Tonbridge | |
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Location | |
Place | Tonbridge |
Local authority | Borough of Tonbridge and Malling |
Coordinates | 51°11′28″N 0°16′16″E / 51.191°N 0.271°ECoordinates: 51°11′28″N 0°16′16″E / 51.191°N 0.271°E |
Grid reference | TQ586460 |
Operations | |
Station code | TON |
Managed by | Southeastern |
Number of platforms | 4 |
DfT category | B |
Live arrivals/departures, station information and onward connections from National Rail Enquiries |
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Annual rail passenger usage* | |
2011/12 | 4.177 million |
– Interchange | 0.515 million |
2012/13 | 4.101 million |
– Interchange | 0.580 million |
2013/14 | 4.053 million |
– Interchange | 0.640 million |
2014/15 | 4.207 million |
– Interchange | 0.678 million |
2015/16 | 4.337 million |
– Interchange | 0.679 million |
History | |
26 May 1842 | Opened as "Tunbridge" |
January 1852 | Renamed (Tunbridge Junction) |
1864 | Resited 310 yards (280 m) west |
May 1893 | Renamed (Tonbridge Junction) |
July 1929 | Renamed (Tonbridge) |
National Rail – UK railway stations | |
* Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Tonbridge from Office of Rail and Road statistics. Methodology may vary year on year. | |
Tonbridge railway station is on the South Eastern Main Line in England, serving the town of Tonbridge, Kent. It is 29 miles 46 chains (47.6 km) down-line from London Charing Cross and is situated between Hildenborough and Paddock Wood. Trains calling at the station are operated by Southeastern and Southern.
Tonbridge is at a junction between two important commuter routes: the South Eastern Main Line and the Hastings Line to Tunbridge Wells and Hastings, as well as a branch to Redhill. There are four platforms, however, platform 4 is only used occasionally in peak times.
The South Eastern Railway (SER) first reached Tonbridge (then known as Tunbridge) in May 1842. The site of the original station was on the east side of the road bridge over the railway, opposite its current location to the west of the bridge. The building of the station obliterated the last remains of Tonbridge Priory. At the time, the line ran to London Bridge via Croydon and Redhill using the Brighton Main Line. It served as a temporary terminus until December 1842, when the line reached Ashford. A couple of years later the through line to Dover opened. A small engine shed was built; the date of opening is uncertain but it is presumed to date from the opening of the line. On 20 September 1845, a branch to Tunbridge Wells opened and the station was renamed Tunbridge Junction. Over the next five years the branch was extended to Hastings. Access to the line to Hastings was via an indirect link which required a reverse. This arrangement lasted until 1857 when a steeply climbing direct route was opened.