Alton railway station

v t e Basingstoke & Alton Light Railway
Legend
South West Main Line to Waterloo Basingstoke South West Main Line to Weymouth Thornycroft sidings Viables level crossing Cliddesden Bushywarren Lane crossing Bagmore Lane crossing Herriard Salter Hatch crossing (Spain Lane) Bentworth and Lasham level crossing Treloar's Hospital Platform (private) Treloar's Hospital siding Alton line to Brookwood Alton Butts Junction Watercress Line to Alresford Meon Valley Railway to Fareham

The first station, opened by the London and South Western Railway (LSWR) on 28 July 1852,^[3] was sited on what is now the station car park. It closed when the present station opened on 2 October 1865.^[3] The station was briefly named Alton for Selborne between 5 July 1926 and 1955, when it reverted to its current name.^[3]

The line, originally built as single track, was doubled in 1901.^[4] The line from Woking to Alton was electrified in 1937^[5] and the station passed on to the Southern Region of British Railways on nationalisation in 1948. The line was single-tracked as far as Farnham by British Rail in the early 1980s.

The Alton, Alresford and Winchester Railway - later renamed the Mid-Hants Railway - opened a through line to Winchester in October 1865,^[5] but this was closed to passengers in February 1973.^[6] It reopened as a heritage line in stages - first from Alton to Ropley in 1977,^[7] and through to Alresford by May 1985.^[8]

The Basingstoke and Alton Light Railway opened on 1 June 1901. Due to low passenger traffic and the distance from the intermediate stations to their namesake villages,^[9] the line closed at short notice on 1 January 1917.^[10] The line was reopened due to local pressure on 18 August 1924,^[10] but the line closed again permanently in 1967.^{[citation needed]}

The Meon Valley Railway between Alton and Fareham opened two years after the B&ALR, on 1 June 1903.^[11] Again, it was deemed financially unsustainable, and in February 1955 closed to passenger traffic, with the line closing permanently in 1962.^[12]

The station is nowhere near Alton Towers Resort, which is located in the rural village of Alton in Staffordshire, about 185 miles away. Local residents, who have encountered many people trying to find Alton Towers, have put up posters at the station containing directions from the station to the resort by train, with a journey time of approximately 4 hours and 46 minutes.^[13][14]

There is a ticket office which is open seven days a week, with a ticket machine beside the booking hall. There are automated announcements and digital information displays to offer train running details. A car park with 207 spaces is available for passengers.^[15]

The statistics cover twelve month periods that start in April.

The standard off-peak service provides two trains per hour to London Waterloo. On Sundays, there is an hourly service, increasing to half-hourly from approximately 13:30. Services are operated by South Western Railway.^[17]

More information Preceding station, National Rail ...

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Terminus		South Western Railway Alton Line		Bentley or Farnham
Preceding station	Heritage railways			Following station
Medstead and Four Marks towards Alresford		Watercress Line		Terminus
Disused railways
Terminus		London and South Western Railway Basingstoke and Alton Light Railway		Treloar's Hospital Platform Line and station closed
Farringdon Halt		British Rail Southern Region Meon Valley Railway		Terminus

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