Ash Vale railway station
Encyclopedia
Ash Vale is a railway station serving the village of Ash Vale
in Surrey
, England
. It is situated at the junction of the London to Alton line
and the line from Ascot
to Guildford
. The station and all trains serving it are operated by South West Trains
.
The station is on an embankment
and is adjacent to the Basingstoke Canal
. The station opened in May 1870 under the name of "North Camp and Ash Vale", changing to its present name on 30 March 1924. The original main station building of the south side had to be demolished due to subsidence, the current replacements dating from 1972.
It is approximately half a mile from Ash Vale to North Camp station
on the North Downs Line
(the line between Gatwick Airport, Guildford and Reading), a distance passengers are expected to walk to make any connection. Only disabled passengers may argue that to do so would not be "reasonable" - the National Routeing Guide
which defines route validity allows for the less able taking circuitous routes at the discretion of staff.
, 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.
In 1952 the booking clerk at Ash Vale was murdered following a hold-up.
and Alton
and between Ascot
and Guildford
. On Sundays, trains run every 30 minutes between London and Alton and every 60 minutes between Ascot and Guildford.
Train movements in the Ash Vale station area and the junction beyond are controlled by Ash Vale Junction signal box. The signal box, complete with its four residents and cover staff operates 24 hours a day 364 days a year from a traditional signal box on the junction itself.
Passengers awaiting services at Ash Vale towards London or Ascot can check the final destination of the train by referring to the signal at the end of platform 1. If the 5 white directional lights are illuminated, then the train is going towards Ascot; whereas if they are not, then the train is going to London (A red light means the train is not going anywhere at the moment).
Ash Vale
Ash Vale is a village in the borough of Guildford in Surrey, England. It is 7 miles from Guildford but is closer to the Hampshire towns of Aldershot and Farnborough, which are each about two miles away, immediately across the Blackwater River....
in Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, 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 situated at the junction of the London to 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...
and the line from Ascot
Ascot, Berkshire
Ascot is a village within the civil parish of Sunninghill and Ascot, in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, Berkshire, England. It is most notable as the location of Ascot Racecourse, home of the prestigious Royal Ascot meeting...
to Guildford
Guildford
Guildford is the county town of Surrey. England, as well as the seat for the borough of Guildford and the administrative headquarters of the South East England region...
. The station and all trains serving it are 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 on an embankment
Embankment (transportation)
To keep a road or railway line straight or flat, and where the comparative cost or practicality of alternate solutions is prohibitive, the land over which the road or rail line will travel is built up to form an embankment. An embankment is therefore in some sense the opposite of a cutting, and...
and is adjacent to the Basingstoke Canal
Basingstoke Canal
The Basingstoke Canal is a British Canal, completed in 1794, built to connect Basingstoke with the River Thames at Weybridge via the Wey Navigation....
. The station opened in May 1870 under the name of "North Camp and Ash Vale", changing to its present name on 30 March 1924. The original main station building of the south side had to be demolished due to subsidence, the current replacements dating from 1972.
It is approximately half a mile from Ash Vale to North Camp station
North Camp railway station
North Camp railway station is situated in the civil parish of Ash in Surrey, England. It takes its name from an area of the nearby town of Farnborough, Hampshire....
on the North Downs Line
North Downs Line
The North Downs Line is the name of the passenger train service connecting Reading, on the Great Western Main Line, to Gatwick Airport, on the Brighton Main Line...
(the line between Gatwick Airport, Guildford and Reading), a distance passengers are expected to walk to make any connection. Only disabled passengers may argue that to do so would not be "reasonable" - the National Routeing Guide
National Routeing Guide
The National Routeing Guide is a document, the definitive resource on the validity of rail tickets for the purpose of rail travel in England, Wales, and Scotland . As stated by the Rail Regulator, "[it] sets out passengers' rights to use the network flexibly"...
which defines route validity allows for the less able taking circuitous routes at the discretion of staff.
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.
In 1952 the booking clerk at Ash Vale was murdered following a hold-up.
Services
On weekdays, there are trains approximately every 30 minutes between 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....
and 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...
and between 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....
and 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....
. On Sundays, trains run every 30 minutes between London and Alton and every 60 minutes between Ascot and Guildford.
Train movements in the Ash Vale station area and the junction beyond are controlled by Ash Vale Junction signal box. The signal box, complete with its four residents and cover staff operates 24 hours a day 364 days a year from a traditional signal box on the junction itself.
Passengers awaiting services at Ash Vale towards London or Ascot can check the final destination of the train by referring to the signal at the end of platform 1. If the 5 white directional lights are illuminated, then the train is going towards Ascot; whereas if they are not, then the train is going to London (A red light means the train is not going anywhere at the moment).