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Charing railway station

Coordinates: 51°12′29″N 0°47′24″E / 51.208°N 0.790°E / 51.208; 0.790
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Charing
National Rail
Main building, platform 2 and road bridge in 2012
General information
LocationCharing, Ashford
England
Grid referenceTQ950491
Managed bySoutheastern
Platforms2
Other information
Station codeCHG
ClassificationDfT category E
Key dates
1 July 1884Opened
9 October 1961Electrified
14 April 1984Signal box closed
Passengers
2018/19Increase 86,140
2019/20Increase 89,554
2020/21Decrease 26,234
2021/22Increase 60,508
2022/23Increase 75,588
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

Charing railway station serves the village of Charing in Kent, England. It is 53 miles 11 chains (85.5 km) down the line from London Victoria. The station, and all trains serving it, is operated by Southeastern.

The ticket office is staffed only during part of the day; at other times a PERTIS 'permit to travel' machine, located outside the station building on the 'down' side, suffices.

The next station eastwards (towards Ashford) used to be Hothfield; however, it was closed in 1959, although it remained a 'request' stop for railway staff throughout the 1960s.[1]

History

[edit]
Main entrance in 2009.

The station was opened on 1 July 1884,[2] as part of the London, Chatham and Dover Railway (LCDR) extension to Ashford West of the 1874 line to Maidstone, which itself was a branch off the LCDR's Sevenoaks branch of 1862, which joined the LCDR mainline of 1840 at Swanley.[3] In the wake of 1955 British Rail Modernisation plan, the "Kent Coast Electrification" scheme saw the suburban electrification of the previous Southern Railway extended from Maidstone East through to Ashford.[1] The goods yard comprised five sidings on the down side and one on the up side. It was taken over for military use during World War II. Electrification also saw the addition of a footbridge, but by 16 May 1964 freight operations ceased. Charing's signal box closed on 14 April 1984, when the upgraded Maidstone East Panel took control of the whole line.[4]

Services

[edit]
Platform 1 seen from platform 2.

All services at Charing are operated by Southeastern using Class 375 and 377 EMUs.

The typical off-peak service in trains per hour is:[5]

Additional services, including trains to and from London Charing Cross call at the station during the peak hours.

Preceding station National Rail National Rail Following station
Southeastern
Disused railways
Lenham   British Rail Southern Region
  Hothfield

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Kent Rail". p. 2. Retrieved 20 July 2008.
  2. ^ Butt 1995, p. 57.
  3. ^ Mitchell & Smith 1995, Historical Background.
  4. ^ Mitchell & Smith 1995, Charing.
  5. ^ Table 197 National Rail timetable, June 2024
Sources
[edit]

51°12′29″N 0°47′24″E / 51.208°N 0.790°E / 51.208; 0.790