Chatham railway station

Chatham railway station is situated in Chatham, Medway, South East England. It is on the Chatham Main Line between Rochester and Gillingham, and is 34.3 miles (54 km) from London Victoria. Train services are provided by Southeastern.

There are two platforms, one for each direction, each capable of handling 12-car trains.

There are tunnels at either end of the station: Fort Pitt Tunnel (428 yards/385m) at the London end and Chatham Tunnel (297 yards/267m) at the other end.

Services
Typical off-peak services are:
 * 2tph (trains per hour) to London St Pancras via Ebbsfleet International
 * 3tph to London Victoria via the Medway Towns and Bromley South
 * 2tph to London Charing Cross via Dartford and Blackheath
 * 3tph to Gillingham (Kent)
 * 4tph to Faversham, of which 2tph divide at Faversham with one portion going on to Dover Priory via Canterbury East and the other portion going to Ramsgate via Margate

History


The station was opened on 25 January 1858, when the London, Chatham and Dover Railway (LCDR) (then known as the East Kent Railway) opened a single line eastwards to Faversham. Two months later (29 March 1858) the link with the North Kent Line at Strood was opened; and the new railway reached Dover Priory in 1861. The Chatham Dockyard branch connection is made near Gillingham.

As built the station had two platforms with the station buildings being on the Down side. A note on the working drawings states that the station had to be visible from Fort Pitt. About 1881 it was rebuilt with two island platforms, and the station buildings were moved onto the road bridge, then known as Rome Place. In 1958 the station was converted back to two platforms as part of the Kent Coast Electrification Scheme, Stage 1. The station had been electrified in 1939 but the 1958 scheme lengthened the platforms to 12 car EMUs, which due to the geography of the station - between two tunnels - necessitated the abandoning of the other platforms.

A modern entrance and booking hall replaced the originals in 1981. Further remodelling in the 1990s and 2000s has seen the ticket office moved twice, accompanied by the opening, closing and re-opening of retail areas. A small shop selling eateries and general corner shop stock was also opened. The building is located at one side of the road bridge (now Railway Street) over the track, with a taxi rank located between the road and the building. Stairs lead down to the platforms: a buffet is located on the London-bound platform.