Place Alton Station code AON DfT category C2 Number of platforms 3 | Grid reference SU723397 Managed by South West Trains 2011/12 0.717 million | |
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Address Station Rd, Alton GU34 2PZ, UK Similar Aldershot railway station, Alresford (Hampshire) railway st, Ropley railway station, Brookwood railway station, Bentley (Hampshire) railway st | ||
Alton railway station including the mid hants railway
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 through to Winchester but was closed to passengers in February 1973. It reopened as a heritage line in 1985. Two other routes (both now closed) also served the station – the Meon Valley line to Fareham and the Basingstoke and Alton Light Railway.
Contents
- Alton railway station including the mid hants railway
- Mid hants pairing up class 37s at alton railway station
- Platforms
- History
- Location
- Services
- References
Services operate along the Alton Line to Brookwood and join the South West Main Line towards London Waterloo which is 46 3⁄4 miles (75.2 km) to the north east. The line was single-tracked as far as Farnham by British Rail in the early 1980s.
Mid hants pairing up class 37s at alton railway station
Platforms
There are three platforms in use. South West Trains use platforms one and two, connected by a footbridge. Platform three is used by the Mid Hants Watercress Railway.
History
The first station opened by the London and South Western Railway in 1852 was sited on what is now the station car park. It closed when the present station opened in 1865. The London & South Western Railway became part of the Southern Railway during the Grouping of 1923. The line from Woking to Alton was electrified in 1937 and the station passed on to the Southern Region of British Railways on nationalisation in 1948.
When Sectorisation was introduced in 1986, the station was served by Network SouthEast, until the privatisation of British Rail in 1997.
Location
Alton station is located in the local government district of East Hampshire.
The station is nowhere near Alton Towers Resort, which is located in the rural village of Alton in Staffordshire, about 185 miles away. Many people trying to reach the resort have mistakenly travelled to this station. Local residents, who have encountered many people trying to find Alton Towers, have put up posters at the station containing directions from the station to the resort by train, with a journey time of approximately 4 hours and 46 minutes.
Services
Monday to Saturdays there is a half-hourly service to London Waterloo and an hourly service on Sundays, increasing to half-hourly from approximately 1330.
Services are usually operated by Class 450 Desiro units, although the Class 444 is also sometimes used.