Chilham railway station

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Chilham
National Rail
Chilham railway station platforms and footbridge in 2009.jpg
LocationChilham, Ashford
England
Grid referenceTR077536
Managed bySoutheastern
Platforms2
Other information
Station codeCIL
ClassificationDfT category F2
History
Opened6 February 1846
Passengers
2016/17Increase 40,318
2017/18Increase 43,422
2018/19Increase 53,108
2019/20Increase 53,688
2020/21Decrease 15,658
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

Chilham railway station is a railway station in Chilham, Kent. It is on the Ashford to Ramsgate line between Ashford International and Canterbury West. The station, and all trains serving it, are operated by Southeastern.

History[]

The station was opened by the South Eastern Railway (SER) on 6 February 1846,[1] as the first part of their line towards Thanet, which opened as far as Canterbury West on this date.[2][3]

There are level crossings near both ends of the station, since the SER were unsure about the levels of traffic on the line and decided to cross several roads at-grade instead of bridges. Trains that delayed cars at the crossings for more than five minutes would be fined.[3]

The station attracted attention from other railway companies. A proposal was put forward for a branch line from Chilham to Faversham, but rejected by the SER. In retrospect, this turned out to be a mistake as the East Kent Railway, later to become the London, Chatham & Dover Railway (LCDR), built their own line to Faversham, competing with the SER for London - Thanet traffic.[3] In response, the SER proposed building a line from its station at Strood to Chilham across the River Medway and the North Downs, in order to cut demand for the LCDR. This plan was withdrawn after the SER realised such a scheme would probably involve also constructing a line from Canterbury to Dover.[4]

Goods services were withdrawn from the station on 15 August 1966.[2]

Accidents and incidents[]

  • On 20 October 1848, a fish and luggage train was derailed near Chilham when a bridge over the River Stour was washed away under it. All three crew were uninjured.[5]
  • On 11 August 1858, an excursion train was derailed near Chilham. Three people were killed.[6][7]
  • On 15 July 1970, an electric multiple unit was in collision with a lorry on an occupation crossing between Chartham and Chilham due to an error by the crossing keeper. The driver of the lorry and the guard of the train were killed.[8]
  • On 26 July 2015, electric multiple unit 375703 was in collision with a herd of cattle on the line between Wye and Chilham. Two carriages were derailed. There were no injuries amongst the 70 passengers.[9][10][11]

Services[]

The off peak service at the station in trains per hour is:[12]

During the peak hours, the service is strengthened with additional services between London Charing Cross and Ramsgate calling at the station.

Preceding station National Rail National Rail Following station
Southeastern
Ashford to Ramsgate line

References[]

Citations

  1. ^ Butt 1995, p. 60.
  2. ^ a b McCarthy & McCarthy 2007, p. 122.
  3. ^ a b c Gray 1990, p. 244.
  4. ^ Gray 1990, p. 246.
  5. ^ "A Bridge Washed Away, and a Train Overturned". Daily News (750). London. 21 October 1848.
  6. ^ Kidner, R. W. (1977) [1963]. The South Eastern and Chatham Railway. Tarrant Hinton: The Oakwood Press. p. 48.
  7. ^ Gray 1990, p. 249.
  8. ^ Glover, John (2001). Southern Electric. Hersham: Ian Allan Publishing. p. 142. ISBN 0 7110 2807 9.
  9. ^ "Train derailed after hitting cows on line in Kent". BBC News. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
  10. ^ Hartley-Parkinson, Richard. "Train derailed by cows in Kent". Metro. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
  11. ^ "Southeastern Train travelling between Chilham and Wye derails after hitting cattle". Kent Online. Kent Messenger Group. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
  12. ^ "Timetable 3 - Maidstone East Line" (PDF). Southeastern, December 2019.

Sources

  • Butt, R. V. J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 978-1-85260-508-7. OCLC 60251199.
  • McCarthy, Colin; McCarthy, David (2007). Railway of Britain : Kent and Sussex. Ian Allan Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7110-3222-4.
  • Gray, Adrian (1990). South Eastern Railway. Middleton Press. ISBN 978-0-906520-85-7.

External links[]

Coordinates: 51°14′42″N 0°58′34″E / 51.245°N 0.976°E / 51.245; 0.976


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