Southall railway station

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Southall National Rail
HeathrowConnect 360205 Southall 20090513.JPG
Southall is located in Greater London
Southall
Southall
Location of Southall in Greater London
Location Southall
Local authority London Borough of Ealing
Managed by Great Western Railway
Station code STL
DfT category D
Number of platforms 2
Fare zone 4
National Rail annual entry and exit
2008–09 Decrease 1.465 million[1]
2009–10 Decrease 1.338 million[1]
2010–11 Increase 1.902 million[1]
2011–12 Increase 2.122 million[1]
2012–13 Increase 2.222 million[1]
2013–14 Increase 2.306 million[1]
Key dates
1839 Opened
Other information
Lists of stations
External links
Portal icon London Transport portal
Portal icon UK Railways portalLua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

Southall is a railway station in Southall, west London. The station is in Travelcard Zone 4 and passenger services are provided by Great Western Railway from London Paddington to Reading, Oxford and Newbury, and by Heathrow Connect from Paddington to Heathrow Airport.

History

Up freight passing Southall Station in 1961
Goods train coming off the Brentford Dock branch in 1961

The Great Western Railway opened Southall railway station on 1 May 1839, nearly one year after it opened its first railway line on 4 June 1838, between London Paddington and Maidenhead Bridge (the latter now known as Taplow).[2] In 1859 the Brentford Branch Line to Brentford Dock was opened for freight,[3] a passenger service ran on the branch from 1860 until 1942, using the unnumbered platform at the south of the station (the line serving this platform is now only used as a relief line). From 1 March 1883 to 30 September 1885 (when the service was discontinued as uneconomic) the District Railway ran trains between Mansion House and Windsor which called at the station.[4][5] The goods platforms opened as part of the original station and were closed and dismantled in 1967.[6]

For about 12 years, Southall station had bilingual station signage, due to the large Punjabi community in the local area. In 2007, following issues raised by other ethnic groups in the area, First Great Western announced it would follow government guidelines requiring that the signs be in English only.[7][8]

Layout and facilities

Southall railway station has five platforms, one of which is unnumbered and used only for freight and special events. Access to all platforms is only by stairs. In normal circumstances platforms 1 and 2, on the fast lines, and the unnumbered platform are not used by passengers; platforms 3 and 4 are used by all trains serving the station. The station building, above the fast lines, has a ticket office and a newsagent's shop. A footbridge gives access to platforms 3 and 4, while gates prevents access to the other three, under normal circumstances.[9]

Oyster "pay as you go" has been available since October 2008 for journeys to or from Southall.[10] Although Southall is a busy station, automatic ticket barriers have not replaced manual ticket checks and standalone card readers, making the station vulnerable to fare evasion.

Future

On 16 March 2010, the Crossrail Specialist Scrutiny Panel recommended that Crossrail should give consideration to the proposed regeneration developments in the area, including the Southall Gas Works development and the landscaping of unused work sites.[11]

In May 2011 Network Rail announced that it would make various alterations to prepare the station for Crossrail:[12]

  • New station building with a new larger enclosed ticket hall with level access from South Road
  • Step-free access
  • Platforms 1 – 4 extended
  • Improved passenger facilities including increased lighting and information and security systems

Connections

London Buses routes 105, 120, 195, 482, E5 and H32 serve the station.

Accidents and incidents

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Main article: Southall rail crash

On 19 September 1997, a Great Western Trains passenger train from Swansea to London Paddington failed to stop at a red signal and collided with a freight train, killing 7 people and injuring 139 others.[13] The train driver, Larry Harrison (who had bent down to pack his bag), was charged with manslaughter, but the case against him was dropped. Great Western Trains was fined £1.5 million for the crash. Following this accident and the more serious Ladbroke Grove Rail Crash some miles east, First Great Western requires all its trains to have their ATP switched on at all times. If the equipment is faulty the train is stored out of use.

In 2007, analysis by First Great Western after several deaths at Southall station found that a third of railway suicides on English and Welsh railways occurred on the line between Slough and Paddington.[14]

See also

References

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  • Baker, T.F.T., Cockburn, J.S. and Pugh, R.B. (Eds) (1971) "Norwood, including Southall: Introduction", A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 4: Harmondsworth, Hayes, Norwood with Southall, Hillingdon with Uxbridge, Ickenham, Northolt, Perivale, Ruislip, Edgware, Harrow with Pinner, Victoria County History online, p. 40-43, accessed 20 October 2007
  • Mitchell V. and Smith, K. (2000) "2. Brentford Branch, Southall", In: Branch Lines of West London, Midhurst : Middleton Press, ISBN 1-901706-50-8, p. 16-23

External links

Preceding station National Rail National Rail Following station
Hanwell or
Ealing Broadway		   Great Western Railway
Great Western Main Line		   Hayes & Harlington
Hanwell
Ealing Broadway on Sundays		   Heathrow Connect
Paddington - Heathrow		  
  Future Development  
Preceding station   Elizabeth line roundel.svg National Rail logo.svg Crossrail   Following station
Crossrail
Elizabeth Line
towards Abbey Wood or Shenfield
  Historical services  
Preceding station   Underground no-text.svg London Underground   Following station
Line and station open
towards Windsor
 District line
Line and station open
towards Mansion House
Disused railways
Terminus   Great Western Railway
Brentford Branch Line		   Trumpers Crossing Halte
Line and station closed
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