Charing railway station
Encyclopedia
Charing railway station serves Charing
in Kent
. The station, and all trains serving it, is operated by Southeastern
. The station was opened on 1 July 1884, as part of the London, Chatham and Dover Railway
(LCDR) extension to Ashford of the 1874 line to Maidstone, which itself was a branch off the LCDR's Sevenoaks branch of 1862, which joined the LCDR mainline
of 1840 at Swanley. In the wake of 1955 British Rail
Modernisation plan, the "Kent Coast Electrification" scheme saw the suburban electrification of the previous Southern Railway
extended from Maidstone East through to Ashford. Electrification also saw the addition of a footbridge, but by 16 May 1964 freight operations ceased. Charing's signal box closed on 14 April 1984, when the upgraded Maidstone East Panel was took control of the whole line.
The ticket office is manned only during part of the day; at other times a PERTIS
'permit to travel' machine, located outside the station building on the 'down' side, suffices.
The next station eastwards (towards Ashford) used to be Hothfield, however it was closed in 1959, although it remained a 'request' stop throughout the 1960s.
via Maidstone East
.
There is also a peak hour service via Thameslink across London, serving City Thameslink, Farringdon and St Pancras International before travelling onto Bedford.
Charing
Charing is a small village and civil parish in the Ashford District of Kent, in south-east England. The parish population is 2,750 ; it includes the settlement of Charing Heath.It is situated at the foot of the North Downs...
in Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
. The station, and all trains serving it, is operated by Southeastern
Southeastern (train operating company)
London & South Eastern Railway Limited, trading as Southeastern is a train operating company in south-east England. On 1 April 2006 it became the franchisee for the new Integrated Kent Franchise , replacing the publicly owned South Eastern Trains on the former South East Franchise...
. The station was opened on 1 July 1884, as part of the London, Chatham and Dover Railway
London, Chatham and Dover Railway
The London, Chatham and Dover Railway was a railway company in south-eastern England from 1859 until the 1923 grouping which united it with other companies to form the Southern Railway. Its lines ran through London and northern and eastern Kent to form a significant part of the Greater London...
(LCDR) extension to Ashford of the 1874 line to Maidstone, which itself was a branch off the LCDR's Sevenoaks branch of 1862, which joined the LCDR mainline
Chatham Main Line
The Chatham Main Line is a British railway line that runs from either London Victoria to Dover Priory / Ramsgate or London St Pancras to Faversham, with both services travelling via Medway...
of 1840 at Swanley. In the wake of 1955 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...
Modernisation plan, the "Kent Coast Electrification" scheme saw the suburban electrification of the previous 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...
extended from Maidstone East through to Ashford. Electrification also saw the addition of a footbridge, but by 16 May 1964 freight operations ceased. Charing's signal box closed on 14 April 1984, when the upgraded Maidstone East Panel was took control of the whole line.
The ticket office is manned only during part of the day; at other times a PERTIS
Permit to travel
In the ticketing system of the British rail network, a Permit to Travel provisionally allows passengers to travel on a train when they have not purchased a ticket in advance and the ticket office of the station they are travelling from is closed, without incurring a penalty fare.Since a large...
'permit to travel' machine, located outside the station building on the 'down' side, suffices.
The next station eastwards (towards Ashford) used to be Hothfield, however it was closed in 1959, although it remained a 'request' stop throughout the 1960s.
Services
The typical off-peak service from the station is one train per hour to and one train per hour to London VictoriaVictoria station (London)
Victoria station, also known as London Victoria, is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex. It is named after nearby Victoria Street and not Queen Victoria. It is the second busiest railway terminus in London after Waterloo, and includes an air terminal for passengers...
via Maidstone East
Maidstone East railway station
Maidstone East railway station is one of three stations in the central area of Maidstone, Kent, but currently the only one with a regular direct service to London. The station is on the Maidstone East Line, south-east of London Victoria , and is served by trains operated by...
.
There is also a peak hour service via Thameslink across London, serving City Thameslink, Farringdon and St Pancras International before travelling onto Bedford.