St Denys railway station

St Denys
St Denys station platforms
Location
Place	St. Denys
Local authority	City of Southampton
Coordinates	50°55′19″N 1°23′17″W / 50.9220°N 1.3880°WCoordinates: 50°55′19″N 1°23′17″W / 50.9220°N 1.3880°W
Grid reference	SU431138
Operations
Station code	SDN
Managed by	South West Trains
Number of platforms	4
DfT category	E
Live arrivals/departures, station information and onward connections from National Rail Enquiries
Annual rail passenger usage*
2004/05	0.190 million
2005/06	0.195 million
2006/07	0.202 million
2007/08	0.207 million
2008/09	0.219 million
2009/10	0.214 million
2010/11	0.235 million
2011/12	0.247 million
2012/13	0.263 million
2013/14	0.289 million
2014/15	0.298 million
History
Original company	London and South Western Railway
Pre-grouping	London and South Western Railway
Post-grouping	Southern Railway
1 May 1861	First station opened as Portswood
5 March 1866	Station relocated
1 January 1876	Renamed St Denys
National Rail – UK railway stations
* Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at St Denys from Office of Rail and Road statistics. Methodology may vary year on year.
UK Railways portal

St Denys railway station serves the St. Denys and Portswood suburbs of Southampton in Hampshire, England.

Built in 1865, the station is named after the surrounding area, which in turn is named after the Priory of St Denys, a major landmark in medieval Southampton.

Services run hourly to Portsmouth & Southsea and Southampton. These are run by Class 450s.^[1] Also, there are hourly services between Salisbury and Romsey via Southampton & Eastleigh, run by Class 158s.^[2]

The station is at the site of the junction between the London to Weymouth mainline and the West Coastway Line running between Southampton and Portsmouth. It is currently served mainly by South West Trains, with irregular services operated by Southern. There are four platforms; two on the main line and two on the branch line.

History

St Denys station building (now in private ownership)

The original station was opened by the London and South Western Railway on 1 May 1861 and named Portswood after the small village to the west of the main line. Shortly after, to accommodate the Portsmouth branch line, a new station building was built 0.25 miles (0.40 km) to the south; the relocated station was opened on 5 March 1866. However to avoid confusion with Portsmouth, the station was renamed to St Denys on 1 January 1876.^[3]

The station buildings themselves are fine examples of Victorian architecture. The original station building on platform 1 is listed, although it is now privately owned. Platforms 2 and 3 house the waiting room and ticket window, whilst the old station buildings on platform 4 house The Solent Model Railway Group,^[4] a local organisation.

Accidents and incidents

• In August 1939, a train overran signals and was derailed by trap points. The accident caused a set of points to move, diverting an approaching boat train. This averted a more serious accident, as wreckage was foul of the route the boat train should have taken.^[5]
• On 14 August 1940, a passenger train was derailed due to enemy action. A bomb fell on the line ahead of the train, which was unable to stop in time.^[5]
• On 29 October 1959, a passenger train overran signals and was derailed by trap points.^[5][6]
• On 12 December 1960, a passenger train overran signals and was derailed. Two people were injured.^[5]

References

1. GB eNRT 2015-16 Edition, Table 165 (Network Rail)
2. GB eNRT 2015-16 Edition, Table 158 (Network Rail)
3. Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Sparkford, Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. pp. 190, 203. ISBN 1-85260-508-1. R508.
4. Solent Model Railway Group Accessed 14 May 2007
5. Bishop, Bill (1984). Off the Rails. Southampton: Kingfisher. pp. 21, 53–55. ISBN 0 946184 06 2.
6. Trevena, Arthur (1981). Trains in Trouble: Vol. 2. Redruth: Atlantic Books. p. 42. ISBN 0-906899 03 6.

External links

• Train times and station information for St Denys railway station from National Rail
• Local Rail Information

Railways in the Southampton area

Legend West Coastway Line to Brighton and Portsmouth to Gosport South Western Main Line to London Waterloo Fareham M27 Swanwick Meon Valley Railway to Alton Knowle Halt Wessex Main Line to Bristol via Salisbury River Hamble Bishops Waltham Botley Durley Halt A27 to Andover (1858–1964) Hedge End Eastleigh Bursledon Romsey Hamble Chandlers Ford Eastleigh Works Hamble Fuel Terminal Southampton Airport Parkway Netley M27 Sholing A27 Woolston Swaythling Bitterne Portswood (1861–66) River Itchen M27 St Denys Northam TMD Southampton Tunnel Southampton Terminus Eastern Docks Southampton Central Bus link to Town Quay Millbrook Central Docks Nursling Western Docks Redbridge Fawley Refinery River Test Fawley A35 Hythe Totton Marchwood Port Marchwood Ashurst (New Forest) Beaulieu Road Lymington Pier Ferry to Yarmouth IoW Brockenhurst Lymington Town Ampress Works Halt S&D Railway to Dorchester via Ringwood South Western Main Line to Bournemouth