Godalming railway station

Godalming National Rail
Location
Place Godalming
Local authority Waverley
Grid reference SU966439
Operations
Station code GOD
Managed by South West Trains
Number of platforms 2
DfT category C2
Live arrivals/departures, station information and onward connections
from National Rail Enquiries
Annual rail passenger usage*
2004/05  0.952 million
2005/06 Increase 1.015 million
2006/07 Increase 1.131 million
2007/08 Increase 1.575 million
2008/09 Decrease 1.553 million
2009/10 Decrease 1.515 million
2010/11 Decrease 1.357 million
2011/12 Decrease 1.304 million
2012/13 Increase 1.318 million
2013/14 Increase 1.342 million
2014/15 Increase 1.389 million
History
Key dates Opened 1 January 1859 (1 January 1859)
National Rail – UK railway stations
* Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Godalming from Office of Rail and Road statistics. Methodology may vary year on year.
UK Railways portal

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.

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.

In February 2006 Godalming station was renamed "Shere" for three days while filming took place for The Holiday, a movie starring Cameron Diaz, Jude Law, Jack Black and Kate Winslet. It was directed by Nancy Meyers and released in December 2006.

2016 accessibility project

The down (southbound) platform during upgrade works, with the subway entrance visible
The interior of the former cross-platform subway, before replacement with a new footbridge

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.[1]

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.

Preceding station National Rail Following station
Farncombe   South West Trains
Portsmouth Direct Line (stopping services)		   Milford
    Haslemere

References

  1. ↑ South West Trains press release - Godalming station to benefit from step-free access thanks to £3.1m investment

Coordinates: 51°11′13″N 0°37′08″W / 51.187°N 0.619°W / 51.187; -0.619

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/4/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.