Ash Vale railway station

Ash Vale National Rail
Ash Vale railway station
Location
Place Ash Vale
Local authority Guildford
Grid reference SU892533
Operations
Station code AHV
Managed by South Western Railway
Number of platforms 2
DfT category D
Live arrivals/departures, station information and onward connections
from National Rail Enquiries
Annual rail passenger usage*
2012/13 Increase 0.453 million
– Interchange  Increase 0.141 million
2013/14 Increase 0.455 million
– Interchange  Decrease 0.135 million
2014/15 Increase 0.474 million
– Interchange  Increase 0.136 million
2015/16 Increase 0.489 million
– Interchange  Decrease 0.130 million
2016/17 Decrease0.481 million
– Interchange  Decrease 0.122 million
History
Key dates Opened 2 May 1870 (2 May 1870)
National Rail – UK railway stations
* Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Ash Vale from Office of Rail and Road statistics. Methodology may vary year on year.
UK Railways portal

Ash Vale is a railway station serving the village of Ash Vale in Surrey, England. It is situated at the junction of the London to Alton line and the Ascot to Guildford line, 32 miles 38 chains (52.3 km) down the line from London Waterloo. The station and all trains serving it are operated by South Western Railway.

The station is on an embankment and is adjacent to the Basingstoke Canal. The station opened in May 1870 under the name of "North Camp and Ash Vale", changing to its present name on 30 March 1924. The original main station building of the south side had to be demolished due to subsidence, the current replacements dating from 1972.

It is approximately half a mile from Ash Vale to North Camp station on the North Downs Line (the line between Gatwick Airport, Guildford and Reading), a distance passengers are expected to walk to make any connection. Only disabled passengers may argue that to do so would not be "reasonable" - the National Routeing Guide which defines route validity allows for the less able taking circuitous routes at the discretion of staff.

History

Opened by the London and South Western Railway, it became part of the Southern Railway during the Grouping of 1923. The station then passed on to the Southern Region of British Railways on nationalisation in 1948.

When Sectorisation was introduced in the 1980s, the station was served by Network SouthEast until the Privatisation of British Railways.

In 1952 the booking clerk at Ash Vale was murdered following a hold-up by a fellow rail worker.[1]

Services

On weekdays, there are trains approximately every 30 minutes between London Waterloo and Alton and between Ascot and Guildford. On Sundays, trains run every 30 minutes between London and Alton and every 60 minutes between Ascot and Guildford.[2]

Train movements in the Ash Vale station area and the junction beyond are controlled by Ash Vale Junction signal box. The signal box, complete with its four residents and cover staff operates 24 hours a day 364 days a year from a traditional signal box on the junction itself.

Passengers awaiting services at Ash Vale towards London or Ascot can check the final destination of the train by referring to the signal at the end of platform 1. If the 5 white directional lights are illuminated, then the train is going towards Ascot; whereas if they are not, then the train is going to London (A red light means the train is not going anywhere at the moment).

Preceding station National Rail Following station
Brookwood or Woking   South Western Railway
Alton Line
  Aldershot
Frimley   South Western Railway
Ascot to Guildford line
 

Notes

  1. "Murder of Geoffrey Dean, 1952". www.btp.police.uk. Retrieved 2018-03-24.
  2. GB eNRT 2015-16 Edition, Tables 149 & 155 (Network Rail)

References

  • 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.
  • Jowett, Alan (2000). Jowett's Nationalised Railway Atlas (1st ed.). Penryn, Cornwall: Atlantic Transport Publishers. ISBN 978-0-906899-99-1. OCLC 228266687.

Coordinates: 51°16′19″N 0°43′19″W / 51.272°N 0.722°W / 51.272; -0.722

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