Mortlake railway station explained

Mortlake
Symbol:rail
Manager:South Western Railway
Fare Zone:3
Locale:Mortlake
Borough:Richmond upon Thames
Platforms:2
Railexits0405: 1.106
Railexits0506: 1.088
Railexits0607: 1.880
Railexits0708: 1.969
Railexits0809: 1.879
Railexits0910: 1.864
Railexits1011: 1.988
Railexits1112: 2.031
Railexits1213: 2.131
Railexits1314: 2.157
Railexits1415: 2.245
Railexits1516: 1.932
Railexits1617: 1.848
Railexits1718: 1.770 -->
Railexits1819: 1.803
Railexits1920: 1.872
Railexits2021: 0.439
Railexits2122: 1.021
Railexits2223: 1.253
Railcode:MTL
Access:yes
Dft Category:C2
Coordinates:51.4682°N -0.2672°W
Original:Richmond and West End Railway
Pregroup:London and South Western Railway
Postgroup:Southern Railway
Years2:1 April 1886
Years3:30 January 1916
Events1:Opened as Mortlake
Events2:Renamed Mortlake & East Sheen
Events3:Renamed Mortlake

Mortlake railway station is in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, in south London, and is in Travelcard Zone 3. It is 8chain21chain down the line from .

The station and all trains serving it are operated by South Western Railway. Postal district and boundary changes over many years mean that Mortlake now serves the area known as East Sheen as well as the area of Mortlake, both of which share the postcode. Mortlake is the closest station to the finish of the Oxford-Cambridge University Boat Race.

History

The station was opened on 27 July 1846, when the London and South Western Railway officially opened the line to Richmond for public service. Along with Richmond, it was not finished in time for a directors' special on 22 July 1846 and was still incomplete when the line opened due to delays in obtaining land.[1]

The original station was said to be similar to neighbouring Barnes Station in its Tudor Gothic-style, but much smaller. The office at Mortlake was described as being very small, with a very small entrance room and a small inner room for the ladies' waiting-room. None of the original station survives.

It was renamed Mortlake & East Sheen in 1886, before it was renamed back to Mortlake in 1916.

Queen Victoria's Waiting Room The building next to Mortlake railway station – now occupied by a classic car showroom – houses Queen Victoria's old waiting room, built for her and Prince Albert as they frequented White Lodge in Richmond Park, where their family and later their son, Prince of Wales (later Edward VII) lived.

Platforms and infrastructure

The station has two platforms:

There is a ticket office on Platform 2 and a footbridge between the two platforms.

There is a level crossing just beyond the east end of the station. More than 3800 vehicles and nearly 2400 pedestrians use the crossing daily and 349 trains pass over the crossing each weekday. It is considered to be the fourth most risky CCTV-crossing on Network Rail's Wessex Route.[2]

Services

All services at Mortlake are operated by South Western Railway.

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

Additional services, including trains to and from London Waterloo via call at the station during the peak hours.

Connections

London Buses routes 419 and 533, mobility route 969, and night route N22 serve the station.[3]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Freeman . Leslie . The Coming of the Railway . Barnes and Mortlake History Society . 7 May 2020 . June 1996.
  2. News: Cuffe . Grainne . Network Rail report finds Mortlake Level crossing on Sheen Lane is 'high risk' to pedestrians, cyclists and vehicle users . 7 May 2020 . Richmond and Twickenham Times . 28 September 2017.
  3. Web site: Buses from Mortlake and East Sheen. 16 July 2022. Transport for London. London. 15 July 2022.