Winchelsea railway station
Railway station in East Sussex, England
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Winchelsea railway station serves the town of Winchelsea, in East Sussex, England. It lies 0.62 miles (1 km) from the town and is actually in the neighbouring parish of Udimore. The station is on the Marshlink line, 9.3 miles (15 km) north-east of Hastings; services are provided by Southern. The station originally had two platforms but, in 1979, the line was singled and only the up platform is now in use. The former down platform and station building are now converted to a private house.
Winchelsea  | |||||
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| General information | |||||
| Location | Winchelsea, Rother District, England | ||||
| Coordinates | 50.93374°N 0.70222°E | ||||
| Grid reference | TQ899183 | ||||
| Managed by | Southern | ||||
| Platforms | 1 | ||||
| Other information | |||||
| Station code | WSE | ||||
| Classification | DfT category F2 | ||||
| History | |||||
| Opened | 13 February 1851 | ||||
| Passengers | |||||
| 2020/21 |  3,448 | ||||
| 2021/22 |  9,322 | ||||
| 2022/23 | 12,004 | ||||
| 2023/24 | 14,196 | ||||
| 2024/25 | 19,260 | ||||
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History
The station was opened by the South Eastern Railway (SER) on 13 February 1851 as one of the first stations on the line from Ashford to Hastings, along with Ham Street, Appledore and Rye.[1] The station, like several others on the line, was built with staggered platforms in the belief that it would be safer for passengers to cross the railway behind a departing train.[2] The station building was designed by the company architect William Tress.[3]
Traffic was very sparse and the station closed on 1 September, in part because it was impossible to access the town without crossing private land. The Mayor of Winchelsea campaigned for reopening and negotiating access with the respective landowner, and the SER agreed to open the station on 4 December.[4] A resignalling programme took place in the early 1890s.[5]
The station gradually reduced its facilities. In 1961, the station building was sold off, and has since been in private hands.[6] By 1969, the signal box and goods siding had been removed, and by the early 1970s the shelter canopy was removed and the post of crossing keeper was discontinued.[7] On 1 October 1979, the line was reduced to a single track to reduce operational costs. The down platform (to Hastings) was removed; since then all trains have stopped at the one remaining platform.[8] A 20 miles per hour (32 km/h) speed limit was imposed on the line approaching Winchelsea.[9] The wooden shelter on the remaining (up) platform was replaced by a conventional modern shelter in 1984.[10]
Service history
Until 2005, the station was served by hourly services each way between Ashford International and Hastings. However, in the 2005 timetable change, trains on the line were extended to run to/from Brighton, via Eastbourne and Lewes, and operated as express services; as a result, service frequency at Winchelsea (as well as neighbouring Doleham and Three Oaks) was greatly reduced, to just three trains per day each way. This led to the creation of a campaign by the Three Oaks and Winchelsea Action for Rail Transport (THWART) and the Marshlink Line Action Group (MLAG), which aimed to restore regular services from these stations.
This campaign was successful and, from December 2010, the weekday and Saturday service frequency at Winchelsea and Three Oaks was increased to 1 train every 2 hours each way (with services calling alternately at each station), plus a few additional stopping services during the peaks.[11] The Sunday frequency has also been two-hourly each way since December 2015.[12]
In May 2018, the Brighton express services were replaced by stopping services to/from Eastbourne.[13]
The May 2023 timetable change saw hourly services fully restored, with all trains now calling daily at both Winchelsea and Three Oaks.[14]
Location
The station is in an isolated location;[15] it is not a convenient way of getting to or from Winchelsea, especially outside daylight hours. The route from the station to the town involves walking down an unlit and winding country lane, then walking along the A259 trunk road before climbing a steep hill to reach the town.[16] The journey takes about 20 minutes on foot. However, local people may book a free lift to and from the station via a voluntary scheme run through Winchelsea Farm Kitchen.[17]
As an alternative to trains, Stagecoach operates bus route 100 between Hastings and Rye, which stops in the town.[18]
Facilities
Services
All services are operated by Southern using Class 171 diesel multiple units. The typical off-peak service at Winchelsea is one train per hour each way between Eastbourne, Hastings and Ashford International.[21][22]
| Preceding station |  National Rail |
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Doleham or Three Oaks | Southern |
Rye | ||
| Historical railways | ||||
| Snailham Halt Line open, station closed |
South Eastern and Chatham Railway |
Rye Line and station open | ||
