Romsey railway station

Romsey railway station serves the town of Romsey in Hampshire, England. It is on the Wessex Main Line and is at the junction for the Eastleigh to Romsey Line. It is 80 miles 47 chains (129.7 km) measured from London Waterloo.

Romsey
Location
PlaceRomsey
Local authorityTest Valley
Grid referenceSU356216
Operations
Station codeROM
Managed bySouth Western Railway
Number of platforms2
DfT categoryE
Live arrivals/departures, station information and onward connections
from National Rail Enquiries
Annual rail passenger usage*
2014/15 0.495 million
2015/16 0.492 million
2016/17 0.503 million
2017/18 0.517 million
2018/19 0.521 million
History
Key datesOpened 1 March 1847 (1 March 1847)
National Rail – UK railway stations
* Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Romsey from Office of Rail and Road statistics. Methodology may vary year on year.

It is a Grade II listed building.[1]

History

The station was built by the LSWR and opened on 1 March 1847[2] on their line from Eastleigh to Salisbury. It became a junction in 1865 when the Andover & Redbridge Railway (also known as the Sprat and Winkle Line) was opened - this joined the earlier route just east of the station before diverging again at Kimbridge Junction a short distance to the north en route to Andover.[3] The subway connecting the two platforms was added in 1887. The waiting room has a collection of framed photographs from earliest times through to the mid-20th century. The Romsey Signal Box has been preserved and can be visited.

The Andover line fell victim to the Beeching Axe in September 1964,[4] whilst the Eastleigh route closed to passengers in May 1969 - however it remained open for freight traffic and as a useful diversionary route; it eventually regained a regular passenger service in May 2003.

Previously managed by Great Western Railway, in April 2020 the management of the station was transferred to South Western Railway.[5]

Services
A South West Trains service to Southampton via Chandlers Ford

The station is managed by South Western Railway who operate a "figure of six" service running from Salisbury to Romsey and Southampton via Redbridge, then to Eastleigh and back to Romsey via Chandlers Ford.[6]

Great Western Railway runs services southeastward to Southampton Central, Portsmouth Harbour, and Brighton, and northwestward to Salisbury, Bristol Temple Meads, and Cardiff Central.[7]

There was a rail-link bus operated on behalf of South West Trains by parent company Stagecoach Group, this was numbered as the X66 and linked the station with Winchester railway station via Ampfield. The service ceased on 28 July 2008 when South West Trains withdrew its subsidy citing lack of use despite a protest group having formed and collecting a petition of over 1,000 signatures to oppose the closure.[8] Stagecoach continue to operate 2 of the morning peak services which were profitable alongside the existing hourly non rail link services.[9]

Preceding station National Rail Following station
Chandlers Ford   South Western Railway
Eastleigh to Romsey Line		   Terminus
Mottisfont & Dunbridge   South Western Railway
Wessex Main Line		   Redbridge
Salisbury   Great Western Railway
Wessex Main Line		   Southampton Central
  Historical railways  
Nursling   London & South Western Railway
Andover and Redbridge railway		   Mottisfont

References
  1. Stuff, Good. "Romsey Railway Station, Romsey, Hampshire". britishlistedbuildings.co.uk.
  2. Southern Region Record by R.H.Clark
  3. "Andover & Redbridge Railway (L&SWR)" Speller, John; spellerweb.net; Retrieved 15 August 2016
  4. Body, G (1984). Railways of the Southern Region. Cambridge: Patrick Stevens Ltd. p. 135. ISBN 0-85059-664-5.
  5. "South Western Railway welcomes three stations to its family". www.southwesternrailway.com. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  6. Table 158 National Rail timetable, May 2016
  7. Table 123 National Rail timetable, May 2016
  8. "1,000 sign petition to save rail station bus link". Southern Daily Echo. Newsquest. 25 October 2007. Archived from the original on 3 November 2007. Retrieved 21 December 2007.
  9. "Rail company withdraws link". Romsey Advertiser. Newsquest. Retrieved 3 January 2010.
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