, Portsmouth, Hampshire, England | ||||
Grid reference | SU641002 | ||||
Managed by | South Western Railway | ||||
Platforms | 4 | ||||
Other information | |||||
Station code | PMS | ||||
Classification | DfT category C1 | ||||
History | |||||
Original company | London, Brighton and South Coast Railway | ||||
Pre-grouping | Portsmouth and Ryde Joint Railway | ||||
Post-grouping | Southern Railway | ||||
Key dates | |||||
14 June 1847 | Opened as Portsmouth | ||||
1866 | Reopened after rebuild | ||||
2 October 1876 | Renamed Portsmouth Town | ||||
1925 | Renamed Portsmouth & Southsea | ||||
Passengers | |||||
2019/20 | 1.990 million | ||||
Interchange | 25,972 | ||||
2020/21 | 0.528 million | ||||
Interchange | 6,479 | ||||
2021/22 | 1.422 million | ||||
Interchange | 16,031 | ||||
2022/23 | 1.707 million | ||||
Interchange | 21,158 | ||||
2023/24 | 1.736 million | ||||
Interchange | 24,344 | ||||
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Portsmouth &Southsea railway station is a Grade II listed building [1] 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.
The station,which is managed by South Western Railway,has ticket barriers in operation.
An earlier and smaller station building was opened as Portsmouth on 14 June 1847 and served as a terminus station. The present station was built in 1866 [2] and was further extended via additional high level platforms to Portsmouth Harbour in 1876. [3] It was later renamed Portsmouth Town on 2 October 1876 [3] to avoid confusion with other stations in Portsmouth,such as Portsmouth Harbour.
To the south of the passenger railway station and high level platforms,an adjoining railway goods station stood until 1936, [4] when it was relocated to Fratton Goods Yard. [5] [6] Currently,a Premier Inn hotel and University of Portsmouth student accommodation blocks now occupy the site of the former Portsmouth Town goods station.
The station's present-day name of Portsmouth &Southsea originates from 1925 after the closure of the Southsea Railway branch line,which had a terminus station in Southsea named East Southsea from 1885–1914. Competing trams and trolleybuses put the Southsea Railway out of business and was closed in 1914. Train passengers and tourists bound for Southsea were then diverted to Portsmouth's main railway station,Portsmouth Town which was later renamed Portsmouth &Southsea in 1925. [3] A year later,the town of Southsea became officially integrated into the city of Portsmouth on 21 April 1926 when Portsmouth was granted city status. [7]
Portsmouth &Southsea station was once the junction for the Portsmouth Dockyard branch,known as the Admiralty Line. The line opened in 1857 and branched off from the west end of today's platform 1 and passed through the east side of Victoria Park,close to the rear of Stanhope Road,before crossing Bishop Crispian Way via a level crossing (the gates still exist) and entering the naval base at the Unicorn Gate. The Admiralty Line was closed in 1977.
During the 1980s,Portsmouth &Southsea station lost three of its five low level platforms and adjoining sidings to redevelopment,a large Matalan retail store (originally a W.H.Smith Do It All DIY retailer) and car park were built on their location to the south of Station Street.
Part of the station,specifically the 1980s canopy over high level platforms 1 and 2,is still in its original red Network SouthEast livery. In early 2021 strengthening work was carried on Landport Viaduct which carries the high level platforms 1 &2. [8] [9]
Presently,the station is still informally and colloquially known as Town Station by Portsmouth's local population,despite Portsmouth having been awarded city status on 21 April 1926.
The station is located on the Portsmouth Direct line which runs between London Waterloo and Portsmouth Harbour. In addition there are regular services to Cardiff Central,Bristol Temple Meads,Southampton Central,Eastleigh,Guildford,Woking,Brighton,Gatwick Airport,East Croydon and London Victoria. The station is split into two distinct parts:the high level island (Platforms 1 and 2) for through trains to the Harbour,and the low level (bay Platforms 3 and 4) where some trains terminate. In addition,Hovertravel run a bus service from Portsmouth &Southsea which connects to their Hovercraft service from Southsea to the Isle of Wight. The Low terminal is located next to Ryde Esplanade,with a single price ticket for journeys via rail/hover/rail,similar to that provided by Wightlink from Portsmouth Harbour.
The Monday-Saturday off-peak service is:
Preceding station | National Rail | Following station | ||
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Fratton | South Western Railway Portsmouth Direct line | Portsmouth Harbour or Terminus | ||
Southern West Coastway line | ||||
Great Western Railway West Coastway line | ||||
Hovercraft services | ||||
Terminus | Hovertravel Hovercraft | Ryde Esplanade via Hoverbus |
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.
Raynes Park railway station serves the district of Raynes Park in the London Borough of Merton. It is 8 miles 51 chains (13.9 km) south-west of London Waterloo and is situated between Wimbledon and New Malden on the South West Main Line. The next station along on the Mole Valley branch line is Motspur Park.
Guildford railway station is at one of three main railway junctions on the Portsmouth Direct Line and serves the town of Guildford in Surrey, England. It is 30 miles 27 chains down the line from London Waterloo via Woking.
Petersfield railway station serves the market town of Petersfield, Hampshire, England. It is on the Portsmouth Direct line, 54 miles 71 chains (88.3 km) down the line from London Waterloo via Woking.
Fratton railway station is a railway station in the city of Portsmouth, on Portsea Island in England. It was opened in the Fratton area of Portsmouth on 1 July 1885 as an interchange station between the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway and the short-lived Southsea Railway branchline.
Woking railway station is a major stop in the town of Woking in 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. It is the busiest railway station in Surrey, as well as the fifth busiest in South East England, as of 2024.
Cosham railway station serves Cosham, a northern suburb of the city of Portsmouth, Hampshire in southern England. It is 90 miles 6 chains from London Waterloo.
Portsmouth Harbour railway station serves the city of Portsmouth, in Hampshire, England. It is situated in Portsmouth Harbour, between the Gunwharf Quays shopping centre and the Historic Dockyard. It is an important transport terminal, with a bus interchange and ferry services to Gosport and the Isle of Wight. Unusually for a main line railway station, it is built over water as the station was originally constructed on wooden piles, which were later replaced by iron supports.
Rowlands Castle railway station serves the village of Rowland's Castle, Hampshire, England. It is located on the Portsmouth Direct Line, 63 miles 18 chains (101.8 km) down the line from London Waterloo via Woking.
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.
Bedhampton railway station serves the former village of Bedhampton, now a suburb lying a mile west of the centre of Havant, in Hampshire, England.
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.
Farncombe railway station opened in 1897 as a minor stop on the Portsmouth Direct Line between Guildford and Godalming, England. It is said to have been built at the instigation of General Sir Frederick Marshall, a director of the London and South Western Railway Company, who lived nearby at Broadwater.
Godalming railway station is a stop on the Portsmouth Direct Line, 34 miles 37 chains (55.5 km) down the line from London Waterloo. The station, opened in 1859 to replace one on a different site, is situated at the edge of the town of Godalming, Surrey. The main station building is a Grade II listed building.
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.
Portchester railway station serves the village of Portchester in Hampshire, England, 87 miles 35 chains from London Waterloo. It was first opened by the LSWR in 1848 on their line from Fareham to Portsmouth.
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.
Haslemere railway station is on the Portsmouth Direct Line, serving the town of Haslemere, Surrey, England. It is 42 miles 79 chains (69.2 km) down the line from London Waterloo, measured via Woking.
Liss railway station is a stop on the Portsmouth Direct Line, serving the village of Liss in Hampshire, England, 51 miles 35 chains (82.8 km) down the line from London Waterloo via Woking. As a small station, for most of the day there is one train each way an hour. The station is managed by South Western Railway, which operates all trains serving it.
Railways in the Portsmouth area |
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