Yalding railway station

Yalding railway station is on the Medway Valley Line in Kent, England, serving the village of Yalding. It is 38 miles 19 chains (61.5 km) down the line from London Charing Cross via Paddock Wood and is situated between Beltring and Wateringbury. The station and all trains that call are operated by Southeastern.

Yalding
Location	Yalding, Maidstone England
Coordinates	51.226°N 0.412°E
Grid reference	TQ685502
Managed by	Southeastern
Platforms	2
Other information
Station code	YAL
Classification	DfT category F1
History
Opened	25 September 1844
Original company	South Eastern Railway
Post-grouping	Southern Railway
Passengers
2015/16	23,600
2016/17	25,544
2017/18	29,160
2018/19	35,758
2019/20	37,116
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

History

The station opened on 25 September 1844 when the South Eastern Railway opened the line between Paddock Wood and Maidstone West.[1] The line was originally single track but was doubled in 1846.[2] In 1897 there were two platforms joined by a footbridge, a signal box and sidings both sides of the running lines.[3] The goods yard was able to accommodate most types of goods including live stock and was equipped with a 1¼ ton crane.[4] A camping coach was positioned here by the Southern Region from 1962 to 1967, from 1963 onwards it was a Pullman camping coach.[5]

Facilities

Yalding station is unstaffed. The station is fitted with a self-service ticket machine as well as modern help points on the platforms. Seated areas are available on both platforms and train information screens are provided for running information. The station has a small free car park located outside the station as well as a small cycle storage area. There is a level crossing on the road outside the ststion.[6]

The station used to have an APTIS-equipped ticket office (on the southbound platform) but this closed in 1989 and the building was then used for commercial purposes but has recently become disused.

No regular buses stop outside the station although Arriva Southern Counties routes 6 & 6X to Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells (including both Tunbridge Wells Hospital and Maidstone Hospital) stop a short walk away on Maidstone Road in Nettlestead Green.[7][8]

Services

All services at Yalding are operated by Southeastern using Class 375 EMUs.

The typical off-peak service in trains per hour is:[9]

• 1 tph to Strood via Maidstone West
• 1 tph to Tonbridge

Services are increased to 2 tph during peak times.

References

1. Quick, Michael (2019) [2001]. Railway passenger stations in Great Britain: a chronology (PDF) (5th ed.). Railway and Canal Historical Society. p. 440.
2. White, H. P. (1992). A Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain. 2 Southern England (5th ed.). Nairn, Scotland: David St John Thomas. p. 65. ISBN 0-946537-77-1.
3. "Yalding station on OS 25 inch map Kent LI.4 (Nettlestead; Yalding)". National Library of Scotland. 1897. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
4. The Railway Clearing House (1970) [1904]. The Railway Clearing House Handbook of Railway Stations 1904 (1970 D&C Reprint ed.). Newton Abbot: David & Charles Reprints. p. 597. ISBN 0-7153-5120-6.
5. McRae, Andrew (1998). British Railways Camping Coach Holidays: A Tour of Britain in the 1950s and 1960s. Scenes from the Past: 30 (Part Two). Foxline. p. 59. ISBN 1-870119-53-3.
6. "Yalding Station Information". Southeastern, June 2020.
7. "Routes 6/6A: Tunbridge Wells to East Peckham and Maidstone". Arriva Southern Counties, June 2020.
8. "Route 6X: Tunbridge Wells Hospital to Maidstone Hospital". Arriva Southern Counties, June 2020.
9. Table 208 National Rail timetable, May 2020

External links

• Train times and station information for Yalding railway station from National Rail