Windsor & Eton Riverside railway station
{{Short description|Railway station in Windsor, Berkshire, England.}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2017}}
{{Infobox station
| name = Windsor & Eton Riverside
| symbol_location = gb
| symbol = rail
| image = Windsor&etonriverside.jpg
| caption = The Datchet Road frontage of the station. The concourse can be glimpsed through the first of the row of arches in the south-east wall of the station.
| borough = Windsor, Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead
| country = England
| grid_name = Grid reference
| grid_position = {{gbmapscaled|SU968772|25|SU968772}}
| manager = South Western Railway
| platforms = 2
| code = WNR
| classification = DfT category C1
| opened = 1 December 1849
| mpassengers =
{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2019/20 |passengers={{decrease}} 1.298 million |interchange={{pad|1em}}{{decrease}} 42,754}}
{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2020/21 |passengers={{decrease}} 0.230 million |interchange={{pad|1em}}{{decrease}} 12,132}}
{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2021/22 |passengers={{increase}} 0.787 million |interchange={{pad|1em}}{{increase}} 24,001}}
{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2022/23 |passengers={{increase}} 1.058 million |interchange={{pad|1em}}{{increase}} 42,234}}
{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2023/24 |passengers={{decrease}} 1.028 million |interchange={{pad|1em}}{{decrease}} 35,833}}
| footnotes = Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road
}}
{{Staines to Windsor Line}}
Windsor & Eton Riverside station is a station in Windsor, Berkshire, England. The station, close to the River Thames and Windsor Castle, is a Grade II listed building.{{NHLE |num=1117737 |desc=Windsor Riverside Station and Royal Waiting Room |access-date=15 July 2007}} It is {{convert|25|mi|48|chain|km|lk=in}} down the line from {{stn|London Waterloo}} and is the terminus of the Staines to Windsor Line, served by South Western Railway.{{cite book |last=Yonge |first=John |editor-last=Jacobs |editor-first=Gerald |title=Railway Track Diagrams 5: Southern & TfL |edition=3rd |date=November 2008 |orig-year=1994 |publisher=Trackmaps |location=Bradford on Avon |isbn=978-0-9549866-4-3 |at=map 25A }}
The station is also in close proximity to Windsor's other station, {{rws|Windsor & Eton Central}}, which is served by Great Western Railway trains from {{rws|Slough}} on the Windsor branch of the Great Western Main Line.
Description
The station building was designed by William Tite as a royal station with a stone-faced frontage with a mullioned and transomed main window, gables and a multi-arch entrance.{{cite book |last1=Mitchell |first1=Vic |last2=Smith |first2=Keith |title=Waterloo to Windsor |publisher=Middleton Press | year=1988 |isbn=0-906520-54-1}} The main booking hall was decorative but is now a wine bar. There is a spacious concourse under the train shed at the head of the platforms. The two platforms extend a considerable distance beyond the train shed.
The wall on the southeast (Datchet Road) side of the station forms a long curve, parallel with the platform, containing a series of arches with depressed heads. This wall links the station proper with the former Royal Waiting Room built for Queen Victoria. This is a small building of main room and ante rooms crowned by a turret with spirelet, and has Tudor arched windows. The interior of the main room has a ribbed ceiling with a pendant finial.
History
The route from {{rws|Staines}} was authorised in 1847 and was opened by the Windsor, Staines and South Western Railway as far as {{rws|Datchet}}, on the opposite side of Home Park from the town of Windsor, on 22 August 1848. Opposition from both Windsor Castle and Eton College delayed the completion of the line (there was similar opposition to the Great Western Railway line to Windsor Central), but eventually the Riverside station was opened on 1 December 1849.{{cite web |url= http://www.thamesweb.co.uk/windsor/windsorhistory/railways/railway.html |title=The Railways at Windsor |publisher=The Royal Windsor Web Site |access-date=15 July 2007}}
In 1848 before Riverside station opened, the Windsor, Staines and South Western Railway had been incorporated into the London and South Western Railway (LSWR), which ran the services until 1923 when, under the railway grouping of the Railways Act 1921, the LSWR became part of the Southern Railway. In 1930 the line was electrified on the third rail system at a nominal 660 volts DC. In the 1948 nationalisation the line became part of the Southern Region of British Railways.
In 1974 the level crossing in the throat of the station giving access to Romney Lock was closed and replaced by a footbridge. Vehicular access to the lock was maintained by a road constructed on the north side of the station through the former goods yard which became the station car park.
As part of the privatisation of British Rail, the Stagecoach Group company South West Trains took over operation of the service and the station in 1996. Ownership of the line and station passed to Railtrack and subsequently to Network Rail.
Windsor Link Railway
The Windsor Link Railway was a 2009 proposal for a new railway connecting the Great Western and South West Trains franchise areas and potentially linking both to Heathrow Airport. Windsor & Eton Central and Windsor & Eton Riverside railway stations would be replaced with one through-route station in the Windsor Goswells.
The proposal was rejected by the government in December 2018.{{cite magazine |url=https://www.newcivilengineer.com/latest/exclusive-windsor-to-heathrow-rail-scheme-rejected-outright/10037993.article |title=Exclusive - Windsor to Heathrow rail scheme 'rejected outright' |first=Katherine |last=Smale |magazine=New Civil Engineer |date=7 December 2018}}
Incidents
On 22 May 2009, the end carriage of the 06:15 departure derailed as the train pulled out of the station causing disruption to services for much of the day.{{cite web |url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/berkshire/8063959.stm |title=Train derailment sparks inquiry |access-date=22 May 2009 |work=BBC News |date=22 May 2009}} No trains ran the full route, with an hourly service terminating at {{rws|Datchet}} and all other trains terminating at {{rws|Staines}}.
On 11 October 2009 the bogie of a DEMU (vehicle 60118), on "The Eton Rifles" tour, derailed on arrival at platform 1.{{cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/411190/100805_R112010_Windsor.pdf |access-date=2023-10-08| title=Rail Accident Report - Derailment at Windsor and Eton Riverside station 11 October 2009}} The tour could not continue and passengers were sent out on the next timetabled train.
On 30 January 2015, a Class 458/5 operated by South West Trains was damaged by fire following severe electrical arcing which occurred shortly after departing Windsor & Eton Riverside. The train's guard was taken to hospital suffering from smoke inhalation.{{cite web|url=https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5626418540f0b60365000005/R182015_151021_Windsor.pdf |access-date=2023-10-08| title=Rail Accident Report - Electrical arcing and fire under a train near Windsor & Eton Riverside 30 January 2015}}
Services
There is usually a half-hourly service to London Waterloo seven days a week, taking just under an hour to reach Waterloo. The service is currently provided by South Western Railway.{{cite web |url= http://www.southwesttrains.co.uk/SWTrains/pdfs/TimetablesMay2007 |title= Train times — Windsor and Feltham to London Waterloo |publisher= South West Trains |access-date=18 June 2007}}
{{rail start}}
{{rail line|previous={{rws|Datchet}} |route=South Western Railway
Windsor Line |col={{SWR colour}} }}
{{s-end}}
References
{{reflist}}
Bibliography
- {{cite book |last1=Mitchell |first1=Victor |last2=Smith |first2=Keith |title=Waterloo to Windsor (Southern Main Lines) |publisher=Middleton Press |year=1988 |isbn= 0-906520-54-1}}
External links
{{commons category|Windsor and Eton Riverside railway station}}
- [http://www.thamesweb.co.uk/windsor/windsorhistory/railways/railway.html Windsor History – includes photographs of station]
- [https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/stations/windsor-eton-riverside/ National Rail website page for station]
{{Railway stations in Berkshire}}
{{SWT Stations|Windsor=y|IL None=y|Main line None=y}}
{{coord|51|29|08.01|N|0|36|23.36|W|region:GB_type:railwaystation|display=title}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Windsor and Eton Riverside railway station}}
Category:Buildings and structures in Windsor, Berkshire
Category:Grade II listed buildings in Berkshire
Category:Railway stations in Berkshire
Category:Former London and South Western Railway stations
Category:Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1849
Category:Railway stations served by South Western Railway
Category:William Tite railway stations