Bitterne railway station

{{Infobox station

| name = Bitterne

| symbol_location = gb

| symbol = rail

| image = Bitterne Station.jpg

| caption = Bitterne Station

| borough = Bitterne, Southampton

| country = England

| grid_name = Grid reference

| grid_position = {{gbmapscaled|SU438133|25|SU438133}}

| manager = South Western Railway

| platforms = 2

| code = BTE

| classification = DfT category F2

| original = Southampton and Netley Railway

| pregroup = London and South Western Railway

| postgroup = Southern Railway

| opened = 5 March 1866

| mpassengers =

{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2019/20 |passengers={{decrease}} 75,634}}

{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2020/21 |passengers={{decrease}} 19,646}}

{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2021/22 |passengers={{increase}} 55,388}}

{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2022/23 |passengers={{increase}} 65,298}}

{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2023/24 |passengers={{increase}} 71,222}}

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

}}

File:Bitterne railway station 1809925 de2a52fd.jpg

Bitterne railway station is located in eastern Southampton, England. It is on the main Southampton to Portsmouth coastal line, and serves the suburbs of Bitterne, Bitterne Manor, Bitterne Park and Midanbury.

History

The station was opened in March 1866 as Bitterne Road railway station.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FlyIAwAAQBAJ&pg=PT86|title=Bitterne and West End Through Time|page=86|author= Bitterne Local History Society|publisher=Amberley Publishing Limited|date= 11 Nov 2013|isbn=9781445626963}} The station itself is located a mile west of Bitterne village, although original plans for the railway line would have seen the railway pass right through the centre of the village.

The line was originally single-track between St Denys and Fareham, with Bitterne acting as a "passing loop", where trains travelling in opposite directions could pass one another. There were three passing loops at stations on this stretch, with Netley and Swanwick being the other two.{{Cite book|title = The London & South Western Railway|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=6xpBAQAAIAAJ&q=Bitterne+Road+railway+station|publisher = David & Charles|date = 1973-09-06|first = Ronald Alfred|last = Williams|page = 133|isbn = 9780715359402}}

In 2024, the old waiting room of the station, which had been unused for 30 years, was refurbished and reopened as a community hub by Friends of Bitterne Station with funding from Hampshire Community Rail partnership. The hub includes a community garden and space for events and meetups.{{Cite web |date=2022-07-17 |title=Meet the residents who have adopted a train station |url=https://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/20268982.southampton-bitterne-train-station-nominated-stations-bloom-competition/ |access-date=2025-03-27 |website=Daily Echo |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2024-05-29 |title=Neglected station space transforms into community hub |url=https://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/24344912.south-western-railway-transforms-disused-bitterne-station/ |access-date=2025-03-27 |website=Daily Echo |language=en}}

Services

All services at Bitterne are operated by South Western Railway using {{brc|450}} EMUs.

The typical off-peak service is one train per hour in each direction between {{stnlnk|Portsmouth & Southsea}} and {{stnlnk|Southampton Central}}. Additional services call at the station during the peak hours.{{NRtimes|June 2024|165}}

{{rail line|previous={{stnlnk|Woolston}}|next={{stnlnk|St Denys}}|route=South Western Railway
{{smalldiv|West Coastway Line}}|col={{SWR colour}} }}

References

External links

{{coord|50.918|N|1.377|W|type:railwaystation_region:GB|format=dms|display=title}}

Category:Railway stations in Southampton

Category:DfT Category F2 stations

Category:Former London and South Western Railway stations

Category:Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1866

Category:Railway stations served by South Western Railway

Category:1866 establishments in England