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St Denys railway station

Coordinates: 50°55′19″N 1°23′17″W / 50.9220°N 1.3880°W / 50.9220; -1.3880
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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 / 50.9220°N 1.3880°W / 50.9220; -1.3880
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
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
2022/23Increase 0.176 million
 Interchange Increase 34,969
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

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.

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

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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

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All services at St Denys are operated by South Western Railway.

The typical off-peak service in trains per hour is:[4]

Additional services, including trains to and from London Waterloo, Basingstoke, Winchester and Bournemouth call at the station during the peak hours.

Preceding station National Rail National Rail Following station
Swaythling   South Western Railway
  Southampton Central
Bitterne   South Western Railway
 
Disused railways
Swaythling   British Rail Southern Region
  Northam

Accidents and incidents

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  • 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.[5]
  • On 14 August 1940, a passenger train, hauled by SR Lord Nelson class 4-6-0 No. 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.[5]
  • On 29 October 1959, a passenger train, hauled by SR West Country Class 4-6-2 No. 34020 Seaton, overran signals and was derailed by trap points.[5][6]
  • On 12 December 1960, a passenger train, hauled by SR West Country Class 4-6-2 No. 34022 Exmoor, overran signals and was derailed. Two people were injured.[5]
  • On 28 February 2022 a scooter was thrown onto the tracks at the station, causing a short circuit with the third rail electrical supply.[7] Eyewitnesses reported that the subsequent electrical arcing caused flames so bright that it "looked like daytime".[8]

References

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  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. ^ Table 158, 165 National Rail timetable, June 2024
  5. ^ a b c d Bishop, Bill (1984). Off the Rails. Southampton: Kingfisher. pp. 21, 53–55. ISBN 0-946184-06-2.
  6. ^ Trevena, Arthur (1981). Trains in Trouble: Vol. 2. Redruth: Atlantic Books. p. 42. ISBN 0-906899 03 6.
  7. ^ "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.
  8. ^ "VIDEOS: Sparks fly after youths throw scooter on the tracks at city station". Daily Echo. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
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