Wareham railway station

This article is about the railway station in Dorset. For the station in Massachusetts, see Wareham Train Station.

Wareham railway station serves the historic market town of Wareham in Dorset, England. It is situated about 0.6 miles (1 km) north of the town centre. It is 120 miles 70 chains (194.5 km) down the line from London Waterloo.^[1] On tickets it is printed "Wareham Dorset" to avoid confusion with Ware railway station.^{[citation needed]}

Wareham
Main building at Wareham station, on the westbound platform.
General information
Location	Wareham, Dorset Council England
Grid reference	SY919881
Managed by	South Western Railway
Platforms	2
Other information
Station code	WRM
Classification	DfT category D
History
Opened	4 April 1887
Passengers
2018/19	0.331 million
2019/20	0.303 million
2020/21	73,038
2021/22	0.206 million
2022/23	0.253 million
Notes Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

History

A Swanage branch train in 1966

The original Wareham station was built to serve the Southampton and Dorchester Railway and opened in 1847.^[2] The current station opened in 1887, replacing the original station, and was sited east of what is now only a pedestrian crossing but was once a busy road level crossing (the road now bridges the railway)^[3] This station had two bay platforms which served the branch line to Swanage from 1885 until 1972, when the branch closed.^[4]

The branch line to Swanage is now the preserved Swanage Railway, a steam locomotive operated heritage railway that currently operates between Swanage and a Park and Ride site at Norden just north of Corfe Castle.

The rail connection between the Swanage Railway and the Network Rail tracks at Worgret Junction has been restored,^[5] restoring a connection with the National Rail network. On Summer Saturdays trains run through from a number of South Western Railway stations, including London Waterloo and Salisbury through Wareham to Corfe Castle to link with Swanage Railway services.^[6]

This has now been further upgraded to a service hauled by Swanage Railways Class 117 and Class 121 on busy days running Tuesdays to Thursdays and Saturdays. This service consisted of 3-4 trains a day with the first leaving Wareham at 11:19. This trial started on the 4 of April 2023 and ended on the 9 of September the same year.

Services

A Class 444 operating a service to London Waterloo.

Wareham station is served by one South Western Railway services an hour from London Waterloo to Weymouth, strengthened to twice per hour on Saturdays, with a Class 444. Prior to 9 December 2007 it was the terminus for an hourly local service from Brockenhurst, but this has now been partially replaced by the additional Weymouth service.^[7]

The station is also served by 4 trains a day, everyday except Monday, Friday and Sunday from Wareham to Swanage operated by Swanage Railway. This started on the 4th of April 2023 and is due to run until September as a trial service. This service is operated by the recently overhauled Class 117 and a Class 121 attached on the end for busy days.

Until 1967, trains through the station were normally steam hauled. Class 205 (2H) diesel electric multiple units were used during the final years of British Rail operation on the Swanage branch. Between 1967 and 1988, passenger services on the London-Weymouth line were normally provided by Class 33/1 diesel locomotives with Class 438 coaching stock (also known as 4-TC units). The line was electrified in 1988, using the standard British Rail Southern Region direct current third rail at 750 volts. After electrification, Class 442 electric multiple units were initially used, but these were replaced by Class 444 electric multiple units in 2007.

Heritage

The Swanage Railway is connected and fully accessible from the main line at Worgret Junction, although the normal steam service on the line still runs from Swanage and terminates at Norden station near Corfe Castle. Certain services were extended to terminate at Wareham, allowing interchange with the main line. This was achieved on 13 June 2017 when a four-coach diesel-hauled trial service began running to Wareham. This was the first train to work between the two towns since the Swanage branch closed in 1972.^[8] Special services operated between Wareham and Swanage on some dates during the summer of 2017 as a trial. A further trial took place in the form of a 4 trains a day service every day except Mondays, Fridays and Sundays operated by Swanage Railways Class 117 and Class 121 units. This started on the 4th of April and ran until September 9. Plans for the service returning next year are unknown.

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Holton Heath or Hamworthy		South Western Railway South West Main Line		Wool or Dorchester South
Corfe Castle		South Western Railway London Waterloo to Corfe Castle Summer Saturdays only
	Heritage railways
Norden		Swanage Railway (Tuesday - Thursday + Saturday 4 trains a day)		Terminus

References

1. Jacobs, Gerald (2005). Railway Track Diagrams, Book 3: Western. Bradford-on-Avon: Trackmaps. pp. 18A.
2. "Southampton and Dorchester Railway Pages 416-417 An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in Dorset, Volume 2, South east". British History Online. HMSO 1970. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
3. "Purbeck Townscape Character Appraisal". Dorsetforyou.com. Retrieved 23 December 2010.
4. "Steam train runs from town again". BBC News. 29 November 2009. Retrieved 23 December 2010.
5. "Project Wareham / The Purbeck Line"Swanage Railway
6. "Direct Trains to Corfe Castle from Across Dorset Somerset and Wiltshire this summer". Swanage Railway. 29 May 2019. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
7. Table 158 National Rail timetable, May 2016
8. London to Swanage train arrives after 37-year wait Dorset Echo, 2 April 2009

50.693°N 2.115°W / 50.693; -2.115