Brading railway station

Brading
Location
Place	Brading
Local authority	Isle of Wight
Coordinates	50°40′41″N 1°08′20″W / 50.678°N 1.139°WCoordinates: 50°40′41″N 1°08′20″W / 50.678°N 1.139°W
Grid reference	SZ609868
Operations
Station code	BDN
Managed by	Island Line Trains
Number of platforms	1
DfT category	F2
Live arrivals/departures, station information and onward connections from National Rail Enquiries
Annual rail passenger usage*
2010/11	63,872
2011/12	67,834
2012/13	60,540
2013/14	55,594
2014/15	50,954
History
Key dates	Opened 23 August 1864
National Rail – UK railway stations
* Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Brading from Office of Rail and Road statistics. Methodology may vary year on year.
UK Railways portal

Brading station, 1985

Brading railway station is a railway station serving Brading on the Isle of Wight. It is located on the Island Line from Ryde to Shanklin.

History

The station was opened in 1864 by the Isle of Wight Railway on the Ryde-Shanklin-Ventnor line. In 1882 it became a junction station, when the Brading-Bembridge branch line as part of the Brading Haven reclamation scheme. The branch line closed to passengers in 1953 and completely in 1957.

Under Southern Railway ownership, the passing loop was extended southwards from Brading to Sandown in 1927, forming a second section of double track on the Island Line.^[1]

By the early 1980s Brading was one of the last stations on British Rail to retain gas lighting. In 1985 this changed; although the fittings were retained, they were converted from gas to mercury vapour usage. A few survive in 2010, now using compact fluorescent bulbs.

Brading signalbox closed on 28 October 1988. At this time, the passing loop at Brading station was removed, meaning that only one platform remained in use. This meant the end of 30-minute interval service on the line for over 25 years.^[2] By 1998 the signal box and branch platforms were very overgrown and the buildings were threatened with demolition. Brading Town Council stepped in and with the help of grants and volunteers the restored signal box and station buildings are home to a heritage centre, museum and Tourist Information Point.

Facilities

In August 2007 Brading Town Council announced a plan to revamp the exterior of the station buildings and former signal box.^[3] The station building houses a café, visitors' centre and bike hire shop. There is no railway staff presence at the station, tickets are issued from an automatic machine or from the guard on board the train. Trains for both directions leave from the same platform, as the line is presently single track.

In an online discussion, South West Trains' Managing Director Stewart Palmer stated that the company hoped Network Rail might reinstate the passing loop at Brading station by the middle of 2014, although the exact timescale depends on the line's resignalling.^[4]

Gallery

• 
  The exterior of Brading station.
• 
  Brading station in 1971

References

1. Hardy, Brian (2003). Tube Trains on the Isle of Wight. Harrow Weald, Middlesex: Capital Transport. p. 9. ISBN 1-85414-276-3.
2. Hardy, Brian (2003). Tube Trains on the Isle of Wight. Harrow Weald, Middlesex: Capital Transport. p. 37. ISBN 1-85414-276-3.
3. The News, Portsmouth, 3 August 2007
4. "South West Trains: Performance". 2009-02-17. Retrieved 2009-02-17. Question 112

External links

• Train times and station information for Brading railway station from National Rail