Parkstone railway station

Parkstone railway station serves the Parkstone area of Poole in Dorset, England.

Parkstone
General information
Location	Parkstone, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole England
Grid reference	SZ037915
Managed by	South Western Railway
Platforms	2
Other information
Station code	PKS
Classification	DfT category E
History
Pre-grouping	London and South Western Railway
Post-grouping	Southern Railway
Key dates
15 June 1874	Opened
1923	Renamed Parkstone for Sandbanks
12 May 1980	Renamed Parkstone Dorset
Passengers
2018/19	0.234 million
2019/20	0.207 million
2020/21	40,070
2021/22	0.126 million
2022/23	0.172 million
Notes Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

History

The station opened on 15 June 1874 by the London and South Western Railway (L&SWR). The station was renamed Parkstone for Sandbanks in 1923 and renamed again on 12 May 1980 to Parkstone Dorset.^[1] The station had L&SWR services to Waterloo, Weymouth, Salisbury and Bournemouth West. ^[2]

Additionally it was served by the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway line from Bath Green Park to Bournemouth West from 1874 until 1966, when the line was closed under the Beeching Axe.^[3]

Until 1967, a branch goods line ran from here to the George Jennings South Western Pottery.^[4] The line was extended sometime after 1902 from the Pottery to Salterns Pier, on the northern shores of Poole Harbour.^[5]

The line between Bournemouth and Weymouth was electrified in 1988, using the standard British Rail Southern Region system of a third rail with 750 volts direct current.^[6]

Operations

The station is operated by South Western Railway and is served by both the Weymouth express and the Poole stopping services. It is sited 111 miles 76 chains (180.2 km) down the line from London Waterloo.

The station is able to accommodate trains of up to five coaches; longer trains only open the doors in the first four or five coaches, depending on the type of unit operating the service.

Services

The station is served by South Western Railway.

The typical off-peak stopping pattern of this station, as of June 2021, is below:

• 1 train per hour on Monday-Friday on Poole-London Waterloo express service.
• 2 trains per hour on Saturday, 1 on Weymouth-London Waterloo express service, and 1 on Poole-Winchester stopping service.
• 1 train per hour on Sunday on Weymouth-London Waterloo express service.

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Branksome		South Western Railway South West Main Line		Poole
	Disused railways
Branksome		Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway LSWR and Midland Railways		Poole

References

1. Quick 2023, p. 358.
2. Bradshaw 1985, pp. 134 & 167.
3. Bradshaw 1985, p. 120.
4. Dorset XLIV.13 (Map). 25 inch. Ordnance Survey. 1902.
5. Dorset XLIV.13 (Map). 25 inch. Ordnance Survey. 1924.
6. Moody 1968, pp. 214–223.

Bibliography

• Bradshaw, George (1985) [July 1922]. Bradshaw's General Railway and Steam Navigation guide for Great Britain and Ireland: A reprint of the July 1922 issue. Newton Abbot: David & Charles. ISBN 978-0-7153-8708-5. OCLC 12500436.
• Moody, George Thomas (1968). Southern Electric. Allan. ISBN 0-7110-0017-4.
• Quick, Michael (2023) [2001]. Railway passenger stations in Great Britain: a chronology (PDF). version 5.05. Railway & Canal Historical Society.

External links

• Media related to Parkstone railway station at Wikimedia Commons
• "Parkstone (Dorset) (PKS)". National Rail.

50.723°N 1.949°W / 50.723; -1.949