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Ascot railway station (Berkshire)

{{Not to be confused with|Ascott-under-Wychwood railway station}}{{Short description|Railway station serving the town of Ascot, Berkshire, England}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2021}}

{{Use British English|date=January 2013}}

{{Infobox station

| name = Ascot

| symbol_location = gb

| symbol = rail

| image = Ascot railway station, Berkshire, geograph 6206915 by Nigel Thompson.jpg

| borough = Ascot, Windsor and Maidenhead

| country = England

| grid_name = Grid reference

| grid_position = {{gbmapscaled|SU921682|25|SU921682}}

| manager = South Western Railway

| platforms = 3

| code = ACT

| classification = DfT category C2

| years = 4 June 1856

| events = Opened

| years1 = 1 February 1857

| events1 = Renamed Ascot & Sunninghill

| years2 = 10 July 1921

| events2 = Renamed Ascot

| mpassengers =

{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2019/20 |passengers={{decrease}} 1.119 million |interchange={{pad|1em}}{{decrease}} 0.268 million}}

{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2020/21 |passengers={{decrease}} 0.155 million |interchange={{pad|1em}}{{decrease}} 71,831}}

{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2021/22 |passengers={{increase}} 0.551 million |interchange={{pad|1em}}{{increase}} 0.176 million}}

{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2022/23 |passengers={{increase}} 0.821 million |interchange={{pad|1em}}{{increase}} 0.225 million}}

{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2023/24 |passengers={{increase}} 0.857 million |interchange={{pad|1em}}{{increase}} 0.260 million}}

| footnotes = Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

}}

{{Ascot to Guildford Line|collapse=yes}}

Ascot railway station serves the town of Ascot in Berkshire, England. It is {{convert|28|mi|79|chain|km|lk=in}} down the line from {{stn|London Waterloo}}. The station, and all trains serving it, are operated by South Western Railway. It is at the junction of the Waterloo to Reading line with the Ascot to Guildford line.

The station has three active platforms. The London-bound track is a single track with platform faces on either side, both of which are called Platform 1. Until some time prior to 2008, both faces could be used to board London-bound trains, but now only the doors on the ticket office side of the train open with the other side now being fenced off. Platform 2 serves the {{rws|Reading}}-bound line, and Platform 3 serves the {{rws|Guildford|Surrey}} line for trains starting and terminating their journeys at Ascot. Where trains are running from London through to Guildford, or vice versa, they use Platform 2. All lines are bi-directional.

History

The Staines, Wokingham and Woking Junction Railway opened the station when it reached Ascot on 4 June 1856. On 9 July the line was extended to {{rws|Wokingham}}. On 18 March 1878{{harvnb|Body|1984|p=36}} Ascot became a junction when the line towards {{rws|Ash Vale}} was opened. Later the London and South Western Railway took over the SWWJR. In the Grouping of 1923 the L&SWR became part of the Southern Railway, which electrified both lines using a third rail system on 1 January 1939. Under nationalisation in 1948 Ascot station became part of the Southern Region of British Railways.

The L&SWR opened Ascot Race Course Platform or Ascot West in 1922 to serve Ascot Racecourse. BR closed it in 1965.

Ascot had four signal boxes until the 1960s – "A" and "B" boxes controlled the main station, West box controlled the racecourse station and "Drake & Mount's Siding" the carriage sidings east of the station.[http://www.s-r-s.org.uk/html/srr/R13.htm Ascot 'A' Signal Box diagram]Signalling Record Society; retrieved 13 April 2016[http://www.s-r-s.org.uk/html/srr/R17.htm Ascot 'B' Signal Box diagram]Signalling Record Society; retrieved 13 April 2016[http://www.s-r-s.org.uk/html/srr/R14.htm Ascot West Signal Box diagram]Signalling Record Society; retrieved 13 April 2016 The line through the station is now under the control of the panel box at {{rws|Feltham}}.

When BR sectorised itself in the 1980s, the station was made part of Network SouthEast.

In 1982 a fire severely damaged the station buildings on the "up" (London-bound) side.{{sfn|Body|1984|p=35}}

Services

All services at Ascot are operated by South Western Railway.

The typical off-peak service in trains per hour is:{{NRtimes|June 2024|149}}

  • 2 tph to {{stn|London Waterloo}} via {{stn|Richmond||London}}
  • 2 tph to {{stnlnk|Reading}}
  • 2 tph to {{stnlnk|Aldershot}} via {{stnlnk|Camberley}}

Additional services call at the station during the peak hours. In addition, during the Royal Ascot week, the services through the station are significantly increased.

On Sundays, the services to and from Aldershot are reduced to hourly and are extended to and from {{stnlnk|Guildford}}.

{{rail start}}

{{rail line|previous={{stnlnk|Sunningdale}}|next={{stnlnk|Martins Heron}}|route=South Western Railway
{{smalldiv|Waterloo to Reading Line}}|col={{SWR colour}} }}

{{rail line|next={{stnlnk|Bagshot}}|route=South Western Railway
{{smalldiv|Ascot to Guildford Line}}|col={{SWR colour}} }}

{{end}}

Notes

{{Reflist}}

References

  • {{cite book |last=Body |first=G |title=PSL Field Guides – Railways of the Southern Region |year=1984 |publisher=Patrick Stephens Ltd |location=Cambridge |isbn=0-85059-664-5 |pages=35–36 }}
  • {{Butt-Stations}}
  • {{Jowett-Nationalised}}
  • {{Jowett-Atlas}}

External links

{{commons category|Ascot railway station}}

{{stn art lnk|ACT|SL59DW}}

  • {{Bradshaws|ascot}}
  • [http://www.npemap.org.uk/tiles/map.html#491,168,1 Station on navigable Ordnance Survey map]

{{Railway stations in Berkshire}}

{{SWT Stations|Reading=y|Alton=y|Main line None=y|IL None=y}}

{{coord|51.406|N|0.676|W|type:railwaystation_region:GB|display=title}}

Category:Railway stations in Berkshire

Category:DfT Category C2 stations

Category:Former London and South Western Railway stations

Category:Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1856

Category:Railway stations served by South Western Railway

Category:Sunninghill and Ascot