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Fleet railway station

Coordinates: 51°17′28″N 0°49′52″W / 51.291°N 0.831°W / 51.291; -0.831
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Fleet
National Rail
General information
LocationFleet, District of Hart
England
Coordinates51°17′28″N 0°49′52″W / 51.291°N 0.831°W / 51.291; -0.831
Grid referenceSU816552
Managed bySouth Western Railway
Platforms2
Tracks4
Other information
Station codeFLE
ClassificationDfT category C2
History
Original companyLondon and South Western Railway
Pre-groupingLondon and South Western Railway
Post-groupingSouthern Railway
Key dates
May 1847Opened as Fleet Pond
1 July 1869Renamed Fleet
1904resited[1]
Passengers
2019/20Decrease 1.708 million
 Interchange Decrease 11,076
2020/21Decrease 0.290 million
 Interchange Decrease 1,047
2021/22Increase 0.834 million
 Interchange Increase 3,877
2022/23Increase 1.091 million
 Interchange Decrease 451
2023/24Increase 1.277 million
 Interchange Increase 605
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

Fleet railway station serves the town of Fleet in Hampshire, England. It is situated on the South West Main Line, which has four tracks through the station. There are two platforms on the outer pair of tracks, which are served by trains between London Waterloo and Basingstoke and Southampton. The centre pair of tracks have no platforms and are used by through-services.

The station, and all trains calling there, are operated by South Western Railway. It is 36 miles 38 chains (58.7 km) from Waterloo[note 1] and is situated between Farnborough (Main) and Winchfield stations.

History

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The railway line through Fleet was built by the London & Southampton Railway, which was renamed the London and South Western Railway (LSWR) in 1839;[2] the section between Woking and Winchfield opening on 24 September 1838,[3] but at that time, Fleet did not have a railway station. A station, originally named Fleet Pond (after Fleet Pond) was opened in May 1847.[4] The first station was built on the west side of Minley Road. In 1904 a new larger station was built on the east side when the line was increased to four tracks, It was renamed Fleet on 1 July 1869.[4]

The buildings were rebuilt in 1969. As of October 2013 work was under way to replace the station buildings and deck the southern car park to provide an extra 150 spaces. The new station building and footbridge were opened in July 2014 with the former lattice footbridge removed overnight on 23/24 July.

Miscellaneous

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In May 2010, the body of a newborn baby girl was found abandoned in a rubbish bin at the station. A murder investigation was opened based upon the baby's injuries.[5] In October 2010 the baby's then 16 year old mother was found guilty of infanticide.[6]

The two platforms are numbered; Platform 1 is for London-bound trains, Platform 2 is for trains for Basingstoke (and beyond).

Notes

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  1. ^ Railways in the United Kingdom historically are measured in miles and chains. There are 80 chains to one mile.

References

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  1. ^ Railway Passenger Stations by M.Quick page 195
  2. ^ Williams, R.A. (1968). The London & South Western Railway, volume 1: The Formative Years. Newton Abbot: David & Charles. pp. 20, 122. ISBN 0-7153-4188-X.
  3. ^ Williams 1968, p. 38
  4. ^ a b Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 97. ISBN 1-85260-508-1. R508.
  5. ^ "Dead baby left at Hampshire railway station". BBC News. 26 May 2010. Retrieved 17 June 2011.
  6. ^ "Teenage mother of baby found at Fleet station sentenced". BBC News. 12 October 2010. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
[edit]
Preceding station National Rail National Rail Following station
Farnborough (Main)   South Western Railway
London to Basingstoke
  Winchfield
Farnborough (Main)   South Western Railway
London to Poole
  Basingstoke