Maidstone East
Maidstone East 
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| Location | |
| Place | Maidstone |
| Local authority | Maidstone |
| Grid reference | TQ758561 |
| Operations | |
| Station code | MDE |
| Managed by | Southeastern |
| Number of platforms | 3 |
| DfT category | C1 |
| Live arrivals/departures, station information and onward connections from National Rail Enquiries |
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| Annual rail passenger usage* | |
| 2011/12 |
 1.806 million |
| – Interchange |
 19,601 |
| 2012/13 |
1.344 million |
| – Interchange |
19,540 |
| 2013/14 |
1.340 million |
| – Interchange |
21,542 |
| 2014/15 |
1.358 million |
| – Interchange |
28,939 |
| 2015/16 |
1.338 million |
| – Interchange |
31,772 |
| History | |
| 1874 | Opened as "Maidstone" |
| 1899 | Renamed (Maidstone East) |
| 1939 | Electrified |
| 1993 | Derailment |
| National Rail – UK railway stations | |
| * Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Maidstone East from Office of Rail and Road statistics. Methodology may vary year on year. | |
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Maidstone East railway station is one of three stations in the central area of Maidstone, Kent, but currently the only one with a regular direct service to London. The station is on the Maidstone East Line, 40 miles (64 km) south-east of London Victoria (37 miles (60 km) south-east of London Bridge), and is served by trains operated by Southeastern.
Maidstone East was opened as Maidstone by the London, Chatham and Dover Railway (LCDR) on 1 June 1874 as the terminus of the line from Otford. On 1 July 1884, the line was extended eastwards to Ashford West. In 1899, following the merger of the LCDR with the South Eastern Railway (SER) which operated the Medway Valley line, the station was given its current name to distinguish it from the SER's identically named station which was renamed Maidstone West. Following the grouping of mainline rail companies into regional railways in 1923, the Southern Railway undertook electrification as far as Maidstone East in 1939. Electrification to Ashford was carried out in 1961.
The goods yard comprised ten sidings on the down side and two on the up side. There was a goods shed and a 10-ton capacity crane. West of the bridge over the River Medway, a siding on the down side served a corn mill. In 1939, this siding was electrified to provide berthing siding for electric multiple units. In 1882, the Midland Railway opened a coal depot at the station. Their successor, the London, Midland and Scottish Railway sold the depot in 1934, although it continued to be used for that purpose. Freight services at the station were withdrawn on 13 September 1965. A small locomotive depot was located on the up side. It closed in 1933. On 2 August 2015, a fire damaged some of the station buildings. Part of the main goods yard is the site of a Royal Mail sorting office. The remainder is a car park for station users. A short siding from the down line to the west of platforms 2 and 3 is a remnant of tracks into the yard. The site of the up goods yard is now a car park.
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Wikipedia