Swanley railway station explained

Swanley
Railcode:SAY
Dft Category:C2
Coordinates:51.3934°N 0.169°W
Manager:Southeastern
Fare Zone:8
Locale:Swanley
Borough:District of Sevenoaks
Railexits0405: 1.291
Railexits0506: 1.278
Railexits0607: 1.329
Railexits0708: 1.350
Railexits0809: 1.314
Railexits0910: 1.246
Railexits1011: 1.203
Railexits1112: 1.211
Railint1112:0.132
Railexits1213: 1.197
Railint1213: 0.132
Railexits1314: 1.224
Railint1314: 0.163
Railexits1415: 1.291
Railint1415: 0.190
Railexits1516: 1.332
Railint1516: 0.139
Railexits1617: 1.358
Railint1617: 0.143
Railexits1718: 1.463
Railint1718: 0.112 -->
Railexits1819: 1.568
Railint1819: 0.123
Railexits1920: 1.559
Railint1920: 0.117
Railexits2021: 0.399
Raillowint2021: 21,609
Railexits2122: 0.922
Raillowint2122: 59,018
Railexits2223: 1.120
Railint2223: 0.263
Symbol:rail
Platforms:4
Years1:1 July 1862
Events1:Opened as Sevenoaks Junction
Years2:1 January 1871
Events2:Renamed Swanley Junction
Years3:16 April 1939
Events3:Resited and renamed Swanley
Gridref:TQ509682
Map Type:Kent

Swanley railway station is on the Chatham Main Line in England, serving the town of Swanley, Kent. It is 17chain31chain down the line from and is situated between and on the main line. The Maidstone Line branches from the main line south of Swanley and the next station on that route is .

The station and most trains that call are operated by Southeastern. The station has four platforms.

Since March 2016, Oyster cards have been accepted at Swanley, with the station being placed into London's fare zone 8.[1]

History

The original location of the station was at at the junction with separate platforms for the main line and the Sevenoaks branch. It was first named Sevenoaks Junction and 1871 was changed to Swanley Junction. On 27 June 1937, there was a collision between two trains near the station, resulting in the deaths of four people and with 37 injured.[2] In 1939 a new station called Swanley was constructed approximately 440yd further west and the original station was closed.

In May 2021, a new ticket office and station building was opened.[3]

Location

The station is located at Station Approach, half a mile from Swanley Town Centre.

Facilities

The station has a staffed ticket office. The station has a self-service ticket machine and is also fitted with Oyster card readers. The station has passenger help points on its platforms and covered seating is available on all 4 platforms which are all fitted with passenger information screens. There are toilets located on platforms 1 and 2 as well as a passenger shop and buffet. The station has a chargeable car park (106 spaces) and a cycle rack at the station entrance. Step free access is available to all platforms from the Station Approach entrance.[4]

Services

Services at Swanley are operated by Southeastern and Thameslink using,,, and EMUs.

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

Additional services call at the station during the peak hours. In addition, the service to London Blackfriars is extended to and from via .

On Sundays, the services between London Charing Cross and Maidstone East do not run.

Connections

Go-Coach route 429 and Arriva Kent Thameside route 477 serve the station.[5] [6]

References

  1. Web site: Pay as you go travel with contactless and Oyster extends to Swanley . 10 November 2015 . Transport for London . 7 March 2016.
  2. Web site: Report on the Accident at Swanley Junction on 27th June 1937. railwaysarchive.co.uk. 2 February 2018.
  3. Web site: Holden. Alan. 2021-05-31. New ticket office and station building open at Swanley railway station. 2021-06-06. RailAdvent.
  4. Web site: Swanley station information. Southeastern, June 2020.
  5. Web site: Route 429: Dartford to West Kingsdown. Go-Coach. 26 February 2024.
  6. Web site: Route 477: Orpington to Dartford. Arriva Southern Counties. 26 February 2024.