Marden railway station

Marden railway station is on the South Eastern Main Line in England, serving the village of Marden in the borough of Maidstone, Kent. It is 39 miles 31 chains (63.4 km) down the line from London Charing Cross . The station and all trains that call are operated by Southeastern. The station is often referred to as Marden (Kent), to distinguish itself between similarly-named villages across England.[1]

Not to be confused with Marsden railway station.

Marden
Marden station
LocationMarden, Borough of Maidstone
England
Coordinates51.175°N 0.493°E / 51.175; 0.493
Grid referenceTQ743447
Managed bySoutheastern
Platforms2
Other information
Station codeMRN
ClassificationDfT category E
Key dates
31 August 1842Opened
Passengers
2015/16 0.498 million
2016/17 0.527 million
2017/18 0.540 million
2018/19 0.563 million
2019/20 0.565 million
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road
Marden, 1951
to Paddock Wood
Pattenden Lane
B2079 to Maidstone
To Staplehurst
 Legend
Running line
Sidings

History

The station was opened by the South Eastern Railway on 31 August 1842, when the line was extended from Tonbridge to Headcorn.[2][3] It was built to serve local goods traffic, particularly the transport of fruit from the orchards surrounding Marden.[4]

The goods shed was designed so that wagons could not pass through it.[5] The yard was expanded in 1908, adding an additional siding.[6] The station was completely revamped in 1961 in preparation for the electrification of the South East Main line, including an additional footbridge.[7]

Facilities

Along with similar sized stations along the South East Main Line, the ticket office is only staffed part-time. A ticket machine is available for other times.[1]

Accidents and incidents
Main article: Marden rail crash

At 20:42 on 4 January 1969 there was a collision between a down electric passenger train (formed of 2 x 4CEP units) and a down parcels train to the west of Marden station. Four people were killed. The cause was the driver of the passenger train missing a signal in fog and passing it at danger. Local farmer David Winch of Brook Farm, along with his employees, worked for fourteen hours assisting in the rescue operation. They used their tractors and trailers to ferry the injured across muddy fields from the crash site to waiting ambulances. The ambulance officer in charge at the time, Stanley Skinner, was awarded a BEM in recognition of his role.[8][9]

On 5 September 2012, an up passenger train caught fire at Marden. The blaze was under control within half an hour. Passengers were evacuated and services between Tonbridge and Ashford were disrupted.[10]

Services

As of December 2019, the off-peak service at the station in trains per hour is:[11]

There are also peak hour services to London Cannon Street

Preceding station National Rail Following station
Southeastern

References

Citations

  1. "Marden (Kent)". SouthEastern. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
  2. Butt 1995, p. 154.
  3. Gray 1990, p. 17.
  4. Mitchell & Smith 1990, Fig. 85.
  5. Mitchell & Smith 1990, Fig. 84.
  6. Mitchell & Smith 1990, Fig. 82 and map.
  7. Mitchell & Smith 1990, Fig. 88.
  8. Glover 2001, pp. 137-138.
  9. "Marden History". Archived from the original on 9 May 2009.
  10. "Marden train evacuated after wheel bearings catch fire". BBC News Online. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
  11. "Timetable 1 - London and Tonbridge to Ashford International, Canterbury West, Folkestone, Dover, Ramsgate and Margate" (PDF). SouthEastern. Retrieved 7 March 2020.

Sources

  • Butt, R. V. J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 978-1-85260-508-7. OCLC 60251199.
  • Glover, John (2001). Southern Electric. Hersham, Surrey: Ian Allan. pp. 137–38. ISBN 0-7110-2807-9.
  • Gray, Adrian (1990). South Eastern Railway. Middleton Press. ISBN 978-0-906520-85-7.
  • Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (1990). Redhill to Ashford. Middleton Press. ISBN 0-906520-73-8.

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