Aldershot railway station
Encyclopedia
Aldershot railway station is on Station Road, near the town centre of Aldershot
, Hampshire
, England
. It is on the Alton Line
, part of the National Rail
network, with train services and station facilities provided by South West Trains
.
Aldershot railway station has the three-letter code AHT. This code is used, for example, to pinpoint Aldershot when using National Rail Live Departure Boards. The station's National Location Code
(NLC) is 5623. This code can be seen on tickets issued by the ticket office. Tickets issued by the ticket vending machine
show the location 3130.
Work started on 8 December 2008 to install ticket gates to help combat fare evasion.
, it became part of the Southern Railway
during the Grouping
of 1923. The station then passed on to the Southern Region of British Railways
on nationalisation in 1948.
When Sectorisation
was introduced in the 1980s, the station was served by Network SouthEast
until the Privatisation of British Rail
ways.
, Alton
, Guildford
and Ascot
.
The typical off-peak service (Monday to Saturday) from the station is:
There are 2 new TicketXpress
ticket vending machines which now reside outside the entrance to the booking hall, making them accessible when the station booking hall is closed. They are available at all times, except when remotely disabled when there is no service, such as at Christmas. These new machines sell tickets to many stations in Great Britain
and accept major credit
and debit
cards.
The QuickFare
self-service ticket machine (removed October 2006) accepted coin
s and banknote
s and issued tickets to a variety of local destinations, as well as issuing tickets for the station car park
. Discounts were available for holders of most Railcards. QuickFare ticket machines were used by British Rail
and the Train Companies for many years, providing easy access to tickets at unstaffed stations and at times when ticket offices were closed.
The QuickFare ticket machine at Aldershot station was located inside the booking hall on platform one.
The spot where it once stood is now occupied by the "scu" (the control centre that operates the new gateline).
Desiro four-car units. Many Guildford to Ascot services are formed of Class 458
Juniper units. Class 444
Desiro five-car units are seen from time to time.
Up to 2005, ex-British Rail slam-door EMUs
were used on the Alton Line, many of which were berthed at the carriage sidings south of Farnham station. The carriage shed at Farnham was built in 1937 around the time that the line was electrified.
The most commonly seen EMUs in recent years were Class 411
, Class 421
and Class 423
units. These trains were withdrawn in 2005. A very small number of these EMU units survived to move to the Lymington Branch
.
Platforms 2 and 3 are reached by way of the subway, which has its entrance on Platform 1. Wheelchair users are escorted to these platforms by the station platform staff, by way of a supervised crossing.
Near the track, beyond platform 3, is a yellow milepost showing 35, the mileage from London Waterloo. As trains approach Farnham to the south, the mileage suddenly jumps to a higher one. This is because mileages between the site of Farnham Junction (by the electric substation just before the A31
flyover bridge) and Alresford
(the end of the line that once continued to Winchester) are reckoned from Charing Cross
in London. The line from Waterloo and Aldershot is significantly later than the line through Farnham.
Aldershot
Aldershot is a town in the English county of Hampshire, located on heathland about southwest of London. The town is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council...
, Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is on the Alton Line
Alton Line
The Alton Line is a railway line operated by South West Trains. Today Alton station is the terminus of a main line branch, although it was at one time the junction for three lines. The branch leaves the South Western Main Line at Pirbright Junction near Brookwood...
, part of the National Rail
National Rail
National Rail is a title used by the Association of Train Operating Companies as a generic term to define the passenger rail services operated in Great Britain...
network, with train services and station facilities provided by South West Trains
South West Trains
South West Trains is a British train operating company providing, under franchise, passenger rail services, mostly out of Waterloo station, to the southwest of London in the suburbs and in the counties of Surrey, Hampshire, Dorset, Devon, Somerset, Berkshire, and Wiltshire and on the Isle of Wight...
.
Aldershot railway station has the three-letter code AHT. This code is used, for example, to pinpoint Aldershot when using National Rail Live Departure Boards. The station's National Location Code
National Location Code
In the context of the ticketing system of the British railway network, a National Location Code is a four-digit code allocated to every railway station and railway ticket issuing point in Great Britain. NLCs are used in the issue of tickets, and for accounting purposes...
(NLC) is 5623. This code can be seen on tickets issued by the ticket office. Tickets issued by the ticket vending machine
Ticket machine
A ticket machine, also known as a ticket vending machine , is a vending machine that produces tickets. For instance, ticket machines dispense train tickets at railway stations and tram tickets at some tram stops and in some trams...
show the location 3130.
Work started on 8 December 2008 to install ticket gates to help combat fare evasion.
History
Opened by the London and South Western RailwayLondon and South Western Railway
The London and South Western Railway was a railway company in England from 1838 to 1922. Its network extended from London to Plymouth via Salisbury and Exeter, with branches to Ilfracombe and Padstow and via Southampton to Bournemouth and Weymouth. It also had many routes connecting towns in...
, it became part of the Southern Railway
Southern Railway (Great Britain)
The Southern Railway was a British railway company established in the 1923 Grouping. It linked London with the Channel ports, South West England, South coast resorts and Kent...
during the Grouping
Railways Act 1921
The Railways Act 1921, also known as the Grouping Act, was an enactment by the British government of David Lloyd George intended to stem the losses being made by many of the country's 120 railway companies, move the railways away from internal competition, and to retain some of the benefits which...
of 1923. The station then passed on to the Southern Region of British Railways
Southern Region of British Railways
The Southern Region was a region of British Railways from 1948. The region ceased to be an operating unit in its own right in the 1980s and was wound up at the end of 1992. The region covered south London, southern England and the south coast, including the busy commuter belt areas of Kent, Sussex...
on nationalisation in 1948.
When Sectorisation
British Rail brand names
British Rail was the brand image of the nationalised railway owner and operator in Great Britain, the British Railways Board, used from 1965 until its breakup and sell-off from 1993 onwards....
was introduced in the 1980s, the station was served by Network SouthEast
Network SouthEast
Network SouthEast was one of three passenger sectors of British Rail created in 1982. NSE principally operated commuter trains in the London area and inter-urban services in densely populated South East England, although the network reached as far west as Exeter...
until the Privatisation of British Rail
Privatisation of British Rail
The privatisation of British Rail was set in motion when the Conservative government enacted, on 19 January 1993, the British Coal and British Rail Act 1993 . This enabled the relevant Secretary of State to issue directions to the relevant Board...
ways.
Services
Train destinations are normally London WaterlooWaterloo station
Waterloo station, also known as London Waterloo, is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex. The station is owned and operated by Network Rail and is close to the South Bank of the River Thames, and in Travelcard Zone 1....
, Alton
Alton railway station
Alton railway station is a railway station in the town of Alton, in the English county of Hampshire. The station is the terminus for two railway lines; the Alton Line which runs to Brookwood and onto London Waterloo and the Mid Hants Watercress Railway, which runs to Alresford. The latter once ran...
, Guildford
Guildford (Surrey) railway station
Guildford railway station is an important railway junction on the Portsmouth Direct Line serving the town of Guildford in Surrey, England. It is 30.3 miles from London Waterloo....
and Ascot
Ascot railway station
Ascot railway station is a railway station in the town of Ascot in Berkshire, England. The station, and all trains serving it, are operated by South West Trains. It is at the junction of the Waterloo to Reading line with the Ascot to Guildford line....
.
The typical off-peak service (Monday to Saturday) from the station is:
- 2tph (trains per hour) to London Waterloo
- 2tph to Alton
- 2tph to Guildford
- 2tph to Ascot (Berks)
Ticket machines
Scheidt & Bachmann Ticket XPress
The Scheidt & Bachmann Ticket XPress system is a passenger-operated, self-service railway ticket issuing system developed and manufactured by the German systems development and production group Scheidt & Bachmann GmbH, based in the city of Mönchengladbach...
ticket vending machines which now reside outside the entrance to the booking hall, making them accessible when the station booking hall is closed. They are available at all times, except when remotely disabled when there is no service, such as at Christmas. These new machines sell tickets to many stations in Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
and accept major credit
Credit card
A credit card is a small plastic card issued to users as a system of payment. It allows its holder to buy goods and services based on the holder's promise to pay for these goods and services...
and debit
Debit card
A debit card is a plastic card that provides the cardholder electronic access to his or her bank account/s at a financial institution...
cards.
The QuickFare
Ascom B8050 Quickfare
Ascom B8050, usually known by the name Quickfare, is an early example of a passenger-operated railway ticket issuing system, consisting of a series of broadly identical machines installed at British railway stations from 1989 onwards...
self-service ticket machine (removed October 2006) accepted coin
Coin
A coin is a piece of hard material that is standardized in weight, is produced in large quantities in order to facilitate trade, and primarily can be used as a legal tender token for commerce in the designated country, region, or territory....
s and banknote
Banknote
A banknote is a kind of negotiable instrument, a promissory note made by a bank payable to the bearer on demand, used as money, and in many jurisdictions is legal tender. In addition to coins, banknotes make up the cash or bearer forms of all modern fiat money...
s and issued tickets to a variety of local destinations, as well as issuing tickets for the station car park
Parking lot
A parking lot , also known as car lot, is a cleared area that is intended for parking vehicles. Usually, the term refers to a dedicated area that has been provided with a durable or semi-durable surface....
. Discounts were available for holders of most Railcards. QuickFare ticket machines were used by British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
and the Train Companies for many years, providing easy access to tickets at unstaffed stations and at times when ticket offices were closed.
The QuickFare ticket machine at Aldershot station was located inside the booking hall on platform one.
The spot where it once stood is now occupied by the "scu" (the control centre that operates the new gateline).
Rolling stock
Most passenger trains seen at this station are formed of new Class 450British Rail Class 450
The British Rail Class 450 third-rail DC EMU began service during 2003. They are a part of the Siemens Desiro modular train family and are more commonly known as the 'Blue Desiro'...
Desiro four-car units. Many Guildford to Ascot services are formed of Class 458
British Rail Class 458
The South West Trains Class 458 electrical multiple units were built by Alstom at Washwood Heath between 1998 and 2002. These units are part of Alstom's Juniper family of units, which also includes Classes 334 and 460.-Description:...
Juniper units. Class 444
British Rail Class 444
The British Rail Class 444 Desiro electrical multiple units were built in Germany by Siemens AG from 2003-04. Forty-five of these units were built for express services for South West Trains....
Desiro five-car units are seen from time to time.
Up to 2005, ex-British Rail slam-door EMUs
Multiple unit
The term multiple unit or MU is used to describe a self-propelled carriages capable of coupling with other units of the same or similar type and still being controlled from one driving cab. The term is commonly used to denote passenger trainsets consisting of more than one carriage...
were used on the Alton Line, many of which were berthed at the carriage sidings south of Farnham station. The carriage shed at Farnham was built in 1937 around the time that the line was electrified.
The most commonly seen EMUs in recent years were Class 411
British Rail Class 411
The British Rail Class 411 electrical multiple units were built at Eastleigh works from 1956-63 for the newly electrified main lines in Kent. These units were based on the earlier Southern Railway 4Cor design, built in 1937. They were replaced by Juniper units.-Description:A total of 133 units...
, Class 421
British Rail Class 421
The British Rail Class 421 electrical multiple units were built at BR York Works between 1964 and 1972. Units were built in two batches, and were initially introduced on services on the Brighton Main Line. Later units were introduced on services to Portsmouth. These units replaced older Southern...
and Class 423
British Rail Class 423
The British Rail Class 423 electrical multiple units were built by BR at York Works from 1967 to 1974, although the MBSOs and TSOs of the first 20, 7701-7720, were constructed at Derby Works. They feature manually-opening doors next to every seating row and were the last coaching stock built in...
units. These trains were withdrawn in 2005. A very small number of these EMU units survived to move to the Lymington Branch
Lymington Branch Line
The Lymington Branch Line is a railway that runs from Brockenhurst to Lymington Pier, both in the New Forest. The railway line is around long, and is single track throughout its length. It diverges from the South Western Main Line at Lymington Junction; and, at Lymington Pier, trains connect with...
.
Platforms
There are three platforms at this station. Platform 1 is served by trains bound for Woking and London Waterloo. Trains from Platform 2 are usually bound for Ascot and Alton. Platform 3 is usually served by Guildford. (During periods of weekend engineering work, these can be subject to change, for example when trains to Ascot may leave from Platform 1 and trains to London may leave from Platform 2. The information screens on the station indicate the destinations of trains on each platform.)Platforms 2 and 3 are reached by way of the subway, which has its entrance on Platform 1. Wheelchair users are escorted to these platforms by the station platform staff, by way of a supervised crossing.
Near the track, beyond platform 3, is a yellow milepost showing 35, the mileage from London Waterloo. As trains approach Farnham to the south, the mileage suddenly jumps to a higher one. This is because mileages between the site of Farnham Junction (by the electric substation just before the A31
A31 road
The A31 is a major trunk road in southern England that runs from Guildford in Surrey to Bere Regis in Dorset.-Route of road:The road begins in the centre of Guildford, meeting the A3 road before running south west along the Hog's Back. It continues past Farnham, Alton and New Alresford before...
flyover bridge) and Alresford
Alresford (Hampshire) railway station
Alresford station is a railway station in New Alresford, Hampshire, UK.-History:Constructed in 1865 for the new Alton, Alresford and Winchester Railway Company which later became the first incarnation of the Mid-Hants Railway, the station later joined the London and South Western Railway. It was...
(the end of the line that once continued to Winchester) are reckoned from Charing Cross
Charing Cross railway station
Charing Cross railway station, also known as London Charing Cross, is a central London railway terminus in the City of Westminster, England. It is one of 18 stations managed by Network Rail, and trains serving it are operated by Southeastern...
in London. The line from Waterloo and Aldershot is significantly later than the line through Farnham.