Godalming railway station

Godalming railway station is a stop on the Portsmouth Direct Line, 34 miles 37 chains (55.5 km) down the line from London Waterloo. The station, opened in 1859 to replace one on a different site, is situated at the edge of the town of Godalming, Surrey.

Godalming
Location
PlaceGodalming
Local authorityWaverley
Grid referenceSU966439
Operations
Station codeGOD
Managed bySouth Western Railway
Number of platforms2
DfT categoryC2
Live arrivals/departures, station information and onward connections
from National Rail Enquiries
Annual rail passenger usage*
2014/15 1.389 million
2015/16 1.386 million
2016/17 1.435 million
2017/18 1.381 million
2018/19 1.386 million
History
Key datesOpened 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.

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. It won again in 2008.[1]

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 film starring Cameron Diaz, Jude Law, Jack Black and Kate Winslet. It was directed by Nancy Meyers and released in December 2006.[2]

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.[3]

Services

As of May 2019, the current off-peak service in trains per hour is:

Preceding station National Rail Following station
Farncombe   South Western Railway
Portsmouth Direct Line 		  Milford or Haslemere
  • The new ticket vending machine installed at Godalming railway station during 2006
  • Passengers depart a south bound train towards the main entrance.
  • A 1912 Railway Clearing House map of lines around Godalming railway station
  • Sign on the up platform
gollark: Er, I just have to note something here.
gollark: Or at least gold + silver.
gollark: You can probably get *two* CB Golds.
gollark: If you want to, just look at the hub.
gollark: But the prizekins are pretty valuable too.

References
  1. South West Trains - Godalming Station floral recognition Archived 8 June 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  2. "The Holiday (2006) Filming and Production". IMDB. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
  3. "South West Trains press release - Godalming station to benefit from step-free access thanks to £3.1m investment". 27 August 2015. Archived from the original on 12 September 2015.

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