Birchington-on-Sea railway station

Birchington-on-Sea railway station is on the Chatham Main Line in England, serving the village of Birchington-on-Sea, Kent. It is 70 miles 56 chains (113.8 km) down the line from London Victoria and is situated between Herne Bay and Westgate-on-Sea.

Birchington-on-Sea
Location
PlaceBirchington-on-Sea
Local authorityDistrict of Thanet
Coordinates51.377°N 1.301°E / 51.377; 1.301
Grid referenceTR298694
Operations
Station codeBCH
Managed bySoutheastern
Number of platforms2
DfT categoryE
Live arrivals/departures, station information and onward connections
from National Rail Enquiries
Annual rail passenger usage*
2014/15 0.325 million
2015/16 0.342 million
2016/17 0.378 million
2017/18 0.414 million
2018/19 0.411 million
History
Original companyKent Coast Railway
Pre-groupingSouth Eastern and Chatham Railway
Post-groupingSouthern Railway
5 October 1863 (1863-10-05)Opened as Birchington
October 1878Renamed Birchington-on-Sea
National Rail – UK railway stations
* Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Birchington-on-Sea from Office of Rail and Road statistics. Methodology may vary year on year.

The station and all trains that call are operated by Southeastern.

The station is located at one end of the high street and a short distance from the village square. Buses operate from the station to Minnis Bay and Margate on weekdays during peak hours; at other times buses can be caught from the village square.

History

The station was opened on 5 October 1863 by the Kent Coast Railway (KCR).[1] The KCR was operated by the London, Chatham and Dover Railway (LCDR), which absorbed the KCR on 1 July 1871,[2] and the station was renamed Birchington-on-Sea by the LCDR in October 1878.[1] From the start of 1899, the LCDR's services were operated by the newly formed South Eastern and Chatham Railway, which the LCDR co-owned with the South Eastern Railway (SER). At the start of 1923, the LCDR amalgamated with other railways (including the SER) to form the Southern Railway. Two Pullman camping coaches were positioned here by the Southern Region from 1963 to 1967.[3]

A small goods yard was situated on the Up London bound side of the station which closed in the 1970s and operated by the signalbox located midway on the down platform closed about the same time during a resignalling programme. The wire and rod cutout can still be seen within the brick face of the down platform. The 2007 Budget plan of Network Rail allows for the removal of the remaining manual turnround and it is believed short residual siding occasionally used for storing tamping track maintenance units, 'tampers'.

Birchington-on-Sea Station in 1963

A junction existed to the west of the station to serve RAF Manston[4] until the 1930s operated from a Ground Frame Birchington B located some 440 yards (400 m) upside of the station - a plan of which can be seen in the RAF Manston Museum.

Services
Preceding station National Rail Following station
Herne Bay   Southeastern
Chatham Main Line - Ramsgate Branch		   Westgate-on-Sea
Herne Bay   Southeastern
High Speed 1		   Margate

References
  1. Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 34. ISBN 1-85260-508-1. R508.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  2. Awdry, Christopher (1990). Encyclopaedia of British Railway Companies. London: Guild Publishing. p. 189. CN 8983.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  3. McRae, Andrew (1998). British Railways Camping Coach Holidays: A Tour of Britain in the 1950s and 1960s. Scenes from the Past: 30 (Part Two). Foxline. p. 59. ISBN 1-870119-53-3.
  4. McCarthy, Colin; McCarthy, David (October 2007). Waller, Peter (ed.). Railways of Britain: Kent and Sussex. Hersham: Ian Allan. map 8, section B5. ISBN 978-0-7110-3222-4. 0710/C1.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
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