Place Godalming Station code GOD DfT category C2 Number of platforms 2 | Grid reference SU966439 Managed by South West Trains 2011/12 1.304 million | |
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Address Godalming GU7 1EU, United Kingdom Similar Farncombe railway station, Milford railway station, Haslemere railway station, Witley railway station, Rowlands Castle railway st | ||
Godalming railway station is a stop on the Portsmouth Direct Line. The station, opened in 1859 to replace one on a different site, is situated at the edge of the town of Godalming, England.
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History
The original single platform terminus station, opened in 1849, was located on a spur from just south of Farncombe station, north of the River Wey. It was closed to passengers in 1897 but was retained as a goods yard until 1969. The site at grid reference SU973443 is now a residential development, the road being called appropriately Old Station Way.
Station environment and awards
The staff at Godalming have worked hard to maintain the station. In 2004 they won Best Miscellaneous Building in the Godalming in Bloom 2004 Competition, in 2005 they won Best Small Station in the South West Trains Station Pride Awards and received a Highly Commended in the National Rail Awards.
In July 2006 the station won the Special Award in the Godalming in Bloom 2006 competition, not only for their display of flowers, but also for the welcoming environment they have created.
In August 2006 they won Best Small Station in the 2006 South West Trains Station Pride Awards.
2016 accessibility project
The pedestrian subway connecting the platforms is a narrow passageway with limited accessibility, typical of the era of the construction of the station. It provided a challenging route for the disabled, as well as prams and passengers encumbered with luggage, potentially requiring a lengthy detour outside the station to access the London-bound platform. As one of relatively few subways of the era still in use, it suffered from dampness and poor sight lines, and had become relatively dilapidated.
In 2016 Godalming station was therefore allocated £3.1m of funding under the government 'Access for All' funding programme to replace the subway with a fully enclosed footbridge, equipped with two 16-person lifts to enable step free access between platforms. Other works funded under the programme include replacement and extension of the cycle shelters, platform canopy extensions to provide a weather protected route between the new footbridge structure and existing canopies, and resurfacing of the platforms to provide tactile paving and improve the stepping distance between platform and train.
Services
The current typical off peak service is two trains per hour in each direction.
It also provides a vital link to students attending Godalming College, with a couple of hundred students using the station on weekdays, coming from the south and north. During the late afternoon, around 16:30, when most of the college is leaving, the station is remarkably busy for what is usually a quiet station in the day, excluding rush hour times.