Canterbury West railway station

Canterbury West
The platforms, viewed from the passenger bridge
Location
Place	Canterbury
Local authority	Canterbury
Grid reference	TR145583
Operations
Station code	CBW
Managed by	Southeastern
Number of platforms	2
DfT category	D
Live arrivals/departures, station information and onward connections from National Rail Enquiries
Annual rail passenger usage*
2010/11	1.921 million
– Interchange	48,053
2011/12	2.132 million
– Interchange	0.103 million
2012/13	2.121 million
– Interchange	0.106 million
2013/14	2.223 million
– Interchange	85,895
2014/15	2.336 million
– Interchange	96,584
History
Key dates	Opened 6 February 1846
National Rail – UK railway stations
* Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Canterbury West from Office of Rail and Road statistics. Methodology may vary year on year.
UK Railways portal

Canterbury West railway station is the busier of the two stations in Canterbury in Kent, England. All services are operated by Southeastern with both main line and high speed trains serving the station.

Although called Canterbury West, the station is about ¹⁄₂ mile (0.8 km) due north of Canterbury East station, and only about 20 yards (20 m) to its west.

The station and its line was built by the South Eastern Railway, while Canterbury East was built by the London, Chatham and Dover Railway.

History

The station opened on 6 February 1846 when the South Eastern Railway began services to Ashford. Two months later in April services were extended to Ramsgate, and to Whitstable after conversion of the Canterbury and Whitstable Railway and closure of the North Lane terminus. The station was built with two central through tracks and three platforms, one for the Whitstable branch.^[1]

On 1 July 1889 the Elham Valley Railway reached Canterbury from Folkestone^[2] and at this time the run-in boards read Canterbury (SER) Change for Whitstable and Elham Valley Line.^[1]

The Whitstable branch closed to passenger traffic on 1 January 1931,^[3] and traffic from the Elham Valley into Canterbury ceased from 1 December 1940. Following the Southern Region Kent Coast Electrification Scheme Phase 2 electric services started on 9 October 1961. Freight services were withdrawn on 13 September 1965 and the central through tracks were removed later in 1979.^[1]

In December 2009, Canterbury West became part of the Southeastern High Speed service to London St Pancras using the High Speed line from Ashford, significantly reducing journey times to London.

In 2010, the railway station was refurbished to improve the station's accessibility. Funded by the Department for Transport's Access for All Scheme, the main change was the construction of a new footbridge allowing a step-free route between the station entrance and both platforms using two lifts. Other improvements include new tactile paving along the edge of the platform, new toilet facilities, new customer information screens and lighting, the redecoration of the ticket office and changes to the car park layout.^[4]

In December 2013, a £535,000 upgrade to the station's forecourt and car park was completed.^[5]

Platform 1

Platform 1 (Ashford bound) houses the main ticket office with 2 public window counters and 3 self-service machines, Pumpkin Cafe and public toilets.

Platform 2

Platform 2 (Coast bound) houses the main waiting room.

There was an additional cafe attached to the main waiting room and additional toilets. These were since removed from 1986, by the Department Of Transport, citing safety and accessibility concerns.

Car Parking

The station has 2 public car parks. Car park 1 has spaces for 77 vehicles. Car park 2 has 3 disabled parking bays and also accommodates the taxi rank and a number of pick-up/drop-off 20 minute parking bays.

Services

As of December 2011 the typical off-peak service from the station per hour was:

• 1 train to London St Pancras International via Ashford International, Ebbsfleet International and Stratford International
• 2 trains to London Charing Cross, via Ashford International and Sevenoaks
• 2 trains to Ramsgate, one continuing to Margate^[6]

Since January 2015 the typical off-peak service has been:

• 1 train to London St Pancras International via Ashford International, Ebbsfleet International and Stratford International
• 1 train to London Charing Cross, via Ashford International and Sevenoaks
• 1 train to London Victoria, via Ashford International and Maidstone East
• 2 trains to Ramsgate, one continuing to Margate

See also

• Canterbury East railway station
• Chartham railway station

References

1. "Canterbury West". Kent Rail. Retrieved 22 January 2011.
2. Oppitz, Leslie (2003). Lost Railways of Kent. Countryside Books. p. 109. ISBN 1-85306-803-9.
3. Oppitz, Leslie (2003). Lost Railways of Kent. Countryside Books. p. 19. ISBN 1-85306-803-9.
4. "Canterbury West Re-opened" (Press release). Southeastern Railways. 20 December 2010. Archived from the original on 5 January 2011. Retrieved 22 January 2010.
5. "Forecourt work complete at Canterbury West station" (Press release). Southeastern. 11 December 2013. Archived from the original on 19 December 2013. Retrieved 18 December 2013.
6. Table 207 National Rail timetable, December 2011

External links

• Train times and station information for Canterbury West railway station from National Rail

Coordinates: 51°17′2.63″N 1°4′31.37″E / 51.2840639°N 1.0753806°E