Weybridge railway station

Weybridge
National Rail
General information
LocationWeybridge, Elmbridge
England
Coordinates51°21′42″N 0°27′27″W / 51.3616°N 0.4575°W / 51.3616; -0.4575
Grid referenceTQ074636
Managed bySouth Western Railway
Platforms3
Tracks5
Other information
Station codeWYB
ClassificationDfT category C2
History
Opened21 May 1838
Passengers
2018/19Increase 2.384 million
 Interchange  0.671 million
2019/20Decrease 2.227 million
 Interchange Decrease 0.597 million
2020/21Decrease 0.420 million
 Interchange Decrease 0.193 million
2021/22Increase 1.234 million
 Interchange Increase 0.420 million
2022/23Increase 1.681 million
 Interchange Increase 0.474 million
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

Weybridge railway station is near the established midpoint of Weybridge in Surrey, England and south of its town centre. It is on the South West Main Line and operated by South Western Railway.

It is 19 miles 12 chains (30.8 km) from London Waterloo[note 1] and is situated between Walton-on-Thames and Byfleet & New Haw on the main line. The Chertsey branch line diverges from the main line here and runs to Virginia Water.

History

[edit]

The station was opened by the London and Southampton Railway (L&SR) on 21 May 1838.[1] The L&SR had not intended to construct a station at Weybridge, but was required by the authorizing Act of Parliament to build two road bridges over the line near the town. Following a negotiation with the Weybridge vestry, the company agreed to open a station on a trial basis for 12 months in exchange for being allowed to build only one bridge.[2] Two platforms were constructed in the deep cutting between St George's Hill and Weybridge Heath and the main station building, on the north side of the line, was at road level. Initially, the typical journey time to London was around an hour and, by 1841, a mail train was stopping daily.[3]

The branch to Chertsey, which joined the main line via an east-facing junction, was constructed in 1848.[3] It was not until 1885 that Byfleet Junction was constructed, creating the triangle of lines to the west of Weybridge station.[4] Additional tracks on the main line through the station were added in 1885[5] and 1902.[6] A new station building, equipped with luggage lifts, was built between 1902 and 1904 in conjunction with the quadrupling work,[7] but was destroyed by an arson attack in January 1987.[8]

By 1895, there was a freight yard with a goods shed to the north west of the station.[9] The yard closed in 1964 and by the mid-1980s the area was being used by a coal merchant and for the station car park.[10] The lines through the station were electrified in 1907,[11] although steam locomotives continued to haul long-distance express services through Weybridge until 1967.[3] The 68-lever signal box was closed on 22 March 1970, when control of the lines in the Weybridge area was transferred to Surbiton Panel Box.[12]

The development of the railway lines in the Weybridge area
1848
1866
1903

Service

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South Western Railway operate northbound services to London Waterloo, via Surbiton or Chertsey, inner suburban southbound services to Woking and outer suburban services to Basingstoke.

The typical off-peak Monday to Friday service is:

Platform 1

Platform 2

  • 4tph to London Waterloo via Surbiton (2 fast, 2 semi-fast)

Platform 3

Amenities and immediate surroundings

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A pub with large car park, nightclub and Saint George's Hill adjoin the north and east of the station respectively. The business estate, museum of Brooklands and Brooklands College adjoin the other sides. The station is close to the approximate midpoint of the medieval parish boundaries of Weybridge.[13]

Bus routes 436, 515 and the Cobham Chatterbus serve the station.[14]

[edit]

Scenes of the Dam Busters were filmed at the station, as Wallis had lived nearby.[15]

Notes

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  1. ^ Railways in the United Kingdom historically are measured in miles and chains. There are 80 chains to one mile.

References

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  1. ^ Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (1989). Branch lines around Ascot. Midhurst: Middleton Press. Fig. 32. ISBN 0-906520-64-9.
  2. ^ Douglas Smith, John (2003). Weybridge Station. Weybridge Station: Walton & Weybridge Local History Society. p. ii.
  3. ^ a b c White, Neil (1999). Weybridge Past. Chichester: Phillimore. pp. 40–43. ISBN 1-86077-086-X.
  4. ^ Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (1986). Waterloo to Woking. Midhurst: Middleton Press. Fig. 108. ISBN 0-906520-38-X.
  5. ^ Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (1986). Waterloo to Woking. Midhurst: Middleton Press. Fig. XXIX. ISBN 0-906520-38-X.
  6. ^ Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (1986). Waterloo to Woking. Midhurst: Middleton Press. Fig. 103. ISBN 0-906520-38-X.
  7. ^ Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (1986). Waterloo to Woking. Midhurst: Middleton Press. Fig. 102. ISBN 0-906520-38-X.
  8. ^ Douglas Smith, John (2003). Weybridge Station. Weybridge Station: Walton & Weybridge Local History Society. p. 53.
  9. ^ Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (1986). Waterloo to Woking. Midhurst: Middleton Press. Fig. XXIX. ISBN 0-906520-38-X.
  10. ^ Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (1986). Waterloo to Woking. Midhurst: Middleton Press. Fig. 107. ISBN 0-906520-38-X.
  11. ^ "Electric Trains to Weybridge". The Times. No. 47565. London. 23 December 1936. p. 2.
  12. ^ Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (1986). Waterloo to Woking. Midhurst: Middleton Press. Fig. 106. ISBN 0-906520-38-X.
  13. ^ H.E. Malden (editor) (1911) Index Map Retrieved 11 January 2014.
  14. ^ "Chertsey, Addlestone and Weybridge" (PDF). Surrey County Council. 2 September 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 January 2018. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
  15. ^ Market Harborough Advertiser Thursday 6 October 1955, page 5
[edit]
Preceding station National Rail National Rail Following station
Walton-on-Thames   South Western Railway
  Byfleet & New Haw
  South Western Railway
  Woking
Addlestone   South Western Railway
  Terminus