Watlington railway station (formerly known as Magdalen Road) is on the Fen line in the east of England, serving the village of Watlington, Norfolk. It is 90 miles 70 chains (146.2 km) measured from London Liverpool Street and is situated between Downham Market and King's Lynn stations. Its three-letter station code is WTG.
Watlington  | |
|---|---|
 Watlington railway station in 2005 | |
| General information | |
| Location | Watlington, King's Lynn and West Norfolk England |
| Grid reference | TF612110 |
| Owned by | Network Rail |
| Managed by | Great Northern |
| Platforms | 2 |
| Other information | |
| Station code | WTG |
| Classification | DfT category E |
| Key dates | |
| 27 October 1846 | Opened as Watlington |
| 1 June 1875 | Renamed Magdalen Road |
| 9 September 1968 | Closed |
| 5 May 1975 | Reopened |
| 3 October 1989 | Renamed Watlington[1] |
| Passengers | |
| 2018/19 |  0.154 million |
| 2019/20 |  0.138 million |
| 2020/21 | 39,078 |
| 2021/22 | 0.106 million |
| 2022/23 | 0.108 million |
| Notes | |
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road | |
The station and all trains calling are operated by Great Northern (with service to and from London King's Cross.)
History edit
The Bill for the Lynn and Ely Railway received Royal Assent on 30 June 1845. Work started on the line in 1846 and the line and its stations were opened on 27 October 1846. Watlington station opened with the line and was, as it is now, situated South of Lynn station (now King's Lynn). The station to the south was St Germain's station. The line ran from Ely to Downham, the eventual destination being Ely.[2]
Watlington station, from 1847 part of the East Anglian Railway, became part of the Great Eastern Railway in 1862, and was renamed Magdalen Road in 1875 (a name which, perhaps, better reflects its lonely rural location in the middle of the flatlands of the East Anglian Fens). From 1848 onwards, Watlington was a junction, as a line once branched off from there to Wisbech. The branch, along with Magdalen Road station, was closed in 1968.
Due to local efforts, however, Magdalen Road station was reopened in 1975, and in 1989 returned to its original title of Watlington. The signal box at the station, in active use today, still bears a Network SouthEast sign with the Magdalen Road name. The current southbound platform, behind the signal box, dates from the early 1990s; the original station buildings on the southbound side have since been converted into a private residence. The original wooden waiting room on the northbound platform was replaced around the same time, though the original platform still survives as part of an extended platform.
Before electrification, services were normally operated by InterCity (latterly Network SouthEast) locomotive-hauled trains, normally pulling British Rail Mark 2b coaches (many services featured restaurant cars). The locomotives were usually Class 37 diesel-electrics, sometimes Class 31s or 47s. Off-peak links were often provided by Metro-Cammell diesel multiple units.
The station is mentioned by author Lisa St Aubin de Teran in a memoir as being the station closest to her Norfolk home - she reminisced about conversations with the train guard who was checking tickets, where she requested that the train stop at the station (for many years, most trains only called at the station if a passenger requested it, rather than it being a regular timetabled stop).[citation needed]
Services edit
Great Northern operates all services at Watlington, mostly with Class 387 EMUs.
The typical off-peak service in trains per hour is:[3]
- 1 tph to London King's Cross
- 1 tph to King's Lynn
During the peak hours, additional services run to the station, giving Watlington a half-hourly service.
Greater Anglia operated a limited number of peak services between King's Lynn and London Liverpool Street. These were withdrawn at the May 2023 timetable change.
| Preceding station |  National Rail
|
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Great Northern | ||||
| Historical railways | ||||
Line open, station closed | Great Eastern Railway | Line open, station closed |
||
| Disused railways | ||||
| Magdalen Gate Line and station closed
|
British Rail Eastern Region |
King's Lynn Line and station open
| ||
References edit
- ^ Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations, Patrick Stephens Ltd, Sparkford, ISBN 1-85260-508-1, pp. 152 & 243.
- ^ C.J. Allen [full citation needed]
- ^ Table 25 National Rail timetable, May 2022
- Oppitz, Leslie (2002). Lost Railways of East Anglia. Countryside Books. ISBN 1-85306-595-1.
- Adderson, Richard; Kenworthy, Graham (2002). Mitchell, Vic (ed.). Ely to King's Lynn, including the Stoke Ferry branch. Middleton Press. ISBN 1-901706-53-2.
External links edit
Media related to Watlington railway station at Wikimedia Commons
- Train times and station information for Watlington railway station from National Rail
- Map sources for Watlington railway station