Trains to Poole - Station Details and further Information on Poole Train Services
Poole train station is a train station on the South Western Main Line serving the town of Poole in Dorset, England. The station is situated in the town centre next to Holes Bay. It is one of four stations in the Borough of Poole.
The station is operated by South West Trains and is served by London Waterloo to Weymouth express and semi-fast services. It is also the terminus for the London Waterloo to Poole stopping service. Virgin Trains used to operate services from Poole to the North West and Scotland but these now terminate at Bournemouth. The station still sees occasional CrossCountry trains on empty stock movements, especially on Sundays and bank holidays, using the terminus as a turning point.
The original station buildings were built on the London-bound platform, close to the site of Towngate Bridge which replaced a level crossing in 1971. Following the opening of the Bournemouth Direct Railway line via Sway in 1885, the platforms’ direction of travel was reversed. The Victorian buildings were replaced by a British Rail prefabricated structure on the other side of the line in the 1970s. This was replaced by the current station building built in the late 1980s. The current station buildings and footbridge are to be replaced as part of redevelopment plans for the old goods yard. A hotel is to be built on the site of the current station building.
The station has two platforms capable of handling trains of 12 coaches, platform 1 is bi-directional. Trains from London terminating at the station regularly use platform 1 before moving to the empty stock sidings further west and reversing for the return service. There was a goods line to Poole Quay which joined the main line at the Hamworthy end of the station. It ran along part of what is now the Holes Bay relief road and West Quay Road. It closed in May 1960 and was removed in 1961.
From 9 December 2007, the Wareham stopping service was replaced by a semi-fast service from London Waterloo to Weymouth. This is an extension of the stopping service that previously terminated at Poole and stops at all stations to Weymouth. The existing Weymouth service has become an express between Poole and Weymouth only stopping at certain stations but call additionally at Parkstone and Branksome. The current London Waterloo to Southampton Central service was extended to Poole (though it was originally proposed that this service terminate at Bournemouth) as a stopping service to compensate for the loss of the Wareham train and maintain service levels from the station. The stopping service is not recommended for use by passenger for London Waterloo due to its long stops at Brockenhurst and Southampton Central train station or Eastleigh where it is over taken by the express and semi-fast services.
Under the station name signs on the platforms are additional boards informing passengers that Poole is the home of Bournemouth University, the main campus of which is located in the Talbot Village area of the borough. The signs replaced most of the ones displaying the Condor Ferries logo with information on alighting at the station for services to the Channel Islands, though some remain on the station building. The Condor signs, the original version of which were installed in 1997, were in place due to the Condor Ferries Rail/Sea through ticketing scheme which includes a taxi to the ferry port from the station. Brittany Ferries also sail from Poole ferry port but are not mentioned on signs nor is their service to France shown on South West Trains network maps. |
