Swanwick railway station is a railway station in

Fareham Fareham ( ) is a market town at the north-west tip of Portsmouth Harbour, between the cities of Portsmouth and Southampton in south east Hampshire, England. It gives its name to the Borough of Fareham. It was historically an important manufact ...

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...

, England. Despite its name, it is actually located in

Park Gate Park Gate is a locality in the Borough of Fareham in Hampshire, England. It merges into Locks Heath to the south, Segensworth to the east and Sarisbury to the west. Within the area are numerous shops, predominantly fast food outlets and estat ...

, one mile south of Swanwick. The station opened on 2 September 1889, and was specially built for the local strawberry industry. For a short time each year, it was one of the busiest stations in the country. The station is near a small industrial estate between the residential areas of

Locks Heath Locks Heath is a western residential suburb of Fareham, in the south of Hampshire, England. Locks Heath is immediately surrounded by a collection of villages including Sarisbury to the West, Swanwick, Park Gate and Whiteley to the North, Warsash ...

and

Whiteley Whiteley is a community in the county of Hampshire, England, near Fareham. The development straddles the boundary between two council districts: the Borough of Fareham to the south and east, and the city of Winchester to the north and west. L ...

History

The railway line between and was built by the

London and South Western Railway The London and South Western Railway (LSWR, sometimes written L&SWR) was a railway company in England from 1838 to 1922. Originating as the London and Southampton Railway, its network extended to Dorchester and Weymouth, to Salisbury, Exeter ...

; it was authorised on 20 August 1883, construction began in April 1886, and the line was opened on 2 September 1889. Swanwick was one of two intermediate stations originally provided, but unlike its neighbour , it was provided with a crossing loop so that two trains could pass each other on the single-track route. The local area's

strawberry The garden strawberry (or simply strawberry; ''Fragaria × ananassa'') is a widely grown hybrid species of the genus '' Fragaria'', collectively known as the strawberries, which are cultivated worldwide for their fruit. The fruit is widely ap ...

industry provided up to 7,000 tons each year in the late 1800s. During the harvest, Swanwick Station became one of the busiest in the country with "Strawberry Specials" heading to Covent Garden and across the country. Long platforms were constructed to accommodate the trains.Locks Heath local history
/ref> After the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, the station was mainly used for passenger services.

Services

Services at Swanwick are operated by Southern and South Western Railway. The off-peak service Monday to Friday’s in trains per hour is: Southern * 1 tph to * 1 tph to via South Western Railway * 1 tph to * 1 tph to

Facilities

The station is by far the busiest between Fareham and Southampton and enjoys more facilities than most on the line. The ticket office is open between 5.45am and 7pm weekdays (shorter hours at the weekend).South Western Railway - Swanwick Station information
/ref> Toilet facilities and a waiting room are within the ticket office area (not available when the ticket office is closed). The station is fully covered by CCTV, as is the large cycle shed and car park adjacent the station. There are customer help points and covered areas on both platforms. Disabled customers cannot gain access to the Fareham-bound platform. Outside the station in the forecourt there is a taxi rank and a refreshment caravan providing food and drink throughout the day. The Park Gate Tandoori restaurant is located in the former station master's house which forms part of the station building.

References

External links

{{TSGN and SE Stations, Coastway West=y, Mainline West=y, FCC None=y, SE None=y Former London and South Western Railway stations Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1889 Railway stations in Hampshire DfT Category E stations Railway stations served by Govia Thameslink Railway Railway stations served by South Western Railway 1889 establishments in England