Burmarsh Road railway station

Infobox UK station
name = Burmarsh Road
manager = RHDR
locale = East Dymchurch
borough = Shepway
platforms = 2


caption = A freight train for New Romney passes the platforms
years = 16 July 1927
events = Opened

Burmarsh Road railway station is a station on the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway in Kent, England. It is four miles south of Hythe.

History

Officially opened on 16 July 1927, this station was then called Burmarsh for East Dymchurch and was equipped with two platforms, a booking office, a waiting room, and possibly a signal box (historical accounts vary on this last point). Later the station name was changed to Dymchurch Bay. Traffic levels fell sharply after world war two, and the station was eventually reduced in status to a halt and again renamed as Burmarsh Road Halt. It closed in 1948, re-opened in 1950, but finally closed again at the end of that same year, when the station buildings were demolished. However, it was again re-opened in 1977 as one of the stops on the school train service, transporting local children to Southlands Comprehensive School in New Romney.

Today

Since that time Burmarsh Road station has found a new lease of life. Officially it is listed on the Railway's ticket-issuing computer systems as a station (not a halt), but the only trains to call here are the school service trains, and private charter trains. However, the general public are permitted to travel on the school train service on certain off-season days of the year, meaning that it is still possible to board trains, and alight from them, at this station.

Facilities

Today there are no surviving station buildings, although in November 2007 Burmarsh Road saw its first fabric upgrade since re-opening in 1977, when the 'down' platform (which had become very uneven) was completely resurfaced. There are still two platforms, and the 'up' platform remains very much in need of similar resurfacing. There are electrical cabinets and control panels installed at the station, for operation of the lights and barriers of Burmarsh Road level crossing, together with closed circuit television cameras and recording equipment. The only other significant structure is a memorial to a train driver killed here in 2003 (see below).

Fatal accident

Burmarsh Road station was the site of a fatal accident in August 2003, in which engine driver Kevin Crouch lost his life. A local woman whose car had failed to stop for flashing level crossing lights was later convicted on a charge of careless driving.

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