Guildford (Surrey) railway station

Infobox UK station
name = Guildford


manager = South West Trains
locale = Guildford
borough = Borough of Guildford
code = GLD
usage0405 = 6.543
usage0506 = 6.699
usage0607 = 7.186
platforms = 8 (7 in use)
start = 5 May 1845

Guildford railway station serves the town of Guildford in Surrey, England. It is 30.3 miles (48km) from Waterloo.

It is situated on the Portsmouth Direct Line, and is an interchange station for three other railway lines:
* the North Downs Line northwards towards Reading, and with connection to Aldershot;
* the same line eastwards to Redhill;
* the alternative line to Waterloo via Cobham or Epsom (the New Guildford Line)

The station was opened on 5 May 1845, and substantially rebuilt in 1880. The main station buildings are on the Down side, at the end of the Down side platform is a bay for the New Guildford Line . There are now three islands with seven platform faces plus the bay linked by both a long footbridge and a subway. Platforms 6 and 7 are opposite sides of the same line: these were used for unloading mail and parcels until the mid 1990s. The station was completely rebuilt (except for the platforms) in the late 1980s.

The "Reading, Guildford and Reigate Railway" opened its services on 4 July 1849; services to Farnham via Tongham began on 8 October 1849; the Horsham line 2 October 1865 (closing almost one hundred years later on 12 June 1965 [cite web | url= http://cranleighrailway.info | title= Cranleigh Railway website | date=2007-04-23] ); and finally the New Guildford Line on 2 February 1885. On the latter line is the other Guildford station: London Road (Guildford): the line to it describes a curve around the town on an embankment, crossing the River Wey by a high bridge.

The station is served by services operated by First Great Western from Reading to Gatwick Airport and South West Trains from London Waterloo to Portsmouth Harbour, Waterloo to Guildford via Cobham or Epsom and Ascot to Guildford via Aldershot. Occasional CrossCountry trains to Brighton and the North and Southern services on the Sutton and Mole Valley route towards West Croydon & London Bridge also calls.

Platform layout

*Platform 1 – Stopping services to London Waterloo via Epsom and peak time trains to London Bridge via Forest Hill, and London Victoria on the Sutton & Mole Valley Lines
*Platform 2 – Stopping services to London Waterloo via Woking
*Platform 3 – Stopping services to London Waterloo via Cobham
*Platform 4 – Fast and stopping services towards Portsmouth; semi-fast services to Gatwick Airport
*Platform 5 – Fast services to London Waterloo
*Platform 6 – Services to Aldershot and Ascot; stopping services to Redhill
*Platform 8 – Services to Reading

"Platforms 6 and 7 are on opposite sides of the same single line. Automatic train doors only open on the platform 6 side."
"Platform 6 is signalled for bi-directional working – trains may approach from either direction."

Services

South West Trains

*8tph (trains per hour) to London Waterloo, of which:
**4tph run via Woking
**2tph run via Cobham
**2tph run via Epsom
*2tph fast services to Portsmouth Harbour
*1tph stopping service to Portsmouth and Southsea
*1tph stopping service to Haslemere
*2tph to Ascot

First Great Western

*2tph to Reading
*2tph to Redhill
** of which 1tph continues to Gatwick Airport

=Southern (peak hours only)=

*1tph to London Victoria via Norbury
*1tph to London Bridge via Forest Hill

CrossCountry

*3 trains per day to Manchester Piccadilly via Reading

External links

* [http://cranleighrailway.info/then_now1_guildford.htm Photos of Guildford station]
*stn art lnk|GLD|GU14UT

References