Andover railway station
Encyclopedia
Andover station serves the town of Andover
, Hampshire
UK
. The station is served and operated by South West Trains
. The station is 107 km (66½ miles) south west of London Waterloo on the West of England Main Line (London Waterloo-Exeter)
.
According to the Office of Rail Regulation statistics on rail trends for the year 2005, 982,255 exits and entries were made at Andover rail station, making it the 14th most used rail station in the county of Hampshire
(including the unitary authority areas of Portsmouth City Council
and Southampton City Council
).
running between Cheltenham
, Swindon
, Andover and Southampton Terminus
. Andover had a second station, Andover Town
, to the south of the junction station on the line to Redbridge
that was often called the Sprat and Winkle Line
.
Opened by the London and South Western Railway
(LSWR), 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.
hourly off-peak service pattern on the West of England Main Line
at Andover comprises two services in each direction. Eastbound one stops at stations to Basingstoke then runs fast to London, the other runs fast to Basingstoke on to Waterloo. Westbound one service calls at stations to Salisbury where it terminates, the other runs fast to Salisbury then continues to Exeter St Davids.
has proposed operating a light rail
service from Andover using the branch line to Ludgershall
.
Andover, Hampshire
Andover is a town in the English county of Hampshire. The town is on the River Anton some 18.5 miles west of the town of Basingstoke, 18.5 miles north-west of the city of Winchester and 25 miles north of the city of Southampton...
, 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...
UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The station is served and operated 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...
. The station is 107 km (66½ miles) south west of London Waterloo on the West of England Main Line (London Waterloo-Exeter)
West of England Main Line
The West of England Main Line is a British railway line that runs from , Hampshire to Exeter St Davids in Devon, England. Passenger services run between London Waterloo station and Exeter...
.
According to the Office of Rail Regulation statistics on rail trends for the year 2005, 982,255 exits and entries were made at Andover rail station, making it the 14th most used rail station in the county of 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...
(including the unitary authority areas of Portsmouth City Council
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
and Southampton City Council
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
).
History
The station was opened on 3 July 1854 and was previously known as Andover Junction, as it stood at the junction of the Exeter-London line and the now-defunct Midland and South Western Junction RailwayMidland and South Western Junction Railway
The Midland and South Western Junction Railway was, until the 1923 Grouping, an independent railway built to form a north-south link between the Midland and London and South Western Railways allowing the Midland and other companies' trains to reach the port of Southampton.-Formation:The M&SWJR...
running between Cheltenham
Cheltenham Spa railway station
Cheltenham Spa railway station is in Gloucestershire, England, on the Bristol-Birmingham main line. It is managed by First Great Western and is about one mile from the town centre.-History:...
, Swindon
Swindon railway station
Swindon railway station is in the town of Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The station entrance is on Station Road, to the south of the line.It is approximately from the central bus station and the town centre...
, Andover and Southampton Terminus
Southampton Terminus railway station
Southampton Terminus railway station served the docks and city centre of Southampton, England. The station was first authorized on the 25 July 1834, it began as the terminus of the London and South Western Railway...
. Andover had a second station, Andover Town
Andover Town railway station
Andover Town railway station served the town of Andover in the English county of Hampshire. Located on the Andover to Redbridge Line over which the Midland and South Western Junction Railway had running powers, its closure left services to the town to the former Andover Junction...
, to the south of the junction station on the line to Redbridge
Redbridge railway station
Redbridge railway station is a small halt station in the Redbridge area of Southampton. The station is near to the end of the M271 where it meets the A33 Redbridge road....
that was often called the Sprat and Winkle Line
Sprat and Winkle Line
The Sprat and Winkle Line was the familiar name of a railway line which ran between Andover and Redbridge in Hampshire, UK. It was also known as the Andover to Redbridge Line....
.
Opened by the London and South Western Railway
London 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...
(LSWR), 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.
Motive Power Depots
The LSWR opened a small locomotive depot a short distance past the junction in 1854, which was damaged in 1856 by a locomotive boiler explosion. The Swindon Marlborough and Andover Railway (SM&AR) also built a depot next to the station in 1882. The LSWR depot was destroyed by fire in 1896 and was replaced by a larger depot next to the SM&AR shed in 1903. The SM&AR was closed by the Western Region of British Railways in 1958 and demolished soon afterwards. The LSWR depot was in the Southern Region and survived until June 1962.Services
The typical South West TrainsSouth 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...
hourly off-peak service pattern on the West of England Main Line
West of England Main Line
The West of England Main Line is a British railway line that runs from , Hampshire to Exeter St Davids in Devon, England. Passenger services run between London Waterloo station and Exeter...
at Andover comprises two services in each direction. Eastbound one stops at stations to Basingstoke then runs fast to London, the other runs fast to Basingstoke on to Waterloo. Westbound one service calls at stations to Salisbury where it terminates, the other runs fast to Salisbury then continues to Exeter St Davids.
Future
The new open-access operator Go! CooperativeGo! Cooperative
Go! Cooperative Ltd, now trading as GOCO, is an open access UK Train Operating Company which is currently proposing to operate a service between Yeovil and Birmingham, via Oxford...
has proposed operating a light rail
Light rail
Light rail or light rail transit is a form of urban rail public transportation that generally has a lower capacity and lower speed than heavy rail and metro systems, but higher capacity and higher speed than traditional street-running tram systems...
service from Andover using the branch line to Ludgershall
Ludgershall, Wiltshire
Ludgershall is a town and civil parish north east of Salisbury, Wiltshire, at grid SU264509. The population was: 535 in 1831; 1,906 in 1951; and 3,775 in 2001. Ludgershall is now officially a town.-Historical features:...
.