Guildford station is the larger, more frequently and more diversely served of the two stations in Guildford town centre, the other being London Road (Guildford) on the New Guildford Line.
The Reading, Guildford and Reigate Railway opened its services on 4 July 1849, and was operated by the South Eastern Railway.[2] LSWR services to Farnham via Tongham began on 8 October 1849 and the New Guildford Line to Leatherhead and Epsom Downs on 2 February 1885.[2] On the latter line is the other Guildford station, London Road. The line to it describes a curve around the town on an embankment, crossing the River Wey by a high bridge.
On 8 November 1952, an electric multiple unit suffered a brake malfunction approaching the station. It overran signals and collided with a stationary steam locomotive. Two people were killed and 37 were injured.[4]
On 28 July 1971, a parcels train was derailed at the station.[5]
On 7 July 2017, an explosion occurred in an underframe equipment case of unit 455901 at Guildford station. Debris was thrown up to 230 feet (70 m) away with fragments, described as "quite sizeable" by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch, scattered across platforms and an adjacent car park.[6] No injuries occurred. The cause of the explosion was a faulty capacitor which had been fitted when the unit's electrical equipment was upgraded.[7]
Platform layout
Guildford station viewed from the northPlatforms 6 and 7 serve the same single line.Southern Region steam at Guildford in 1965.Guildford Locomotive Depot in 1965Class 206 3R unit, on a North Downs Line service in 1979, showing the pre-rebuild station.4Cig at Guildford in 1980.Guildford railway station in 1989.4Vep at Guildford station in 2000.
The main station buildings are on the Down side. At the end of the Down side platform is a bay for the New Guildford Line. There are now three islands with seven platform faces plus the bay linked by both a long footbridge and a subway. Platforms 6 and 7 are opposite sides of the same line: these were used for unloading mail and parcels until the mid-1990s. The station was completely rebuilt (except for the platforms) by British Rail in the late 1980s.
Platform 1 – Bay platform for stopping services to London Waterloo via Epsom or Cobham
Platform 2 – Stopping services to London Waterloo via Cobham
Platform 3 – Stopping services to London Waterloo via Woking [Small number of weekday services. Otherwise Sundays only]
Platform 6 – Stopping services to Redhill and services to Ascot or Farnham via Aldershot depart from either this platform or platform 8
Platform 7 – Platform not in use
Platform 8 – Services to Reading. Services to Ascot via Aldershot depart from either this platform or platform 6.
Platforms 6 and 7 are on opposite sides of the same single line. Automatic train doors only open on the platform 6 side. Today doors are not opened on platform 7 due to the live rail being on that side, hence rendering that platform disused. Platforms 6 and 8 are signalled for bi-directional working – trains may approach from either direction.
Motive Power Depot
Guildford station was the site of an important motive power depot opened by the LSWR in 1845. The original building was demolished in 1887 to make room for the enlargement of the station, and was replaced by a semi-roundhouse which was substantially enlarged in 1897. This was closed and demolished in 1967.[8] The Farnham Road multi-storey car park was built on the site in 1988.[9]
Airtrack
Guildford station was to have been the southern terminus for the proposed Heathrow Airtrack rail service. The project, promoted by BAA, envisaged the construction of a spur from the Waterloo to Reading Line to Heathrow Airport, creating direct rail links from the airport to Guildford, Waterloo, Woking and Reading. Airtrack was planned to open in 2015, subject to government approval.[10] In April 2011, BAA announced that it was abandoning the project,[11] citing the unavailability of government subsidy and other priorities for Heathrow,[12] such as linking to Crossrail and High Speed 2.
Services at Guildford are operated using a mixture of rolling stock including classes: 444, 450 and 455EMUs, and Class 165 and 166DMUs. South Western Railway is replacing their Class 455 EMUs with Class 701 "Arterio" EMUs, meaning that these new trains will stop at Guildford station in the future.[14]
^ abcWhite, H P (1982). A Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain, Vol 2, Southern England. Newton Abbot: David & Charles. pp. 126–128. ISBN0-7153-8365-5.
^Griffiths, Roger; Smith, Paul (1999). The directory of British engine sheds and principal locomotive servicing points: 1. Southern england, the midlands, East Anglia and Wales. Oxford: Oxford Publishing Company. p. 77. ISBN0-86093-542-6.
^Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (1989). Guildford to Redhill. Country rail routes. Midhurst: Middleton Press. Fig. 18. ISBN0-9065-2063-0.
.jpg)
