Tonbridge railway station

Infobox UK station
name = Tonbridge


code = TON
manager = Southeastern
locale = Tonbridge
borough = Tonbridge and Malling
years = 26 May 1842
events = Opened as "Tunbridge"
years1 = January 1852
events1 = Renamed (Tunbridge Junction)
years2 = 1864
events2 = Resited 280m west
years3 = May 1893
events3 = Renamed (Tonbridge Junction)
years4 = July 1929
events4 = Renamed (Tonbridge) [Butt, R.V.J. (1995). "The Directory of Railway Stations", Patrick Stephens Ltd, Sparkford, ISBN 1-85260-508-1, p. 231.]
platforms = 4
usage0405 = 3.810
usage0506 = 3.931
usage0607 = 4.115

Tonbridge railway station is a station serving the town of Tonbridge in Kent, England. It is on the South Eastern Main Line serving Ashford, Ramsgate and Dover and is the junction for the Hastings Line as well as a branch to Redhill. The station is operated by Southeastern, and is serviced by trains operated by Southeastern and Southern. There are 4 platforms, however platform 4 is only used occasionally in the peak times.

History

The South Eastern Railway first reached Tonbridge (then known as "Tunbridge") in 1842. At the time, the line ran to London Bridge via Croydon and Redhill using the Brighton Main Line. It served as a temporary terminus until a couple of years later when the through line to Dover opened. Later, in 1845 branch to Tunbridge Wells opened and the station was renamed as "Tunbridge Junction". Over the next five years it was extended to Hastings. The station was located on the eastern side of the road bridge to its current location.

However, being forced to share tracks with its rival, the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway, as well as competition from the London, Chatham and Dover Railway meant that the SER decided to build a new route from London Bridge, which ran via Chislehurst and Orpington. The cut-off opened in 1868, and it joined the line at Tonbridge. This prompted a rebuild of the station, and it was rebuilt on its current site with four platforms. Soon after, an engine shed was built nearby and in 1893, the station changed its name to "Tonbridge Junction" following the change in the towns name to avoid confusion with the larger Tunbridge Wells.

Under Southern Railway, the station was renamed as just "Tonbridge" in 1929, before being rebuilt in 1935 with new platform canopies and a new station building which was tiled over.Fact|date=August 2008

ervices

The current typical range of services from this station include:
*6 tph to Charing Cross
*2 tph to Hastings via Tunbridge Wells (one semi-fast, one slow)
*4 tph to Tunbridge Wells
*1 tph to London Bridge via Redhill
*1 tph to Horsham also via Redhill
*2 tph Ashford International
*1 tph to Ramsgate via Ashford and Dover Priory
*1 tph to Margate via Ashford and Canterbury West

There are also peak only services to and from Cannon Street.

External links

[http://www.kentrail.co.uk/Tonbridge.htm Kent Rail - Tonbridge]

References