Yalding railway station

Yalding railway station is on the Medway Valley Line in Kent, England, serving the village of Yalding. It is 38 miles 19 chains (61.5 km) down the line from London Charing Cross via Paddock Wood and is situated between Beltring and Wateringbury. The station and all trains that call are operated by Southeastern.

Yalding
National Rail
General information
LocationYalding, Maidstone
England
Coordinates51°13′34″N 0°24′43″E / 51.226°N 0.412°E / 51.226; 0.412
Grid referenceTQ685502
Managed bySoutheastern
Platforms2
Other information
Station codeYAL
ClassificationDfT category F1
History
Opened25 September 1844
Original companySouth Eastern Railway
Post-groupingSouthern Railway
Passengers
2019/20Increase 37,116
2020/21Decrease 12,384
2021/22Increase 29,968
2022/23Decrease 29,228
2023/24Increase 37,554
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

History

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The station opened on 25 September 1844 when the South Eastern Railway opened the line between Paddock Wood and Maidstone West.[1] The line was originally single track but was doubled in 1846.[2] In 1897 there were two platforms joined by a footbridge, a signal box and sidings both sides of the running lines.[3] The goods yard was able to accommodate most types of goods including live stock and was equipped with a 1¼ ton crane.[4] A camping coach was positioned here by the Southern Region from 1962 to 1967, from 1963 onwards it was a Pullman camping coach.[5]

Facilities

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Yalding station is unstaffed. The station is fitted with a self-service ticket machine as well as modern help points on the platforms. Seated areas are available on both platforms and train information screens are provided for running information. The station has a small free car park located outside the station as well as a small cycle storage area. There is a level crossing on the road outside the ststion.[6]

The station used to have an APTIS-equipped ticket office (on the southbound platform) but this closed in 1989 and the building was then used for commercial purposes but has recently become disused.

No regular buses stop outside the station although Arriva Southern Counties routes 6 & 6X to Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells (including both Tunbridge Wells Hospital and Maidstone Hospital) stop a short walk away on Maidstone Road in Nettlestead Green.[7][8]

Services

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All services at Yalding are operated by Southeastern using Class 375 EMUs.

The typical off-peak service in trains per hour is:[9]

A small number of morning, mid afternoon and late evening trains continue beyond Paddock Wood to Tonbridge.

On Sundays, the service is reduced to hourly in each direction.

Preceding station   National Rail Following station
Southeastern

References

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  1. ^ Quick, Michael (2022) [2001]. Railway passenger stations in Great Britain: a chronology (PDF). version 5.04. Railway & Canal Historical Society. p. 495. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 November 2022.
  2. ^ White, H. P. (1992). A Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain. Vol. 2 Southern England (5th ed.). Nairn, Scotland: David St John Thomas. p. 65. ISBN 0-946537-77-1.
  3. ^ "Yalding station on OS 25 inch map Kent LI.4 (Nettlestead; Yalding)". National Library of Scotland. 1897. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
  4. ^ The Railway Clearing House (1970) [1904]. The Railway Clearing House Handbook of Railway Stations 1904 (1970 D&C Reprint ed.). Newton Abbot: David & Charles Reprints. p. 597. ISBN 0-7153-5120-6.
  5. ^ McRae, Andrew (1998). British Railways Camping Coach Holidays: A Tour of Britain in the 1950s and 1960s. Vol. Scenes from the Past: 30 (Part Two). Foxline. p. 59. ISBN 1-870119-53-3.
  6. ^ "Yalding Station Information". Southeastern, June 2020.
  7. ^ "Routes 6/6A: Tunbridge Wells to East Peckham and Maidstone". Arriva Southern Counties, June 2020.
  8. ^ "Route 6X: Tunbridge Wells Hospital to Maidstone Hospital". Arriva Southern Counties, June 2020.
  9. ^ Table 208 National Rail timetable, December 2022
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