View source for Basingstoke railway station

{{Short description|Railway station in Hampshire, England}}
{{Use British English|date=November 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2015}}
{{more citations needed|date=April 2012}}
{{Infobox station
| name               = Basingstoke
| symbol_location    = gb
| symbol             = rail
| image              = Basingstoke Station Entrance.jpg
| caption            = Basingstoke station main entrance
| borough            = [[Basingstoke]], [[Basingstoke and Deane|Borough of Basingstoke and Deane]]
| country            = England
| coordinates        = {{coord|51.2683|-1.0878|type:railwaystation_region:GB_scale:10000|display=inline,title}}
| grid_name          = [[Ordnance Survey National Grid|Grid reference]]
| grid_position      = {{gbmapscaled|SU637525|25|SU637525}}
| manager            = [[South Western Railway (train operating company)|South Western Railway]]
| platforms          = 5
| code               = BSK
| classification     = [[United Kingdom railway station categories|DfT category]] B
| original           = [[London and South Western Railway]]
| pregroup           = London and South Western Railway
| postgroup          = [[Southern Railway (Great Britain)|Southern Railway]]
| years              = {{start date|1839|06|10|df=y}}
| events             = Station opened
| mpassengers        = <!-- {{Rail pass box |pass_year=2017/18 |passengers={{increase}} 5.795 million |interchange={{pad|1em}}{{increase}} 1.794 million}} 
{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2018/19 |passengers={{increase}} 5.979 million |interchange={{pad|1em}}{{increase}} 1.875 million}}-->
{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2019/20 |passengers={{decrease}} 5.702 million |interchange={{pad|1em}}{{increase}} 3.146 million}}
{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2020/21 |passengers={{decrease}} 1.279 million |interchange={{pad|1em}}{{decrease}} 0.414 million}}
{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2021/22 |passengers={{increase}} 3.662 million |interchange={{pad|1em}}{{increase}} 1.369 million}}
{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2022/23 |passengers={{increase}} 4.004 million |interchange={{pad|1em}}{{decrease}} 1.077 million}}
{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2023/24 |passengers={{increase}} 4.240 million |interchange={{pad|1em}}{{decrease}} 0.724 million}}
| footnotes          = Passenger statistics from the [[Office of Rail and Road]]
| mapframe           = yes
| mapframe-zoom      = 13
}}
[[File:Basingstoke Station 1768953 095aa0a7.jpg|thumb|right|The station in 1963]]
{{Basingstoke Lines}}
{{B&ALR RDT|collapse=yes}}
'''Basingstoke railway station''' serves the town of [[Basingstoke]] in the county of [[Hampshire]] in [[England]]. It is on the [[South West Main Line]] from [[London Waterloo railway station|London Waterloo]], with local and fast services operated by [[South Western Railway (train operating company)|South Western Railway]]. It is the terminus of [[Great Western Railway (train operating company)|Great Western Railway]] local services on the [[Reading to Basingstoke Line]]. Long-distance cross-country services operated by [[CrossCountry]] to {{stnlnk|Bournemouth}} from [[Birmingham New Street railway station|Birmingham]] (the [[Bournemouth to Birmingham route]]), [[Manchester Piccadilly station|Manchester]] and further north, join the main line from the branch there.

It is {{convert|47|mi|61|chain|km|lk=in}} down the line from London Waterloo, and {{convert|51|mi|39|chain|km}} from London Paddington.<ref>{{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 27B }}</ref>

== History ==
The station was opened by the [[London and South Western Railway]] as a temporary terminus when its line to Southampton reached Basingstoke from London. It became a through station when the section running north from Southampton was completed later in 1840. The intention to build a line from near Basingstoke to [[Bristol]] was dropped when the [[Great Western Railway]] was approved.<ref>{{cite web|author=Christopher J. Tolley |year=2004 |url=http://web.ukonline.co.uk/cj.tolley/cjt-brhl.htm |title=BRH: On the Main Line |access-date=22 May 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080419033206/http://web.ukonline.co.uk/cj.tolley/cjt-brhl.htm |archive-date=19 April 2008 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}</ref> The L&SWR did, however plan a line to Salisbury from Basingstoke but this was delayed by financial difficulties. Eventually, it was built reaching {{rws|Andover|England}} in 1854 and {{rws|Salisbury}} three years later, before being extended to become the [[West of England Main Line]].{{citation needed|date=October 2024}}

The Great Western Railway opened its [[broad gauge]] line from {{Stnlnk|Reading}} on 1 November 1848 with a separate station north of the L&SWR station.<ref name=MacD1>{{cite book| last = MacDermot| first = E T| title = History of the Great Western Railway |edition= 1|volume= 1 (1833-1863)| publisher = Great Western Railway| year = 1927| location = London}}</ref> After its conversion to [[mixed gauge]] on 22 December 1856 through services could run between Southampton and Reading. The broad gauge rail was removed on 1 April 1869.<ref>{{cite book| last = MacDermot| first = E T| title = History of the Great Western Railway |edition= 1|volume= 2 (1863-1921)| publisher = Great Western Railway| year = 1931| location = London}}</ref>
The GWR station was closed on 1 January 1932<ref>''Passengers No More'' by Gerald Daniels and Les Dench</ref> and demolished the same year. Since then trains from Reading have used the main station.<ref>{{cite web | year = 2006 | url = http://www.greatwestern.org.uk/stat_1.htm | title = Great Western Railway publicity | publisher = The Great Western Archive | access-date = 22 May 2008| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080705183754/http://www.greatwestern.org.uk/stat_1.htm| archive-date= 5 July 2008|df=dmy-all | url-status= live}}</ref>

Basingstoke station was the terminus of the [[Basingstoke and Alton Light Railway]], opened in 1901 to prevent the GWR from building a line on this route towards Portsmouth. The line was never profitable. During the [[First World War]] some of the track was sold off. After the war the [[Southern Railway (Great Britain)|Southern Railway]]  reopened the line, but it was closed finally in 1932.{{citation needed|date=October 2024}}

In the 1980s Platform 5 was converted to a bay platform to permit an entrance on the northern side by [[British Rail]]. In 1993, an explosive device planted by the [[Provisional Irish Republican Army]] was found in a toilet, soon after a bomb scare at [[Reading railway station]].<ref>{{cite web|year=2003|url=http://www.btp.police.uk/History%20Society/Publications/History%20Society/The%20history/A%20Time%20Line%20for%20Policing%20the%20Railways%201980%20-%20present.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031108132847/http://www.btp.police.uk/History%20Society/Publications/History%20Society/The%20history/A%20Time%20Line%20for%20Policing%20the%20Railways%201980%20-%20present.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=8 November 2003|title=History A Time Line of Policing the Railways|publisher=BTP History Society|access-date=13 March 2008|df=dmy}}</ref> In 2001 a suitcase was left outside the station containing the mutilated body of a man in his twenties.  He had been stabbed to death.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/hampshire/dorset/2928881.stm | title = 'Body in suitcase' monk guilty
| publisher = BBC News&nbsp;– www.bbc.co.uk| access-date = 21 October 2007 | date=8 April 2003| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20060629003408/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/hampshire/dorset/2928881.stm| archive-date=29 June 2006|df=dmy-all| url-status= live}}</ref>

[[Anglia Railways]] ran the [[London Crosslink]] service from [[Ipswich railway station|Ipswich]] to Basingstoke via Stratford and the [[North London Line]] using [[British Rail Class 170|Class 170s]] between May 2000 and September 2002. South West Trains also ran a local service from [[Reading railway station|Reading]] to [[Brighton railway station|Brighton]] until timetable changes on 9 December 2007.<ref>{{cite web | year = 2007 | url = http://www.southwesttrains.co.uk/SWTrains/News/_newTT.htm | title = New timetable: Service changes from 9 Dec 2007 | work = South West Trains | access-date = 21 January 2008 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080118123627/http://www.southwesttrains.co.uk/SWTrains/News/_newTT.htm | archive-date = 18 January 2008 | df = dmy-all | url-status = usurped }}</ref> [[Southern (train operating company)|Southern railway]] services from Southampton and Portsmouth to Brighton were improved to compensate for that.<ref>{{cite web|year=2007 |url=http://www.southernrailway.com/main.php?page_id=473 |title=West CoastWay&nbsp;– How it affects you |work=Southern Railway |access-date=21 January 2008 }}{{dead link|date=October 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

In 2012, improvements were made to the station, including a new stainless steel and glass frontage, an enlarged booking hall and a new waiting room on platforms 2 and 3.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.basingstokegazette.co.uk/news/9598383.station-re-opened-after-2m-revamp/|title=Station re-opened after £2m revamp|newspaper=Basingstoke Gazette}}</ref> In 2022, South Western Railway introduced staff members called "Welcome Hosts" at this station and some others to provide information and sell tickets.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Basingstoke Station gets Welcome Hosts from SWR|url=https://www.basingstokegazette.co.uk/news/19900818.basingstoke-station-gets-welcome-hosts-swr/|date=2022-02-04|access-date=2022-02-05|newspaper=Basingstoke Gazette|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220205040831/https://www.basingstokegazette.co.uk/news/19900818.basingstoke-station-gets-welcome-hosts-swr/    |archive-date=2022-02-05|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.southwesternrailway.com/other/news-and-media/news/2022/february/swr-expands-welcome-host-services-at-key-stations|title=SWR Expands Welcome Host Services at Key Stations|date= 4 February 2022|publisher=South Western Railway}}</ref>

== Platforms ==
The station has five platforms, four of which can be used bi-directionally. They are above street level and are accessed via stairs and lifts from the booking hall and subway.<ref>[http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/stations_destinations/SME/BSK_StationPlan.aspx?rtnloc=BSK Station Plan - Basingstoke]''National Rail Enquiries''; Retrieved 15 August 2016</ref> There is a secondary entrance on Platform 4.

*Platform 1: Terminating [[South West Main Line#Outer suburban|slow services]] to and from [[London Waterloo railway station|London Waterloo]],<ref>[https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1627552 "Basingstoke station platforms 1 & 2"] Horn, Graham, ''Geograph.org''; Retrieved 15 August 2016</ref> westbound [[CrossCountry]] services to [[Southampton Central railway station|Southampton]] and [[Bournemouth railway station|Bournemouth]] and occasionally [[South West Main Line#Intercity|regional services]] to Southampton and Poole. Westbound freight trains also pass through here.
*Platform 2: Westbound services on the [[South West Main Line]] and [[West of England Main Line]]
*Platform 3: Fast trains to [[London Waterloo railway station|London Waterloo]].
*Platform 4: Northbound [[CrossCountry]] services to [[Reading railway station|Reading]], [[Birmingham New Street railway station|Birmingham]] and onwards to the north. A few trains to London Waterloo use this platform. Northbound freight trains also pass through here.
*Platform 5: Bay platform for stopping services to Reading on the [[Reading to Basingstoke Line]], operated by [[Great Western Railway (train operating company)|Great Western Railway]].

== Facilities ==
{{Unreferenced section|date=April 2012}}
The station has two entrances. The main entrance to the south has access to a taxi rank, some car parks and a bus stop, with steps down to [[The Malls, Basingstoke|The Malls]] shopping centre. A bridge over Churchill Way leads to the bus station. [[Festival Place]] can be accessed from The Malls or the bus station, while Festival Square and the Top of Town are located beyond the bus station. The northern entrance on Platform 4 gives access to a car park.
The south booking hall has ticket facilities (including ticket machines), information and a small shop. The station is staffed all day, and both entrances have [[turnstile|ticket barriers]].<br />
There is a small café on the central island platform and another on Platform 4, as well as indoor waiting rooms.

==Signalling==

The station area and its various routes have been controlled by colour light signalling since the mid-1960s.  The 1966 panel box (which controlled the main line from west of Woking through to {{rws|Micheldever}} and {{rws|Andover|England}} along with part of the line to Reading) was located on the north side of the line to the east of the station, but this was superseded by a new facility in 2007 when the area was resignalled.  It was announced in 2013 that a new Network Rail signalling [[Rail Operating Centre|operating centre]] would be built in Basingstoke; the contract was for £30 million. Twelve such regional control centres were to be built in the following 15 to 30 years, which will be responsible for all the signalling in the Wessex & South West England area (right through from London Waterloo to {{rws|Weymouth}}, Portsmouth Harbour and Exeter).<ref>[http://www.globalrailnews.com/2013/10/02/bam-to-build-network-rail-signalling-centre/ BAM to build Network Rail signalling centre] ''Global Rail News'' article 2 October 2013; Retrieved 13 February 2014</ref>  Several routes have had their signal control moved to Basingstoke, including the West of England main line {{rws|Salisbury}} to Exmouth Jn in 2012 <ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.yeovilrailway.freeservers.com/120312.html|title=Salisbury to Exeter Re-signalling Scheme|website=www.yeovilrailway.freeservers.com}}</ref> and the Poole - {{rws|Wareham}} - {{rws|Wool}} section of the line to Weymouth in 2015.

== Incidents ==

On 19 December 2008 an over-height container on a freight train struck and damaged {{convert|140|yd|m}} of the canopy of platform 1.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.raib.gov.uk/cms_resources.cfm?file=/090812_R212009_Basingstoke.pdf
|title=Rail Accident Investigation Board&nbsp;– Incident involving a container train at Basingstoke station, 19 December 2008
|date=August 2009
|access-date=25 August 2009
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091007065935/http://raib.gov.uk/cms_resources.cfm?file=%2F090812_R212009_Basingstoke.pdf
|archive-date=7 October 2009
|url-status=live
|df=dmy-all
}}</ref> The train was stopped before it reached the tunnels north of {{stnlnk|Micheldever}}.

== Motive Power Depots ==
[[File:Basingstoke Locomotive Depot Grange geograph-2921436-by-Ben-Brooksbank.jpg|thumb|Ex-GW 6851 'Hurst Grange' 4-6-0 outside Basingstoke Locomotive Depot 24 July 1965.]]

The [[London and South Western Railway]] opened a locomotive shed on the south side of the main line, to the west of the station in 1839. This was closed in 1909 to make way for station enlargement. It was replaced by a larger structure on the north side of the line. This was closed by [[British Railways]] in March 1963, but remained in use as a servicing point until the end of steam in July 1967. It was demolished in 1969.<ref name=":1">{{cite book |last = Griffiths | first = Roger |author2=Smith, Paul | title = The directory of British engine Sheds and Principal Locomotive Servicing Points: 1. | publisher = Oxford Publishing Co. | year = 1999 | location = Oxford| pages = 48 | isbn =  0-86093-542-6}}</ref>

The [[Berks and Hants Railway]] opened a small shed to the east of the station on the north side of the line in 1850. This was closed by [[British Railways]] in November 1950, and demolished to make way for sidings.<ref name=":1"/>

== Services ==
[[File:Basingstoke train station 1.jpg|thumb|The eastern end of bay platform 5, looking towards the junction]]
Services at Basingstoke are operated by [[South Western Railway (train operating company)|South Western Railway]], [[Great Western Railway (train operating company)|Great Western Railway]] and [[CrossCountry]]. The off-peak service at the station in trains per hour is:

'''South Western Railway'''
* 7 tph to [[London Waterloo station|London Waterloo]]
* 2 tph to {{stnlnk|Salisbury}}, of which 1 continues to {{stnlnk|Exeter St Davids}}
* 1 tph to {{stnlnk|Poole}} (stopping)
* 1 tph to {{stnlnk|Weymouth}}
* 1 tph to {{stnlnk|Portsmouth Harbour}} via {{stnlnk|Eastleigh}}

'''Great Western Railway'''
* 2 tph to {{stnlnk|Reading}}<ref name=T14-2023>{{cite web |url= https://www.gwr.com/-/media/gwr-sc-website/files/plan-journey/timetables/2023/T14-train-times-21-May-to-9-December-2023-v2.pdf |title=T14 - Reading to Basingstoke |publisher=Great Western Railway |access-date=29 May 2023}}</ref>

'''CrossCountry'''
* 1 tph to {{stnlnk|Bournemouth}} 
* 1 tph to {{stnlnk|Manchester Piccadilly}} via {{stnlnk|Birmingham New Street}}
{{rail start}}
{{rail line|previous=[[Hook railway station|Hook]] |route=[[South Western Railway (train operating company)|South Western Railway]]<br /><small>[[South West Main Line#Services|Waterloo to Basingstoke]]</small> |col={{SWR colour}} }}
{{rail line one to two|previous=[[Fleet railway station|Fleet]] or <br /> [[Farnborough (Main) railway station|Farnborough (Main)]] or <br /> [[Woking railway station|Woking]] or <br /> [[Clapham Junction station|Clapham Junction]]|next1=[[Winchester railway station|Winchester]]|next2=[[Micheldever railway station|Micheldever]]|route1=[[South Western Railway (train operating company)|South Western Railway]]<br /><small>[[South West Main Line]]<br />Fast/Semi-Fast Services</small>|route2=[[South Western Railway (train operating company)|South Western Railway]]<br /><small>[[South West Main Line]]<br />Stopping services</small> |col={{SWR colour}} }}
{{rail line|previous=[[Woking railway station|Woking]]|next=[[Andover railway station (England)|Andover]] or [[Overton railway station|Overton]]|route=[[South Western Railway (train operating company)|South Western Railway]]<br /><small>[[West of England Main Line]]</small> |col={{SWR colour}} }}
{{rail line|previous=[[Reading railway station|Reading]]|next=[[Winchester railway station|Winchester]] or {{rws|Southampton Airport Parkway}} |route=[[CrossCountry]]<br /><small>[[Cross Country Network|Bournemouth-Manchester]]</small>|</small> |col={{XC colour}} }}
{{rail line|previous={{stnlnk|Bramley|Hampshire}}|route=[[Great Western Railway (train operating company)|Great Western Railway]]<br /><small>[[Reading to Basingstoke Line]]</small> |col={{FGW colour}} }}
{{Historical Rail Insert}}
{{rail line|previous=[[Farnborough (Main) railway station|Farnborough (Main)]] |route=[[Anglia Railways]]<br /><small>[[London Crosslink]]</small> |col={{Anglia colour}} }}
{{Disused Rail Insert}}
{{rail line|next=[[Cliddesden railway station|Cliddesden]] |route=[[Basingstoke and Alton Light Railway]] |col={{Temporary rail colour|ff0}} }}
{{rail line|next=[[Park Prewett|Park Prewett Hospital]] |route=[[Park Prewett|Park Prewett Hospital Railway]] |col={{Temporary rail colour|ff0}} }}
{{s-end}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Basingstoke railway station}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20081206131552/http://web.ukonline.co.uk/cj.tolley/cjt-brhm.htm Basingstoke’s railway history in maps]
{{stn art lnk|BSK|RG215NB}}
{{Hampshire railway stations}}
{{SWT Stations|Weymouth=y|Salisbury=y|Hampshire Locals=y|SWML Local=y|IL None=y}}

[[Category:Basingstoke|Railway]]
[[Category:Railway stations in Hampshire]]
[[Category:DfT Category B stations]]
[[Category:Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1839]]
[[Category:Former London and South Western Railway stations]]
[[Category:Former Great Western Railway stations]]
[[Category:Railway stations served by CrossCountry]]
[[Category:Railway stations served by Great Western Railway]]
[[Category:Railway stations served by South Western Railway]]