Place Brockenhurst Station code BCU DfT category C2 Opened 1847 Number of platforms 4 | Grid reference SU301019 Managed by South West Trains 2011/12 1.196 million | |
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Address Brockenhurst SO42 7TW, United Kingdom Original company Southampton and Dorchester Railway Similar Pokesdown railway station, Southampton Airport Parkway r, Southampton Central railway st, New Milton railway station, Totton railway station | ||
An interlude at brockenhurst railway station
Brockenhurst railway station is a railway station serving the village of Brockenhurst in Hampshire, England. It is located on the South Western Main Line from London Waterloo to Weymouth. It is also the junction of the Lymington Branch Line with the main line.
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The station was winner of the 2009 National Rail Award for best medium-sized station, with the judges stating they "were impressed by the standard of customer service, station presentation, initiative and innovation they observed, all of which ensure that the station provides a smooth, efficient and pleasant departure and arrival point for the travelling customer". The station was also winner of a National Cycling Award, for a system which informs passengers of where cycle spaces are on approaching trains, allowing them to speed boarding, and partnerships with local bike-hire firms.
History
Brockenhurst station was opened on 1 June 1847 as part of the Southampton and Dorchester Railway (nicknamed the Castleman's Corkscrew) with services running to Southampton in one direction and Dorchester via Ringwood and Wimborne Minster the other. The following year, the railway was amalgamated with the London and South Western Railway. On 12 July 1858 the Lymington Branch Line opened, beginning shuttle services between the station and Lymington, turning the station into a junction station and leading to its name being changed between 1876 and 1888 to Brockenhurst Junction to emphasise this.
On 5 March 1888 the direct line from Brockenhurst via Sway to Bournemouth and Poole and bypassing the longer 'Corkscrew', opened to traffic. This massively increased the number of trains passing through the station for both routes and enhancing its status as an interchange, especially after the downgrading of the 'corkscrew' in 1893 to that of a branch line. Brockenhurst station, along with the L&SWR was taken over by Southern Railway in 1923 and under their ownership, the station was extended in 1936 to include two new platforms. Services over the old Southampton and Dorchester line via Ringwood fell victim to the Beeching Axe, ceasing in May 1964. The track through the station was electrified in 1967 and the station saw minor changes as part of British Rail's Network South East region.
In 2014 the station received £4.6 million of government grants as part of the Access for All initiative to replace the footbridge at Brockenhurst with a new bridge complete with lift shafts. Step-free access to platforms 1 and 2 was previously by a rotating turntable bridge across the tracks while step-free access to platforms 3 and 4 was across the track bed itself.
Station layout
The station consists of four platforms, arranged in two island platforms, with a ticket office housed in the main building nearest Platform 1 on the side closest to the village. The platforms, ticket office and car park are all connected by footbridge, with the ticket office at one end and the car park and bicycle hire point at the other end of the walkway.
The station has an unusual luggage traverser bridge, which can be moved out over the track to give access to platform 1 from the ticket hall. It is mainly used for disabled passengers and at peak times for the large flow of students to Brockenhurst College.
A signal box and level crossing is located at the northern end of the station.
Rail
The station is primarily served by South West Trains, who operate fast and semi-fast trains from Waterloo to Weymouth (2tph), stopping services from Waterloo to Poole (1tph), and local stopping services to Lymington Pier (2tph). In addition, CrossCountry operate hourly services from Bournemouth to Manchester Piccadilly via Reading and Birmingham New Street.
Some peak time South West Trains services by-pass the station without stopping.
Bus
Local bus routes serve the bus stop located outside the ticket hall. There is a year-round Bluestar 6 service to Lymington in the south, Lyndhurst to the north and onward connections to Totton and Southampton. In the summer time, this is supplemented by the seasonal New Forest Tour green and blue routes to Lymington, Beaulieu, Hythe and Lyndhurst and Burley, New Milton, Barton on Sea, Milford on Sea and Lymington.