Raynes Park railway station
| Raynes Park | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | Raynes Park |
| Local authority | Merton |
| Managed by | South West Trains |
| Station code | RAY |
| Number of platforms | 4 |
| National Rail annual entry and exit | |
| 2004–05 | 2.359 million[1] |
| 2005–06 | 2.287 million[1] |
| Other information | |
| External links | |
 London transport portal | |
Raynes Park railway station is in the London Borough of Merton in South London. The station is served by South West Trains, and is in Travelcard Zone 4. The large commuter population in the area who use the station predominately travel to and from London Waterloo on weekdays.
Services
Services from the station to destinations served are very frequent throughout the whole day, with weekend services running at a similar frequency. Almost all of the services either start or terminate at London Waterloo.
The typical off-peak service from the station is:
- 12 trains per hour to London Waterloo via Wimbledon
- 2 trains per hour to London Waterloo via Kingston and Richmond
- 2 trains per hour to Hampton Court
- 2 trains per hour to Shepperton
- 2 trains per hour to Guildford via Epsom
- 2 trains per hour to Dorking via Epsom
- 2 trains per hour to Chessington South
London Waterloo to Hampton Court line
On Monday to Sundays there are 2 trains per hour in either direction. The service to London Waterloo calls at: Wimbledon, Earlsfield, Clapham Junction, Vauxhall and London Waterloo. The service to Hampton Court calls at: New Malden, Berrylands, Surbiton, Thames Ditton and Hampton Court.
London Waterloo to Chessington South line
The service to London Waterloo calls at: Wimbledon, Earlsfield, Clapham Junction, Vauxhall and London Waterloo. The service to Chessington South calls at: Motspur Park, Malden Manor, Tolworth, Chessington North and Chessington South.
The station also benefits from a good late evening and early morning services to London Waterloo. Weekday services to London Waterloo start at 5:13 with the last direct train at 23:58. The first weekday services from London Waterloo arrive at 5:31 with the last service arriving at 1:07am. Journey time to and from London Waterloo is approximately 21 minutes.[2]
| Preceding station |  National Rail
|
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wimbledon | South West Trains South Western Main Line |
New Malden | ||
| South West Trains Mole Valley Line |
Motspur Park | |||
Infrastructure
 |
Raynes Park is a junction station where the line to Epsom branches off. This early route joined with the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (LBSCR) at Epsom for the double track joint line through Ashtead to Leatherhead. From where the London and South Western Railway (LSWR) headed to Effingham Junction and on to Guildford. (The LBSCR headed to Dorking North and then Horsham). The Chessington Branch split from the Epsom line after the first station from Raynes Park (Motspur Park). The Chessington Branch was a very late arrival (1920s/30s) which never reached through to its planned destination near Effingham Junction. There may be said to be six tracks but, because the Junction from the Epsom route into the Main is a burrowing junction and staggered, it only looks like five unless you look carefully in the right direction. The Main line runs approximately east-west with the through lines (fast lines) through the middle with no platforms. The Up Epsom to London line burrows under the four track Main and then curves up and right (heading east) to a platform face which is one side of an island platform. The opposite side is the Up Local (Up Slow) platform face. Beyond the platforms the Epsom line makes a trailing junction into the Up Local. The LSWR mechanical signal box was on the far (south) side opposite the Up platforms. The Down (country) end of the Up Platforms is roughly opposite the Facing Junction in the Down Local lines which gives access to the Down Epsom line from the Down Local (Slow). One distinct feature of the station is the long footbridge over the 4 tracks of the Main which is set at an angle because of the offset of the platforms. This stands out as the Main is on a fairly high embankment (allowing local roads and the Epsom line to pass beneath). Passenger access is via subway at street level. The Down Epsom platform is on the left side of a V shaped platform curving away to the south before dropping sharply to parallel the Up Epsom line. The Down Local (Slow) takes the straight right hand side of the V. Raynes Park goods yard was in and beyond the notch between the Down platforms accessed from the Epsom lines. It did not push right up into the point of the V.
Death in 2007
At around 6.00am on the 5 March 2007, Worcester Park resident Daniel Connell was found dead on Platform 4.[3] His body was discovered by a passenger who alerted a newspaper seller, who then called the police. According to the police, Mr Connell was in accident and emergency at Kingston Hospital on Sunday night, but had discharged himself and made his way to the station. Rumours that the man had been stabbed were denied by police.
References
- ^ a b "Estimates of station usage". Rail statistics. Office of Rail Regulation. Please note: Some methodology may vary year on year.
- ^ National Rail Timetables for Raynes Park
- ^ Man Found Dead On Station Bench Is Identified (from Your Local Guardian)
