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Canterbury
West railway station is a Grade II listed railway station, and
the busier of the two stations in Canterbury in Kent, England.
All services are operated by Southeastern with both main line
and high speed trains serving the station.
The station and its line was built by the South Eastern
Railway and opened in 1846. It was the first mainline station
in Canterbury, while the later Canterbury East was built by
the London, Chatham and Dover Railway. There was also a
connection to the Canterbury and Whitstable Railway, first
railway in Kent, and later to the Elham Valley Railway; these
have both since closed.
Although called Canterbury West, the station is about 1/2 mile
(0.8 km) due north of Canterbury East station, and only about
20 yards (20 m) to its west. It is to the northwest of
Canterbury Cathedral and north of Westgate and St Dunstans
level crossing.
South Eastern Railway
The South Eastern Railway (SER) received an Act of Parliament
to construct a railway to Canterbury in June 1836. Local
residents were generally opposed to the plan as the SER's
lines did not go in the direction that they wanted, and that
the city was not central to the company's overall aims. They
were ignored and construction started anyway, but the rival
London, Chatham and Dover Railway (LCDR) decided to promote a
line from Chatham to Margate and Ramsgate in response.
The station opened on 6 February 1846 when the SER began
services to Ashford. It was originally called Canterbury as it
was the only mainline station in the city at that time. A
special excursion train ran on the opening date, but was
delayed owing to a breakdown at Tonbridge.
Following the opening of another Canterbury station by the
LCDR on 9 July 1860, it was renamed to Canterbury West on 1
July 1889 to avoid confusion.
Two months later on 13 April 1846, services were extended to
Ramsgate, and to Whitstable after conversion of the Canterbury
and Whitstable Railway and closure of the Canterbury North
Lane terminus. The station was built with two central through
tracks and three platforms, one for the Whitstable branch.
The signalling was upgraded in 1874 at a cost of £1,350 as
part of general upgrades along the line. The subway was added
in April 1877 after the connecting footbridge had been damaged
after strong gales.
In October 1878, the SER appealed to the LCDR that they should
find a way of integrating the city's two stations, or
providing a joint one somewhere else.
On 1 July 1889 the Elham Valley Railway reached Canterbury
from Folkestone and at this time the run-in boards read
Canterbury (SER) Change for Whitstable and Elham Valley Line.
Later history
The Whitstable branch closed to passenger traffic on 1 January
1931, and traffic from the Elham Valley into Canterbury ceased
from 25 October 1940 after the line was damaged by a bomb.
Following the Southern Region Kent Coast Electrification
Scheme, Phase 2 electric services started on 18 June 1962. The
central through tracks were removed in 1979. Goods services
were withdrawn on 31 December 1986.
In 1973 the station buildings were Grade II listed by English
Heritage.
On 13 December 2009, Canterbury West became part of the
Southeastern High Speed service to London St Pancras using the
High Speed line from Ashford International, significantly
reducing journey times to London.
In 2010, the railway station was refurbished to improve the
station's accessibility. Funded by the Department for
Transport's Access for All Scheme, the main change was the
construction of a new footbridge allowing a step-free route
between the station entrance and both platforms using two
lifts. Other improvements include new tactile paving along the
edge of the platform, new toilet facilities, new customer
information screens and lighting, the redecoration of the
ticket office and changes to the car park layout.
In December 2013, a £535,000 upgrade to the station's
forecourt and car park was completed.
The rivalry between the SER and LCDR has meant there is no
easy way to change from those former lines at Canterbury. A
proposal for a Canterbury Parkway station, where the two lines
cross, has been intermittently suggested since the 1980s. In
2018, local MP Rosie Duffield suggested the new station would
be a better alternative to a new multi-story car park for
Canterbury West, which was being built at the time.
Platform 1 serves stations to Ashford and London. The main
station buildings are on this side, and have been covered with
corrugated iron since their 1846 construction. There is a
recessed part of the building in the centre with two Doric
order fluted columns and pilasters; this is flanked by two
storeys and three windows either side. Platform 2 serves
Ramsgate and Margate. The platforms are connected both by an
overbridge and a subway.
On 28 December 1874, two men were injured when they fell off
the platform in front of an oncoming train. One was killed
instantly, and the other required a leg to be amputated. On 23
November the following year, a guard was killed after being
trapped between the buffers while on duty for shunting trains.
On 1 January 1877, the station roof was damaged following bad
weather.
On 26 July 1884, several people were injured after a gas
explosion at the station.
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