Brockenhurst railway station

Coordinates: 50°48′59″N 1°34′26″W / 50.8164°N 1.5739°W / 50.8164; -1.5739
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Brockenhurst
Southern Railway
Key dates
1 June 1847Opened
Passengers
2018/19Decrease 1.073 million
 Interchange Increase 0.321 million
2019/20Decrease 1.003 million
 Interchange Decrease 0.273 million
2020/21Decrease 0.231 million
 Interchange Decrease 69,468
2021/22Increase 0.734 million
 Interchange Increase 0.200 million
2022/23Increase 0.799 million
 Interchange Decrease 0.196 million
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

Brockenhurst railway station serves the village of

Lymington Branch Line
with the main line. It is 92 miles 66 chains (149.4 km) down the line from Waterloo. It is managed and served by South Western Railway and it is also served by CrossCountry trains.

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".[1][2] 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.[3]

History

Brockenhurst station was opened on 1 June 1847 as part of 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.[5]

On 5 March 1888 the direct line from Brockenhurst via Sway to

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 SouthEast
region.

The station was used as a filming location for the 1974 film Brief Encounter, a poorly-received remake of the well-known 1945 film of the same name. The station represented Winchester railway station in the film, and the running in boards were altered to reflect this.[8]

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.[9] 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.[10]

Station layout

Platform swing bridge

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.[11]

  • Platform 1 - Up loop platform used by stopping services from Poole where it is overtaken by the express services from Weymouth and CrossCountry services from Bournemouth on platform 2. This platform is occasionally used by Lymington services, which is normally the first service in the morning. A weekday evening service to Portsmouth and Southsea via Southampton Central used to run from this platform but, since the COVID-19 pandemic, this has since ceased
  • Platform 2 - for through services towards Southampton, Winchester and London Waterloo.
  • Platform 3 - for through services towards Bournemouth, Poole and Weymouth.
  • Platform 4 - Down loop platform for Lymington services, this can also be used by other down services, but this is rare.

A signal box and level crossing is located at the northern end of the station.

Services

Rail

The station is primarily served by

Manchester Piccadilly via Reading and Birmingham New Street.[12]

Most CrossCountry services by-pass the station without stopping.

As of February 2022, the services calling at this station include:

Preceding station National Rail National Rail Following station
Beaulieu Road or Totton or Southampton Central  
South Western Railway
London-Weymouth
   Sway or New Milton or Bournemouth
Terminus  
South Western Railway
Lymington branch line
   Lymington Town
Southampton Central  
Bournemouth-Manchester

limited service 		  Bournemouth
  Historical railways  
Terminus  
Lymington Branch Line
   Shirley Holms Halt
Terminus   British Rail
Southern Region
Southampton and Dorchester Railway 		  Holmsley

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.[13] 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.[14][15][16]

Gallery of historic pictures

View from station in 1906 showing the level crossing and signal box.
The station as it was in 1963 with Platforms 1 and 2 on the left, and platforms 3 and 4 on the right.
A Class 414 electric at platform 4 in 1973.
Former footbridge in 2010, now replaced by a modern accessible structure with lifts.

References

  1. ^ "Tracking Our Performance - Achievement and Awards". Stagecoach. Archived from the original on 19 April 2012. Retrieved 25 March 2012.
  2. ^ "South West Trains wins top station honour at National Rail Awards". South West Trains. 18 September 2009. Archived from the original on 20 November 2009. Retrieved 25 March 2012.
  3. ^ "South West Trains rides away with two national cycling awards". South West Trains. Archived from the original on 3 August 2011. Retrieved 25 March 2012.
  4. ISBN 978-0-7495-6631-9
    .
  5. ISBN 0-906520-97-5
    .
  6. ^ Holland 2011, p. 50
  7. ISBN 0-906520-42-8
    .
  8. ^ "BRIEF ENCOUNTER (1974)". British Railway Movie Database. 3 October 2019. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  9. ^ "New improved passenger facilities at Brockenhurst station officially opened". South West Trains. Archived from the original on 3 September 2014. Retrieved 29 August 2014.
  10. ^ "£100 million pounds for accessible stations". rail.co.uk. Archived from the original on 4 September 2014. Retrieved 29 August 2014.
  11. ^ "Brockenhurst (BCU)". National Rail Enquiries. Archived from the original on 3 September 2014. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
  12. ^ Table 51 & 158 National Rail timetable, May 2016
  13. ^ "Bluestar 6". Bluestar. Go South Coast. Archived from the original on 3 September 2014. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
  14. ^ "Green Route". New Forest Tour. Go South Coast. Archived from the original on 3 September 2014. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
  15. ^ "Blue Route". New Forest Tour. Go South Coast. Archived from the original on 25 August 2014. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
  16. ^ "Travel Map". New Forest National Park. New Forest National Park Authority. Archived from the original on 3 September 2014. Retrieved 28 August 2014.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Brockenhurst railway station.
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