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Basingstoke railway station
|} Basingstoke railway station, in the town of Basingstoke in the county of Hampshire in England, is on the South Western Main Line from London Waterloo, with local and fast services operated by South West Trains. It is also the terminus of First Great Western local services on the Reading to Basingstoke line. Long distance cross-country services operated by CrossCountry to Bournemouth from Birmingham, and further north, join the main line from the branch there. The station is sponsored by Winterthur Life Insurance who are based in the town.
HistoryThe station was opened by the London and South Western Railway as a temporary terminus when its line to Southampton reached Basingstoke from London. It became a through station when the section running north from Southampton was completed later in 1839. Their intention to build a line from near Basingstoke to Bristol was dropped when the Great Western Railway was approved[1]. The L&SWR did, however plan a line to Salisbury from Basingstoke but this was delayed by financial difficulties. Eventually, it was built reaching Andover in 1854 and Salisbury three years later, before being extended to became the West of England Main Line. The Great Western Railway built its broad gauge line from Reading in 1845 with a separate station north of the L&SWR station. After its conversion to standard gauge in 1856, through services could run between Southampton and Reading. The GWR station was demolished in 1932.[2]. Although some through services were run to Windsor, there is no evidence that they ever ran to the GWR's London terminus at Paddington. Basingstoke station was the terminus of the Basingstoke and Alton Light Railway, opened in 1901 to prevent the GWR from building a line on this route towards Portsmouth. The line was never profitable and during the First World War which the track was sold off. After the war, Southern Railway had the line reopened, only for it to be closed finally in 1932. In the 1980s Platform 5 was converted to a bay platform to permit an entrance on the northern side. In 1993 an explosive device planted by the Provisional Irish Republican Army was found in a toilet, soon after a bomb scare at Reading railway station[3]. In 2001 a suitcase was left outside the station containing the mutilated body of a man in his twenties. He had been stabbed to death.[4] Anglia Railways ran a London Crosslink service from Ipswich to Basingstoke via Stratford and the North London Line using Class 170 'Turbostars' between May 2000 and September 2002. South West Trains also ran a local service from Reading to Brighton until timetable changes on December 9 2007. [5]. Southern railway services from Southampton and Portsmouth to Brighton were improved to compensate for that. [6] PlatformsThe station has five platforms, all of which can be used bi-directionally. They are above street level and are accessed via stairs and lifts from the booking hall and subway. Platform 1Platform 1 is the closest to the main entrance on the south side. It is used by terminating slow services to and from London Waterloo. Regional services to Southampton and Poole also stop here, along with westbound CrossCountry and freight services to Southampton and Bournemouth. Platforms 2 & 3Platform 2 shares the island platform with Platform 3. Platform 2 is used by the other mainline services to Portsmouth and Southampton from Waterloo. It is also used by trains on the West of England Main Line to Salisbury, where most trains continue further down to as far as Exeter or Plymouth. Some peak-time trains divide at Salisbury and run to Bristol Temple Meads. Coming the other way, these trains use Platform 3 and are the fastest trains to London Waterloo. Platform 4Some slower trains to London Waterloo use Platform 4, on the northern side of station. It is also used by northbound CrossCountry which head to Reading before reversing and continuing to Birmingham, and onwards to the north. Northbound freight trains from Southampton docks heading this way also pass through here. The rear entrance to the station is located on this platform. Platform 5Platform 5 is a bay platform used by stopping services to Reading on the Reading to Basingstoke line operated by First Great Western. FacilitiesThe station has two entrances. The main entrance to the south has access to a taxi rank, some car parks and a bus stop, with steps down to The Malls shopping centre. A bridge over Churchill Way leads to the bus station. Festival Place can be accessed from The Malls or the bus station, while Festival Square and the Top of Town are located beyond the bus station. The northern entrance on Platform 4 gives access to a car park.
The south booking hall has ticket facilities (including ticket machines), information and a small shop. The station is staffed all day, and both entrances have ticket barriers. Gallery<gallery> Image:Basingstoke_train_station_2.jpg|Platforms at Basingstoke Image:Basingstoke_train_station_3.jpg|The western end of the platforms Image:Basingstoke_train_station_1.jpg|The eastern end of bay platform 5, looking towards the junction Image:Aldershot, Ash, Shalford, Basingstoke, Guildford & Peasmarsh , Wimbledon RJD 4.jpg|1914 Railway Clearing House map of lines around Basingstoke </gallery> ServicesTypical off peak service patterns: South West Trains
Services are operated by Class 159, 444, 450 units, of which:
South Western Main Line - Westbound
Services are this route are operated by Class 444, 450 units. Some peak time additional services use 158s.
Services on this routes are operated by Class 159 units
Services on this route are operated using Class 220/221 units.
Services on this route are operated using Class 165 units.
ReferencesExternal links
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