Tunbridge Wells railway station

Tunbridge Wells railway station is on the Hastings line in the south of England and serves Royal Tunbridge Wells in Kent. It is 34 miles 32 chains (55.4 km) down the line from London Charing Cross. The station and all trains serving it are operated by Southeastern.

Tunbridge Wells
The station building in 2006
Location
PlaceRoyal Tunbridge Wells
Local authorityTunbridge Wells
Grid referenceTQ584392
Operations
Station codeTBW
Managed bySoutheastern
Number of platforms2
DfT categoryC1
Live arrivals/departures, station information and onward connections
from National Rail Enquiries
Annual rail passenger usage*
2014/15 3.733 million
2015/16 3.811 million
2016/17 3.821 million
– Interchange  90,095
2017/18 3.679 million
– Interchange  50,605
2018/19 3.839 million
– Interchange  41,681
History
20 September 1845first station opened[1]
25 November 1846present station opened
National Rail – UK railway stations
  • Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Tunbridge Wells from Office of Rail and Road statistics. Methodology may vary year on year.
Tunbridge Wells station, eastern approach (Mount Pleasant Road)
Southbound view towards Grove Tunnel
A 1908 Railway Clearing House map of lines around Tunbridge Wells railway station

The station is located in an open cut with tunnels at both ends of the station. The station has entrances on both sides. The ticket office and platform 1 can be accessed directly from street level on the west side of the station or by a footbridge from the east side; platform 2 is accessible from the street (Mount Pleasant Road) or footbridge by stairs and a staff-operated lift. Both platforms are signalled for reversible working and trains arrive/depart at either platform in either direction.

Just beyond Grove Tunnel at the south end of the station was Grove Junction, where trains took the single line branch to Tunbridge Wells West. The branch closed on 6 July 1985.

History

The first station was a temporary terminus opened on 20 September 1845 situated north of Wells Tunnel. This closed when the line was extended to the present station which opened on 25 November 1846. It became a through station in 1851 when the line opened to Robertsbridge and a year later opened through to Hastings. The LBSCR line from Grove Junction to Tunbridge Wells(West) opened in 1867 for goods and 1876 for passenger. Immediately after becoming part of the Southern Railway in 1923 the station was named Tunbridge Wells Central. In 1985 preparation for electrification the platforms were rebuilt and the tracks were resignalled. Electric trains started running in 1986. The station again became just Tunbridge Wells.

Since 1974, the up side of the station only has been Grade II listed.[2]

Services

As of 12 May 2018 the typical off-peak service from the station is:

Preceding station National Rail Following station
High Brooms   Southeastern
Hastings Line semi-fast		   Wadhurst
  Southeastern
Hastings Line slow		   Frant
  Southeastern
London to Tunbridge Wells		   Terminus
Disused railways
High Brooms
Line and station open		   British Rail
Southern Region
Cuckoo Line		   Tunbridge
Wells West
Line and station closed
Terminus   British Rail
Southern Region
Tunbridge Wells Central to Three Bridges line		   Tunbridge
Wells West
Line and station closed

References
  1. Southern Region Record by R.H.Clark
  2. Historic England. "Tunbridge Wells Central Railway Station Up Side (1357467)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
  3. Network Rail Timetable May 2010: Table 206

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