Wokingham railway station

Wokingham
Location
Place	Wokingham
Local authority	Wokingham
Coordinates	51°24′40″N 0°50′35″W / 51.411°N 0.843°W / 51.411; -0.843Coordinates: 51°24′40″N 0°50′35″W / 51.411°N 0.843°W / 51.411; -0.843
Grid reference	SU805686
Operations
Station code	WKM
Managed by	South West Trains
Number of platforms	2
DfT category	C2
Live arrivals/departures, station information and onward connections from National Rail Enquiries
Annual rail passenger usage*
2002/03	1.658 million
2004/05	1.803 million
2005/06	1.839 million
2006/07	1.951 million
2007/08	2.123 million
2008/09	2.107 million
2009/10	2.011 million
2010/11	2.098 million
2011/12	2.149 million
2012/13	2.204 million
History
Original company	Reading, Guildford and Reigate Railway
Pre-grouping	London and South Western Railway
Post-grouping	Southern Railway
4 July 1849	Station opened
1 January 1939	Line electrified
1973	Station rebuilt
1987	Platforms lengthened
October 2013	New station building opened
National Rail – UK railway stations
* Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Wokingham from Office of Rail Regulation statistics. Methodology may vary year on year.
UK Railways portal

A 1909 Railway Clearing House map showing (left) lines in the area of Wokingham

Wokingham railway station is a railway station in Wokingham, Berkshire, England. It is at the junction of the Waterloo to Reading line with the North Downs Line. South West Trains manages the station and provides services along with First Great Western.^[1]

History

The line from Reading to Redhill was built by the Reading, Guildford and Reigate Railway (RG&RR), and was opened in stages. The first sections, from Reading to Farnborough North, which included a station at Wokingham, also from Dorking West to Redhill, were opened on 4 July 1849. Other sections followed, with the last section, from Guildford (Surrey) to Shalford, on 15 October 1849.^[2][3] From its beginning the RG&RR was worked by the South Eastern Railway (SER), which bought the RG&RR in 1852.^[2]

The Staines, Wokingham & Woking Junction Railway (SW&WJR) opened a line between Staines and Wokingham (Staines Junction) on 9 July 1856. The London and South Western Railway (LSWR) worked the SW&WJR and was authorised to run over the SER to Reading.^[4] This gave Wokingham a direct route to London Waterloo.

In 1933 the Southern Railway opened the current signal box. It controls part of the North Downs Line, part of the Waterloo route, and the level crossing. On 1 January 1939 the SR extended its Waterloo – Virginia Water electric service to Wokingham and Reading.^[5]

In 1973 British Railways replaced Wokingham's station building with one built with CLASP prefabricated concrete sections. In 1987 BR slightly extended the platforms to accommodate eight-car Waterloo trains. Platform 2 ("down") has recently undergone a further extension to accommodate longer trains and the addition of a signal at the London end. This is for reversing trains in times of disruption and during the Reading station upgrade.

Level crossings

In 1976 BR converted the main level crossing next to the station from gates to barriers. There is also a footbridge for pedestrians to use when the crossing is closed for the passage of a train. The first bridge was built from old double-head rails, but has been replaced by a more modern angular design. There is a concrete footbridge in the 'V' of Wokingham Junction – where the Waterloo and North Downs lines meet.^[6] There is also an occupation crossing located on the Waterloo line at Knoll Farm, opposite Langborough Recreation Ground, that it is restricted to use by the farm.

There is a very busy level crossing further along the same line on Easthampstead Road at Star Lane. BR installed automatic half-barriers (AHB) on it in about 1964. In 1997 Railtrack upgraded it to full barriers and equipped it with CCTV. BR equipped Waterloo Crossing with AHBs in 1965, and they remain in use today. BR also converted Amen Corner level crossing to AHBs, but in 1982 the A329 road was re-routed and two bridges were built to replace the Level crossing. The diverted road uses an overbridge nearer Wokingham station, and a pedestrian footbridge occupies the site of the former crossing.^[7]

Services

South West Trains runs an service between London Waterloo and Reading. This runs every 30 minutes daily, with some extra peak time weekday services in either direction.^[8]

First Great Western runs an hourly semi-fast service between Reading and Gatwick Airport and an hourly stopping service between Reading and Redhill, giving a total service frequency of about two trains per hour on this route off-peak.^[9]

Wokingham station is an interchange for passengers between the Waterloo – Reading line and the North Downs Line.

Redevelopment 2013

In 2011 it was announced that Wokingham station would be redeveloped from spring 2012 to spring 2013^[10] at a cost of £6 million.^[11] The initial plan involves a new station building further along the platform nearer to Reading than the existing building and creating a new spur road linking Wellington Road to the Reading Road. An artist's impression of the new station building was released to the news media in July 2011.^[12] Enabling work for the link road was started on 11 February 2013.^[13] In August 2013 the new footbridge opened to the public and in October the same year the new station building opened with the old 1973 CLASP building was demolished to make way for the new station sign and clock tower.^[14] However following the development it was decided by South West Trains to choose a new café chain to serve in the new building over the ones previously serving in the old building, despite local opposition.^[15]

Notes

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Reading		First Great Western North Downs Line semi-fast services to Gatwick Airport		Blackwater
Reading		First Great Western North Downs Line local stopping services to Redhill		Crowthorne
Bracknell		South West Trains Waterloo to Reading line		Winnersh or Reading

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wokingham railway station.

• Map showing eastern Reading and its railways