Sandwich railway station serves Sandwich in Kent, England. The station, and all trains serving it, are operated by Southeastern. The station is 8+1⁄4 miles (13.3 km) south of Ramsgate on the Kent Coast Line.
Sandwich  | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | |||||
| General information | |||||
| Location | Sandwich, Dover England | ||||
| Grid reference | TR332576 | ||||
| Managed by | Southeastern | ||||
| Platforms | 2 | ||||
| Other information | |||||
| Station code | SDW | ||||
| Classification | DfT category E | ||||
| History | |||||
| Opened | 1 July 1847[1] | ||||
| Passengers | |||||
| 2018/19 |  0.355 million | ||||
| 2019/20 |  0.351 million | ||||
| 2020/21 | 0.106 million | ||||
| 2021/22 | 0.282 million | ||||
| 2022/23 | 0.268 million | ||||
| |||||
History
edit
The first proposal for a station at Sandwich was in 1836–37 by the Kent Railway.[2] An independent line to London was considered, but the South Eastern Railway (SER) decided they would construct a branch line from the Ashford to Ramsgate line at Minster towards Sandwich and Deal.[3] The station was opened on 1 July 1847.[1]
Sandwich had once been a significant port in the Middle Ages, but because of changing geography had suffered a lengthy decline. It was hoped a railway would reverse this trend. In 1853, the Sandwich Improvement Association hoped to collaborate with the SER and develop a more significant seaport here, but the SER were not interested. The station initially had a very limited service, with only seven trains running each way, and between 1855 and 1865 the line was single track.[4] A connection to Dover Priory opened on 15 June 1881.[5]
Goods services were withdrawn on 7 October 1963.[1]
In 2019, a major programme began to expand the station in preparation for The Open Championship at the Royal St George's Golf Club. The platforms were extended by 80 metres (260 ft) so they could accommodate the full 12-car British Rail Class 395 trains.[6][7][8] The work was completed in early 2021, in time for the 2021 Open Championship.[9]
Services
editAll services at Sandwich are operated by Southeastern using Class 375 and 395 EMUs.
The typical off-peak service in trains per hour is:[10]
- 1 tph to London St Pancras International
- 1 tph to Ramsgate
Additional services, including trains to and from London Charing Cross via Tonbridge call at the station during the peak hours.
| Preceding station | National Rail | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southeastern | ||||
Limited Service |
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| Disused railways | ||||
Line and station open | Southern Railway | Line open, station closed |
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References
editCitations
- ^ a b c McCarthy & McCarthy 2007, p. 126.
- ^ Gray 1990, p. 251.
- ^ Gray 1990, p. 252.
- ^ Gray 1990, p. 254.
- ^ Gray 1990, p. 256.
- ^ "Sandwich Railway Station needs £4m upgrade if town is to host the 2020 Open". Kent Online. 18 October 2017. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
- ^ "Sandwich Railway Station to get upgrade ahead of Open 2020 golf championships". Kent Online. 20 May 2019. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
- ^ "Sandwich station improvements". Network Rail. Archived from the original on 11 July 2021.
- ^ "Sandwich railway station upgrades completed ahead of 149th Open Golf Championship". RailAdvent. 19 March 2021. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
- ^ Table 207 National Rail timetable, December 2021
Sources
- Gray, Adrian (1990). South Eastern Railway. Middleton Press. ISBN 978-0-906520-85-7.
- McCarthy, Colin; McCarthy, David (2007). Railway of Britain : Kent and Sussex. Ian Allan. ISBN 978-0-7110-3222-4.
External links
edit- Train times and station information for Sandwich railway station from National Rail