Place Shiplake Station code SHI DfT category F2 Opened 1 June 1857 | Grid reference SU776797 Managed by Great Western Railway 2011/12 86,932 Number of platforms 1 Original company Great Western Railway | |
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Address Henley-on-Thames RG9 3NY, United Kingdom Similar Wargrave railway station, Earley railway station, Twyford railway station, Marlow railway station, Warburg Nature Reserve | ||
Shiplake railway station is a railway station in the village of Shiplake in Oxfordshire, England. The station is on the Henley-on-Thames branch line that links the towns of Henley-on-Thames and Twyford. It is served by local services operated by Great Western Railway.
Contents
The station has a single platform, which is used by trains in both directions. There is a 50-space car park, but no station building other than a simple shelter. The station is unmanned, and tickets must purchased on the train.
Service
In normal service, there is a regular service between Henley-on-Thames station and Twyford station, with all trains calling at Shiplake. Trains operate every 45 minutes on weekdays, and every hour on weekends. During the morning and evening rush hours some services run through to/from London Paddington station, whilst a few off-peak trains run through to/from Reading station. At other times, passengers for Paddington and Reading must change at Twyford.
During the Henley Royal Regatta, held every July, a special timetable is operated with additional trains. During the period of the regatta, not all trains stop at Shiplake.
Although the off-peak services use 2 coach trains and the peak time services to and from Paddington are usually no longer than 6 coaches, the platform at Shiplake has to be long enough to accommodate the longer trains used for the Regatta. The platform itself can hold 7 coaches and has a '7 Car Stop' sign at the south end. There is also a 10 car stop sign a few metres off the end of the south end of the platform, should 10 car trains ever be used, which is rare.
Level crossing
There is a level crossing north of the station that, despite being well signalled, has been the site of a numerous accidents and near misses over the years. The crossing had no barriers until March 2013, when Network Rail had automatic half-barriers installed.
In October 2014, safety cameras described by locals as 'looking like robots' were controversially installed to monitor the crossing.