Swanwick railway station

Swanwick railway station is a railway station in Fareham, Hampshire, England. Despite the name, it is actually in Park Gate not Swanwick, which is one mile north of the station.

This article is about the National Rail station. For the station on the Midland Railway - Butterley in Derbyshire, see Swanwick Junction railway station.

Swanwick
Location
PlacePark Gate
Local authorityFareham
Grid referenceSU517087
Operations
Station codeSNW
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 0.697 million
2015/16 0.697 million
2016/17 0.599 million
2017/18 0.617 million
2018/19 0.641 million
History
Key datesOpened 2 September 1889 (2 September 1889)
Original companyLondon and South Western Railway
Pre-groupingLondon and South Western Railway
Post-groupingSouthern Railway
National Rail – UK railway stations
* Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Swanwick from Office of Rail and Road statistics. Methodology may vary year on year.

The station opened on 2 September 1889,[1] and was specially built for the local strawberry industry. For a short time each year, it was one of the busiest stations in the country.[2] The station is near a small industrial estate between the residential areas of Locks Heath and Whiteley.

History

The railway line between Netley and Fareham was built by the London and South Western Railway; it was authorised on 20 August 1883, construction began in April 1886, and the line was opened on 2 September 1889. Swanwick was one of two intermediate stations originally provided, but unlike its neighbour Bursledon, it was provided with a crossing loop so that two trains could pass each other on the single-track route.[3] The local area's strawberry industry provided up to 7,000 tons each year in the late 1800s. During the harvest, Swanwick Station became one of the busiest in the country with "Strawberry Specials" heading to Covent Garden and across the country. Long platforms were constructed to accommodate the trains.[4]

After the Second World War, the station was mainly used for passenger services.

Services

Services at Swanwick are operated by Southern and South Western Railway. The off-peak service Monday to Friday’s in trains per hour is:[5]

Southern

South Western Railway

Preceding station National Rail Following station
Fareham   Southern
West Coastway Line
   Southampton Central
Fareham   South Western Railway
West Coastway Line		   Bursledon

Facilities
Swanwick Station from the footbridge looking east towards Fareham. The ticket office is on the right and the car park can seen in the centre background

The station is by far the busiest between Fareham and Southampton and enjoys more facilities than most on the line. The ticket office is open between 5.45am and 7pm weekdays (shorter hours at the weekend).[6] Toilet facilities and a waiting room are within the ticket office area (not available when the ticket office is closed).

The station is fully covered by CCTV, as is the large cycle shed and car park adjacent the station. There are customer help points and covered areas on both platforms. Disabled customers cannot gain access to the Fareham-bound platform.

Outside the station in the forecourt there is a taxi rank and a refreshment caravan providing food and drink throughout the day. The Park Gate Tandoori restaurant is located in the former station master's house which forms part of the station building.

References
  1. Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 225. ISBN 1-85260-508-1. R508.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  2. Strawberry growing in the Fareham Borough
  3. Williams, R.A. (1973). The London & South Western Railway, volume 2: Growth and Consolidation. Newton Abbot: David & Charles. pp. 132–133. ISBN 0-7153-5940-1.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  4. Locks Heath local history
  5. GB eNRT December 2019 Edition, Table 165 (Network Rail)
  6. South Western Railway - Swanwick Station information

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