Folkestone Harbour railway station

Folkestone Harbour
Tracks running into the station
Location
Place	Folkestone
Area	District of Shepway
Operations
Platforms	2 (latterly 1)
History
1 January 1849	First station opened
1856	Station resited
29 November 1915	Temporary closure
1 March 1919	Reopened
4 September 1939	Temporary closure
1945	Reopened
2001	Station closed to regular traffic
2009	Line closed to all traffic
2014	Line officially closed
Disused railway stations in the United Kingdom
Closed railway stations in Britain A B C D–F G H–J K–L M–O P–R S T–V W–Z

Folkestone Harbour station was a railway station built to serve the port of Folkestone in Kent, one of three stations in the town. It was at the end of the short 1-in-30 Folkestone Harbour Branch Line, joining the South Eastern Main Line at Folkestone Junction. The branch and harbour station provided a rail connection for boat trains from London which connected with the ferry services to Calais and Boulogne.

The branch and station closed to regular passenger train services in 2001 although the line and station continued to be used by the Venice-Simplon Orient Express (VSOE) and railtours until 2009. An occasional inspection train used the line until the line was officially closed on 31 May 2014.

Folkestone Harbour was in decline in the 1830s, as Dover became an increasingly important cross-channel port. The harbour was acquired by the South Eastern Railway (SER) in August 1843 for redevelopment. Almost immediately, a branch line to it was planned.

The line was built in 1844 leaving the main line at Folkestone Junction and was double tracked ending with a viaduct across the harbour itself. In 1847, a swing bridge allowed the line to reach the southern pier and, in 1848, the line was passed by the Board of Trade for passenger use. The station was opened on 1 January 1849, but was replaced by another on a different site in 1856. This second station went through periods of temporary closure: from 29 November 1915 until 1 March 1919; from 4 September 1939 until 1945; from 13 to 20 March 1960; and between 1 January and 11 April 1992.

The line was electrified at the same time as the main line during the "Kent Coast Electrification - Stage 2" in June 1961, and passenger trains were formed of electric multiple units. Freight services were withdrawn on 17 August 1968.

In 1994, the opening of the Channel Tunnel led to the majority of ferry operators moving to other ports in the South East, with the result that only two services per day were arriving at Folkestone Harbour, to connect with the Hoverspeed SeaCat services. When these were moved to Ramsgate, the station closed to ordinary rail traffic in 2001.