Wokingham railway station

Wokingham
Location	Wokingham RG40 2AP Wokingham, Wokingham England
Coordinates	51°24′40″N 0°50′35″W / 51.411°N 0.843°W / 51.411; -0.843Coordinates: 51°24′40″N 0°50′35″W / 51.411°N 0.843°W / 51.411; -0.843
Grid reference	SU805686
Managed by	South Western Railway
Platforms	2
Other information
Station code	WKM
Classification	DfT category C2
History
Original company	Reading, Guildford and Reigate Railway
Pre-grouping	London and South Western Railway
Post-grouping	Southern Railway
Key dates
4 July 1849	Station opened
1 January 1939	Line electrified
1973	Station rebuilt
1987	Platforms lengthened
October 2013	New station building opened
Passengers
2016/17	2.445 million
Interchange	0.142 million
2017/18	2.424 million
Interchange	0.138 million
2018/19	2.465 million
Interchange	0.132 million
2019/20	2.360 million
Interchange	0.113 million
2020/21	0.484 million
Interchange	23,467
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

A 1909 Railway Clearing House map showing (left) lines in the area of Wokingham

Wokingham railway station serves the market town of Wokingham in Berkshire, England. It is 36 miles 51 chains (59.0 km) down the line from London Waterloo. It is at the junction of the Waterloo to Reading line with the North Downs Line.

South Western Railway manages the station and provides services along with Great Western Railway.^[1]

History[]

The line from Reading to Redhill was built by the Reading, Guildford and Reigate Railway (RG&RR), and was opened in stages. The first sections, from Reading to Farnborough North, which included a station at Wokingham, also from Dorking West to Redhill, were opened on 4 July 1849. Other sections followed, with the last section, from Guildford (Surrey) to Shalford, on 20 October 1849.^[2][3] From its beginning the RG&RR was worked by the South Eastern Railway (SER), which bought the RG&RR in 1852.^[2]

The Staines, Wokingham & Woking Junction Railway (SW&WJR) opened a line between Staines and Wokingham (Staines Junction) on 9 July 1856. The London and South Western Railway (LSWR) worked the SW&WJR and was authorised to run over the SER to Reading.^[4] This gave Wokingham a direct route to London Waterloo.

In 1933 the Southern Railway opened the current signal box. It controls part of the North Downs Line, part of the Waterloo route, and the level crossing. On 1 January 1939 the SR extended its Waterloo – Virginia Water electric service to Wokingham and Reading.^[5]

In 1973 British Railways replaced Wokingham's station building with one built with CLASP prefabricated concrete sections. In 1987 BR slightly extended the platforms to accommodate eight-car Waterloo trains. Platform 2 ("down") has recently undergone a further extension to accommodate longer trains and the addition of a signal at the London end. This is for reversing trains in times of disruption and during the Reading station upgrade.

In 1976 the busy level crossing adjacent to the station was modernised with lifting barriers.

Footbridge[]

The Grade II listed footbridge at the station

At the southern end of the station there is a footbridge over the railway made from old sections of rail. The footbridge is over 130 years old, and was built after two deaths at the station's level crossing in 1886. It is now Grade II listed^[6] and is believed to be the only one of its type left in the UK. In 2017, various defects were found in the bridge's structure and Network Rail started restoration work in 2021 after initially having a planning application rejected.^[7][8][9]

Services[]

South Western Railway runs a service between London Waterloo and Reading. This runs every 30 minutes daily, with some extra peak time weekday services in either direction.^[10]

Great Western Railway runs an hourly semi-fast service between Reading and Gatwick Airport and a half-hourly stopping service between Reading and Redhill,^[11][12] giving a total service frequency of about three trains per hour on this route off-peak.^[13][14] On Sundays, an hourly service operates on this route.

Wokingham station is an interchange for passengers between the Waterloo – Reading line and the North Downs Line.

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Winnersh		South Western Railway Waterloo to Reading line		Bracknell
Reading		Great Western Railway North Downs Line semi-fast services to Gatwick Airport		Blackwater
		Great Western Railway North Downs Line local stopping services to Redhill		Crowthorne

Redevelopment 2013[]

In 2011, it was announced that Wokingham station would be redeveloped from spring 2012 to spring 2013^[15] at a cost of £6 million.^[16] The initial plan involved a new station building further along the platform, nearer to Reading than the existing building and creating a new spur road linking Wellington Road to the Reading Road. An artist's impression of the new station building was released to the news media in July 2011.^[17] Enabling work for the link road was started on 11 February 2013.^[18] In August 2013, the new footbridge was opened to the public and, in October the same year, the new station building was opened, with the old 1973 CLASP building being demolished to make way for the new station sign and clock tower.^[19] However, following the development, South West Trains chose a new café chain to serve in the new building in place of that which had served in the old building, despite local opposition.^[20]

Automatic ticket gates were installed at the station in early 2019.

Gallery[]

• 

  Wokingham Signal Box from the Footbridge made of old rails

• 

  Wokingham Station From the Footbridge made of old rails with the old Concrete Footbribge.

• 

  Wokingham Station from the footbridge to the North of the station.

Notes[]

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wokingham railway station.

• Map showing eastern Reading and its railways