Chatham railway station

This article is about the station in Kent, England. For the station in Melbourne, Australia, see Chatham railway station, Melbourne. For the station in Chatham, Canada, see Chatham, Ontario railway station.

Coordinates: 51°22′49″N 0°31′16″E / 51.3803°N 0.5212°E / 51.3803; 0.5212

Chatham
Location
Place	Chatham
Local authority	Medway
Operations
Station code	CTM
Managed by	Southeastern
Number of platforms	2
Live arrivals/departures and station information from National Rail Enquiries
Annual rail passenger usage
2004/05 *	2.893 million
2005/06 *	2.945 million
2006/07 *	3.093 million
2007/08 *	3.262 million
2008/09 *	3.247 million
History
Opened 25 January 1858 (25 January 1858)
National Rail - UK railway stations
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
* Annual passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Chatham from Office of Rail Regulation statistics. Please note: methodology may vary year on year.
UK Railways portal

Chatham railway station is situated in Chatham, one of the Medway Towns in Kent, England. It is on the Chatham Main Line between Rochester and Gillingham, and is 34.3 miles (54 km) from London Victoria. Train services are provided by Southeastern.

There are two platforms, one for each direction, each capable of handling 12-car trains.

There are tunnels at either end of the station: Fort Pitt Tunnel (428 yards/385m) at the London end and Chatham Tunnel (297 yards/267m) at the other end.

Services

Typical off-peak services are:

• 2tph (trains per hour) to London St Pancras via Ebbsfleet International
• 3tph to London Victoria via the Medway Towns and Bromley South
• 2tph to London Charing Cross via Dartford and Blackheath
• 3tph to Gillingham (Kent)
• 4tph to Faversham, of which 2tph divide at Faversham with one portion going on to Dover Priory via Canterbury East and the other portion going to Ramsgate via Margate

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

History

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.

[v · d · e]Medway Towns
Legend To London Bridge To Victoria & Blackfriars To Maidstone / Strood Rochester Bridge / Strood (1st) Rochester Bridge River Medway Rochester Common Rochester Chatham Central Chatham Gillingham Rainham To Dover and Ramsgate

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 shop selling eateries and general corner shop stock 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 buffet is located on the London-bound platform.

References

External links

• Train times and station information for Chatham railway station from National Rail
• Chatham station's page on the KentRail website