Chatham railway station

Chatham railway station is on the Chatham Main Line in England, serving the town of Chatham, Kent. It is 34 miles 25 chains (55.2 km) down the line from London Victoria and is situated between Rochester and Gillingham.

Not to be confused with Chartham railway station.
This article is about the station in Medway, England. For other uses, see Chatham railway station (disambiguation).

Chatham
Chatham railway station
Location
PlaceChatham
Local authorityBorough of Medway
Coordinates51.3805°N 0.5205°E / 51.3805; 0.5205
Grid referenceTQ755676
Operations
Station codeCTM
Managed bySoutheastern
Number of platforms2
DfT categoryC1
Live arrivals/departures, station information and onward connections
from National Rail Enquiries
Annual rail passenger usage*
2014/15 2.697 million
– Interchange  1,135
2015/16 2.768 million
– Interchange  6,366
2016/17 2.743 million
– Interchange  78
2017/18 2.731 million
– Interchange  17
2018/19 2.730 million
– Interchange  4
History
Key datesOpened 25 January 1858 (1858-01-25) (25 January 1858 (1858-01-25))
National Rail – UK railway stations
  • Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Chatham from Office of Rail and Road statistics. Methodology may vary year on year.

The station and most trains that call are operated by Southeastern. Following a timetable change on Sunday 20 May 2018, some trains are operated by Govia Thameslink.

There are two platforms, one for each direction and both capable of accommodating 12-coach trains.

There are tunnels at either end of the station: Fort Pitt Tunnel (428 yards) at the London end, and Chatham Tunnel (297 yards) at the country end.

History
The station in 1983
This 2007 photo, facing east and showing the Chatham Tunnel and Maidstone Road bridge, clearly illustrates the effect of the Kent Coast Electrification Scheme. Loop platforms existed either side of the mainline platforms, with the London bound loop being situated in the foreground where one of the car parks is currently.
British Railways Southern Region totem sign for Chatham station.

The station was opened on 25 January 1858, when the London, Chatham and Dover Railway (LCDR) (then known as the East Kent Railway) opened a single line eastwards to Faversham. Two months later (29 March 1858) the link with the North Kent Line at Strood was opened; and the new railway reached Dover Priory in 1861. The Chatham Dockyard branch connection is made near Gillingham.

As built the station had two platforms with the station buildings being on the Down side. A note on the working drawings states that the station had to be visible from Fort Pitt. About 1881 it was rebuilt with two island platforms, and the station buildings were moved onto the road bridge, then known as Rome Place. In 1958 the station was converted back to two platforms as part of the Kent Coast Electrification Scheme, Stage 1. The station had been electrified in 1939 but the 1958 scheme lengthened the platforms to 12 car EMUs, which due to the geography of the station - between two tunnels - necessitated the abandoning of the other platforms.

A modern entrance and booking hall replaced the originals in 1981. Further remodelling in the 1990s and 2000s has seen the ticket office moved twice, accompanied by the opening, closing and re-opening of retail areas. A small, general corner store was also opened. The building is located at one side of the road bridge (now Railway Street) over the track, with a taxi rank located between the road and the building. Stairs lead down to the platforms. A cafe is located on the London bound platform. There is also a coffee shop located at the main entrance of the station.

Services
Medway Towns
North Kent Line & HS1
to London Bridge & St Pancras
Chatham Main Line
to Victoria & Blackfriars
Medway Valley Line
to Maidstone West
 Halling
 Cuxton
 Strood
 Rochester Bridge│Strood (1st)
Rochester Bridge
Goods station
Rochester Common
 Rochester
(2015–)
 Rochester
(1892–2015)
 Chatham Central
River Medway
 Chatham
Gillingham
 Rainham
Chatham Main Line
to Faversham, Dover & Ramsgate

Train services at Chatham are operated by Southeastern and Thameslink. As of December 2019, the off-peak service at the station in trains per hour is:[1][2]

Southeastern - High Speed

Southeastern - Mainline

Thameslink

Preceding station National Rail Following station
Rochester   Southeastern
High Speed 1
Chatham Main Line		   Gillingham
  Thameslink
North Kent Line		  

References
  1. "Timetable 2 - London to The Medway Towns, Ramsgate and Dover" (PDF). Southeastern, December 2019.
  2. "Timetable 06 - Luton to Dartford and Rainham" (PDF). Thameslink, December 2019.
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