St Denys railway station

St Denys railway station serves the St Denys and Portswood suburbs of Southampton in Hampshire, England. It is 77 miles 10 chains (124.1 km) down the line from London Waterloo.

St Denys
Portsmouth line train at St Denys
Location
Place	St Denys
Local authority	City of Southampton
Coordinates	50°55′19″N 1°23′17″W
Grid reference	SU431138
Operations
Station code	SDN
Managed by	South Western Railway
Number of platforms	4
DfT category	E
Live arrivals/departures, station information and onward connections from National Rail Enquiries
Annual rail passenger usage*
2014/15	0.298 million
2015/16	0.318 million
2016/17	0.306 million
2017/18	0.293 million
– Interchange	62,729
2018/19	0.280 million
– Interchange	65,583
History
Original company	London and South Western Railway
Pre-grouping	London and South Western Railway
Post-grouping	Southern Railway
1 May 1861	First station opened as Portswood
5 March 1866	Station relocated
1 January 1876	Renamed St Denys
National Rail – UK railway stations
* Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at St Denys from Office of Rail and Road statistics. Methodology may vary year on year.

Built in 1865, the station is named after the surrounding area, which in turn is named after the Priory of St Denys, a major landmark in medieval Southampton.

The station is at the site of the junction between the London to Weymouth mainline and the West Coastway Line running between Southampton and Portsmouth. It is currently served mainly by South Western Railway, with irregular services operated by Southern. There are four platforms; two on the main line and two on the branch line.

History

St Denys station building (now in private ownership)

The original station was opened by the London and South Western Railway on 1 May 1861 and named Portswood after the small village to the west of the main line. Shortly after, to accommodate the Portsmouth branch line, a new station building was built 0.25 miles (0.40 km) to the south; the relocated station was opened on 5 March 1866. However to avoid confusion with Portsmouth, the station was renamed to St Denys on 1 January 1876.[1]

The station buildings themselves are fine examples of Victorian architecture. The original station building on platform 1 is listed, although it is now privately owned.[2] Platforms 2 and 3 house the waiting room and ticket window, whilst the old station buildings on platform 4 house The Solent Model Railway Group,[3] a local organisation.

Services

Off-peak, all services are operated by South Western Railway. The off-peak service in trains per hour is:[4][5]

• 1 tph to Southampton Central
• 1 tph to Portsmouth & Southsea
• 1 tph to Romsey via Eastleigh
• 1 tph to Salisbury via Redbridge

During the peak periods, there are additional services to London Waterloo, Bournemouth, Poole operated by South Western Railway. Southern also provide a few services during the peak periods.

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Bitterne		Southern West Coastway Line Peak only		Southampton Central
Swaythling		South Western Railway South Western Main Line		Southampton Central
Bitterne		South Western Railway West Coastway Line
	Disused railways
Swaythling		London & South Western Railway London and Southampton Railway		Northam

Accidents and incidents

• In August 1939, a train overran signals and was derailed by trap points. The accident caused a set of points to move, diverting an approaching boat train. This averted a more serious accident, as wreckage was foul of the route the boat train should have taken.[6]
• On 14 August 1940, a passenger train hauled by Lord Nelson class locomotive 860 Lord Hawke was derailed due to enemy action. A bomb fell on the line ahead of the train, which was unable to stop in time.[6]
• On 29 October 1959, a passenger train overran signals and was derailed by trap points.[6][7]
• On 12 December 1960, a passenger train overran signals and was derailed. Two people were injured.[6]

References

1. Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Sparkford, Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. pp. 190, 203. ISBN 1-85260-508-1. R508.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
2. Historic England. "Drummond House (1092028)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 27 June 2019.
3. Solent Model Railway Group Accessed 26 April 2018
4. GB eNRT 2015-16 Edition, Table 165 (Network Rail)
5. GB eNRT 2015-16 Edition, Table 158 (Network Rail)
6. Bishop, Bill (1984). Off the Rails. Southampton: Kingfisher. pp. 21, 53–55. ISBN 0 946184 06 2.
7. Trevena, Arthur (1981). Trains in Trouble: Vol. 2. Redruth: Atlantic Books. p. 42. ISBN 0-906899 03 6.

External links

• Train times and station information for St Denys railway station from National Rail
• Local Rail Information

Railway lines in Southampton
West Coastway Line to Brighton and Portsmouth Fareham to Gosport Line Fareham Wessex Main Line to Bristol via Salisbury M27 motorway Sprat and Winkle Line to Andover Knowle Halt Romsey Meon Valley Railway to Alton Bishops Waltham Swanwick Durley Halt Botley Chandlers Ford River Hamble South Western Main Line to London Waterloo Hedge End A27 road Eastleigh Bursledon Eastleigh Works Hamble Hamble fuel terminal Southampton Airport Parkway Netley Hospital Netley M27 motorway Sholing A27 road Woolston Swaythling Bitterne Portswood (1861–66) River Itchen St Denys Northam Road (1839–40) Northam TMD Northam Southampton Tunnel Southampton West End (1847–95) Southampton Terminus Southampton Central Eastern Docks Millbrook Central Docks Western Docks Nursling Redbridge Fawley Refinery River Test Fawley A35 road Hythe Totton Marchwood Port Marchwood Ashurst (New Forest) Beaulieu Road Lymington Pier Ferry to Yarmouth IoW Brockenhurst Lymington Town   Southampton and Ampress Works Halt Dorchester Railway to Dorchester via Ringwood South Western Main Line to Bournemouth