Kingston railway station (England)

Kingston railway station is in Kingston upon Thames in south-west London. It is 12 miles 9 chains (19.5 km) down the line from London Waterloo. The station and all trains serving it are operated by South Western Railway. It is in Travelcard Zone 6.

Kingston
Kingston Location of Kingston in Greater London
Location	Kingston upon Thames
Local authority	Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames
Managed by	South Western Railway
Station code	KNG
DfT category	C1
Number of platforms	3
Accessible	Yes
Fare zone	6
National Rail annual entry and exit
2014–15	6.187 million[1]
2015–16	5.616 million[1]
2016–17	5.440 million[1]
2017–18	4.880 million[1]
2018–19	5.013 million[1]
Key dates
1 July 1863	Opened (Kingston New)
1 January 1869	Opened (Kingston High Level)
1935	Two stations amalgamated and renamed "Kingston"
Other information
External links	Departures Layout Facilities Buses
WGS84	51.4127°N 0.3012°W / 51.4127; -0.3012
London transport portal

History

The station opened on 1 July 1863 as "Kingston Town", to distinguish it from the earlier Kingston station (which became Surbiton) on the South West Main Line. It was then the terminus of the London & South Western Railway branch line from Twickenham.[2] The platforms built when the line was prolonged in 1869 to connect to the South West Main Line were named "Kingston High Level".

The Southern Railway rebuilt and unified the station in 1935. In August 2010 it was refurbished, with the entrance, but not the concourse, moving a few metres to face Wood Street instead of being at the corner formed by Wood Street and Richmond Road, and the independent shop was replaced by a WHSmith and a Costa Coffee shop.

Kingston station, 2007.

In common with the 16 hourly off-peak closer commuter services to/from London Waterloo calling at Earlsfield railway station (more during peak) and all intermediate London stations all managed by South Western Railway,[3] trains must stop at every intermediate station. There are no fast services available to mid distance destinations, which gives overcapacity towards the more suburban termini due to the longer journey time and overcrowding during the inner city phase of journeys.[4] This situation can be contrasted to certain other routes to destinations just outside Greater London in certain other directions.[5] However, due to its location on the Kingston Loop Line, passengers can also travel from Kingston to London via Twickenham.

Ticket barriers are in operation.

The station is currently in TfL Fare Zone 6, but there is an ongoing campaign for it to be rezoned to Zone 5.[6]

Station layout

The two northern platforms are on the through tracks while the third, at the south, is a long west-facing bay which has been used for past curtailments of the Shepperton service and allows for reversal of trains coming via Twickenham on Sundays or when there is a closure east of Kingston of either the loop or the main line. Stairs and lifts give access to the platforms.

Services

The typical off-peak weekday service at Kingston in trains per hour is:[7]

• 6 to Waterloo, of which:
  • 4 run via Wimbledon
  • 2 run via Richmond and Twickenham
• 2 to Shepperton

On Sundays, there are hourly services to Waterloo via Wimbledon & via Richmond and along the branch to Shepperton. An additional hourly service to Waterloo via the Hounslow Loop Line (calling at all intermediate stations) starts/terminates here.

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Norbiton		South Western Railway Kingston Loop Line		Hampton Wick
	Future development
Preceding station		Crossrail		Following station
Hampton Wick towards Shepperton		Crossrail Line 2		Norbiton towards New Southgate or Broxbourne

Connections

No buses stop at the station entrance, but Cromwell Road bus station is less than two minutes walk away.

References

1. "Station usage estimates". Rail statistics. Office of Rail Regulation. Please note: Some methodology may vary year on year.
2. Gilks, J. Spencer (July 1958). Cooke, B.W.C. (ed.). "Railway Development at Kingston-upon-Thames—1". The Railway Magazine. Vol. 104 no. 687. Westminster: Tothill Press Ltd. p. 450.
3. Namely:
   
   • 4tph to Guildford (2 via Cobham and 2 via Epsom) (ie excluding the fastest Portsmouth service)
   • 2tph to Chessington South
   • 2tph to Dorking
   • 2tph to Hampton Court
   • 2tph to Shepperton
   • 2tph to Woking
   • 2tph to Waterloo on the Kingston Loop
4. "10-car SWT hangs in balance". Modern Railways (London): p. 52. December 2010.
5. e.g. New Southern Railway's Tonbridge, Reigate and East Grinstead services which until leaving London only call at Clapham Junction and at East Croydon.
6. http://www.jamesberrymp.com/rezoning
7. "Kingston Loop and Shepperton to London Waterloo" (PDF). South West Trains. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 May 2013. Retrieved 15 March 2013.

External links