West Byfleet railway station is a
railway station
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a prep ...
serving the village of
West Byfleet, which forms part of the
borough of Woking
Woking ( ) is a town and borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in northwest Surrey, England, around from central London. It appears in Domesday Book as ''Wochinges'' and its name probably derives from that of a Anglo-Saxon settlement o ...
in the English county of
Surrey.
The station is on the
South West Main Line
The South West Main Line (SWML) is a 143-mile (230 km) major railway line between Waterloo station in central London and Weymouth on the south coast of England. A predominantly passenger line, it serves many commuter areas including south we ...
, from .
[Railways in the United Kingdom historically are measured in miles and chains. There are 80 chains to one mile.]
History
It opened in December 1887 as Byfleet, 49 years after the line was first constructed through the area.
Accidents and incidents
On 27 December 1946 the station was the scene of the derailment of a Bournemouth to London express service. Although the entire 12 coach train and its engine were derailed at 60 mph, the coaches remained upright and in line, helped by buckeye couplings. Only three people suffered minor injuries.
Services
The station is served by all
Alton
Alton may refer to:
People
*Alton (given name)
*Alton (surname)
Places Australia
*Alton National Park, Queensland
* Alton, Queensland, a town in the Shire of Balonne
Canada
* Alton, Ontario
*Alton, Nova Scotia
New Zealand
* Alton, New Zealand, ...
and
Woking (stopping) services from London Waterloo.
It adjoins
West Byfleet and
Woodham which are suburban settlements in the boroughs of Woking and
Runnymede
Runnymede is a water-meadow alongside the River Thames in the English county of Surrey, and just over west of central London. It is notable for its association with the sealing of Magna Carta, and as a consequence is, with its adjoining ...
, to the south and north of the line, respectively. As to other towns it is the closest station to parts of the town/suburb of
Byfleet
Byfleet is a village in Surrey, England. It is located in the far east of the borough of Woking, around east of West Byfleet, from which it is separated by the M25 motorway and the Wey Navigation.
The village is of medieval origin. Its win ...
and parts of the semi-rural suburb of
Pyrford
Pyrford is a village in the borough of Woking in Surrey, England. It is on the left bank of the River Wey, around east of the town of Woking and just south of West Byfleet; the M25 motorway is northeast of the edge of the former parish.
The ...
.
The station has three platforms, one of which (platform 2) is rarely used in line with nearby other South West Main Line stations. The station competes in the broadest sense, not of train company, with faster services at the next nearest station on the line, Woking station. Both are served by bus routes outside of the
Transport for London fare-capped scheme.
at off-peak times the station has 4 trains per hour in each direction, alternating between Woking and Alton as to the end or start destination to the south-west and both having London (Waterloo) as their north-east terminus. The Alton services calling at fewer intermediate stations (being semi-fast).
Cultural references
The station frontage appeared in the 1977 movie ''
Adventures of a Private Eye
''Adventures of a Private Eye'' is a 1977 British sex comedy film directed by Stanley Long and starring Christopher Neil, Suzy Kendall, Harry H. Corbett and Liz Fraser. It followed the 1976 film '' Adventures of a Taxi Driver'' and was followe ...
'' starring
Christopher Neil
Christopher Neil (born 1948) is an Irish-born British record producer, songwriter, singer, and actor.
He has produced records for A-ha, Amazulu, Bonnie Tyler, Celine Dion, Cher, Dollar, Edyta Górniak, Gerry Rafferty, Jennifer Rush, José Ca ...
.
Notes
References
External links
{{Transport in Surrey
Railway stations in Surrey
DfT Category C2 stations
Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1887
Former London and South Western Railway stations
Railway stations served by South Western Railway