St Denys railway station

St Denys railway station serves the St Denys and Portswood suburbs of Southampton in Hampshire, England. It is 77 miles 10 chains (124.1 km) down the line from London Waterloo.

St Denys
National Rail
Portsmouth line train at St Denys
General information
LocationSt Denys, City of Southampton
England
Coordinates50°55′19″N 1°23′17″W
Grid referenceSU431138
Managed bySouth Western Railway
Platforms4
Other information
Station codeSDN
ClassificationDfT category E
History
Original companyLondon and South Western Railway
Pre-groupingLondon and South Western Railway
Post-groupingSouthern Railway
Key dates
1 May 1861First station opened as Portswood
5 March 1866Station relocated
1 January 1876Renamed St Denys
Passengers
2017/18Decrease 0.293 million
 Interchange Increase 62,729
2018/19Decrease 0.280 million
 Interchange Increase 65,583
2019/20Decrease 0.254 million
 Interchange Decrease 54,048
2020/21Decrease 68,914
 Interchange Decrease 11,304
2021/22Increase 0.148 million
 Interchange Increase 31,499
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

Built in 1865, the station is named after the surrounding area, which in turn is named after the Priory of St Denys, a major landmark in medieval Southampton.

The station is at the site of the junction between the South West Main Line and the West Coastway Line running between Southampton and Portsmouth. It is currently served mainly by South Western Railway, with additional services operated by Southern. There are four platforms; two on the main line and two on the branch line.

History
St Denys station building (now in private ownership)

The original station was opened by the London and South Western Railway on 1 May 1861 and named Portswood after the small village to the west of the main line. Shortly after, to accommodate the Portsmouth branch line, a new station building was built 0.25 miles (0.40 km) to the south; the relocated station was opened on 5 March 1866. However to avoid confusion with Portsmouth, the station was renamed to St Denys on 1 January 1876.[1]

The station buildings themselves are fine examples of the Victorian Italianate classical style architecture introduced to the LSWR by William Tite. The original 1867 station building on platform 1 is Grade II listed, now privately owned and renamed Drummond House.[2] Platforms 2 and 3 house the waiting room and ticket window, whilst the old station buildings on platform 4 house The Solent Model Railway Group,[3] a local organisation.

Services

Off-peak, all services are operated by South Western Railway. The off-peak service in trains per hour is:[4][5]

During the peak periods, there are additional services to London Waterloo, Bournemouth, Poole operated by South Western Railway. Southern also provide a few services during the peak periods.

Preceding station National Rail National Rail Following station
Bitterne   Southern
West Coastway Line
Peak only		   Southampton Central
Swaythling   South Western Railway
South West Main Line		   Southampton Central
Bitterne   South Western Railway
West Coastway Line		  
Disused railways
Swaythling   London & South Western Railway
London and Southampton Railway		   Northam

Accidents and incidents
  • In August 1939, a train overran signals and was derailed by trap points. The accident caused a set of points to move, diverting an approaching boat train. This averted a more serious accident, as wreckage was foul of the route the boat train should have taken.[6]
  • On 14 August 1940, a passenger train hauled by Lord Nelson class locomotive 860 Lord Hawke was derailed due to enemy action. A bomb fell on the line ahead of the train, which was unable to stop in time.[6]
  • On 29 October 1959, a passenger train overran signals and was derailed by trap points.[6][7]
  • On 12 December 1960, a passenger train overran signals and was derailed. Two people were injured.[6]
  • On 28 February 2022 a scooter was thrown onto the tracks at the station, causing a short circuit with the third rail electrical supply.[8] Eyewitnesses reported that the subsequent electrical arcing caused flames so bright that it "looked like daytime".[9]

References
  1. Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Sparkford, Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. pp. 190, 203. ISBN 1-85260-508-1. R508.
  2. Historic England. "Drummond House (1092028)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 27 June 2019.
  3. Solent Model Railway Group Accessed 26 April 2018
  4. GB eNRT 2015-16 Edition, Table 165 (Network Rail)
  5. GB eNRT 2015-16 Edition, Table 158 (Network Rail)
  6. Bishop, Bill (1984). Off the Rails. Southampton: Kingfisher. pp. 21, 53–55. ISBN 0-946184-06-2.
  7. Trevena, Arthur (1981). Trains in Trouble: Vol. 2. Redruth: Atlantic Books. p. 42. ISBN 0-906899 03 6.
  8. "Bitterne Park's local website - bitternepark.info - Scooter thrown onto line disrupts St Denys trains". 1 March 2022. Archived from the original on 1 March 2022. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
  9. "VIDEOS: Sparks fly after youths throw scooter on the tracks at city station". Daily Echo. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
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