Staplehurst
National Rail
General information
LocationStaplehurst, Borough of Maidstone
England
Grid referenceTQ783444
Managed bySoutheastern
Platforms2
Other information
Station codeSPU
ClassificationDfT category C2
History
Opened31 August 1842
Passengers
2018/19Increase 0.872 million
2019/20Decrease 0.855 million
2020/21Decrease 0.152 million
2021/22Increase 0.474 million
2022/23Increase 0.612 million
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road
Staplehurst
railway
station
Legend
1950
 Legend
Running lines
Sidings
to Marden
Left arrow Staplehurst
 A229 
Maidstone Right arrow
to Headcorn

Staplehurst railway station is on the South Eastern Main Line in England, serving the village of Staplehurst, Kent. It is 41 miles 70 chains (67.4 km) down the line from London Charing Cross . The station and all trains that serve the station are operated by Southeastern.

The station opened in August 1842. It is well known for the Staplehurst rail crash on 9 June 1865 on which Charles Dickens was a passenger.

History

The station was opened by the South Eastern Railway on 31 August 1842, when the line was extended from Tonbridge to Headcorn.[1][2] The platforms were widened in 1889.[3] A footbridge over the platforms was installed in 1961, in preparation for the electrification of the South Eastern Main Line.[4]

A coal depot was established at Staplehurst in September 1965. All goods facilities were withdrawn on 4 October 1971.[5]

Facilities

Staplehurst is located in the north of the urban area on the A229 road which runs from Chatham to Hastings via Maidstone.[6] The ticket office is located on the London-bound platform 1. A passenger-operated self-service ticket machine is located next to the station.[7]

The station is used by commuters to London from Cranbrook, Sissinghurst and Hawkhurst, which have no stations of their own. Arriva Southern Counties bus 5 links these three settlements to the station.[8]

Services

All services at Staplehurst are operated by Southeastern using Class 375 EMUs.

The typical off-peak service in trains per hour is:[9]

During the peak hours, there are additional services to and from London Cannon Street and the service to Dover Priory is extended to and from Ramsgate via Deal.

Preceding station National Rail National Rail Following station
Southeastern

Incidents

The stretch of line near the station which crosses the River Beult was the site of a fatal train accident on 9 June 1865, which killed ten people and injured forty. This accident is well known in literary circles as Charles Dickens was on the stricken train and survived. The accident left Dickens very anxious about rail travel.[10]

On the 15th September 1940, during the Battle of Britain, a Hurricane piloted by Belgian Georges Doutrepont crashed into the station. This also killed the 18 year old station clerk, Charles Ashdown.

On 21 January 1960, the up platform buildings were destroyed by fire. They were replaced by a modern construction.[4]

On 14 September 1996, a train derailed at the station.[11] The cause of the accident was excess speed.[12]

References

Citations

  1. ^ Butt 1995, p. 219.
  2. ^ Gray 1990, p. 17.
  3. ^ Gray 1990, p. 154.
  4. ^ a b Mitchell & Smith 1990, Fig. 94.
  5. ^ Mitchell & Smith 1990, Fig. 91.
  6. ^ Mitchell & Smith 1990, Staplehurst - Map and Fig. 92.
  7. ^ "Staplehurst". SouthEastern. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
  8. ^ "5 Maidstone to Sandhurst Bus Services". Arriva Bus Services. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
  9. ^ Table 207 National Rail timetable, December 2022
  10. ^ Gray 1990, pp. 146–147.
  11. ^ "Freight Train Derailments". Hansard. 20 May 1997. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
  12. ^ "Staplehurst 14/09/1996" (PDF). Rail Safety & Standards Board. Retrieved 22 June 2011.[dead link]

Sources

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Staplehurst railway station.

51°10′16″N 0°33′00″E / 51.171°N 0.550°E / 51.171; 0.550

Staplehurst
Railway stations in Kent
Thameslink, Great Northern, Southern and Southeastern routes
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