Sandown railway station

This article is about the railway station on the Isle of Wight. For the former railway station in Sydney, see Sandown railway station, Sydney.

Sandown railway station is a railway station serving Sandown on the Isle of Wight, England. It is located on the Island Line from Ryde to Shanklin.

Sandown
The station building in 2016
General information
Location	Sandown, Isle of Wight, England
Grid reference	SZ593844
Managed by	Island Line
Platforms	2
Other information
Station code	SAN
Classification	DfT category F1
History
Opened	23 August 1864
Key dates
1 January 1967	Closed for electrification
20 March 1967	Reopened
28 October 1988	Signal box closed and functions moved to Ryde St John's Road signal box
3 January 2021	Closed for upgrade works
1 November 2021	Reopened
Passengers
2018/19	0.151 million
2019/20	0.123 million
2020/21	23,936
2021/22	46,860
2022/23	83,500
Notes Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

History

See also: Railways on the Isle of Wight

Sandown station is a double platform-faced through station. However, from the mid 19th until the mid 20th century it was a junction station, also served by trains to and from Horringford, Merstone, Newport and Cowes. These lines used to be run by separate companies, the Isle of Wight Railway (Ryde-Ventnor) and the Isle of Wight Central Railway (Newport-Sandown).

The adjacent land, which used to be occupied by coal-yards, is now a housing estate and the former Terminus Hotel pub opposite has long been a private house. The line from Ryde to Shanklin was constructed between 1862 and 1864, and opened to passenger traffic on 23 August 1864.^[1] The original station building was extended between 1870 and 1871 through the addition of a two-storey extension to act as station offices.^[2]

In 1923, with the Grouping, came the formation of the Southern Railway. This brought all the railway services on the island under one management, and considerable modernisation. At first, it did not affect the services offered, but eventually the line from Ryde gained a more frequent service whilst the Merstone line declined. One particular feature of the Merstone line was the School Train, which was subsidised by the local authority, and for a significant time meant that the line remained viable. When the line was closed, children from outlying villages going to the Sandown Schools were then transported by bus, the current situation.

Services

All services at Sandown are operated by Island Line using Class 484 EMUs.

The typical off-peak service in trains per hour is:^[3]

• 2 tph to Ryde Pier Head
• 2 tph to Shanklin

These services call at all stations, except Smallbrook Junction, which is served only during operating dates for the Isle of Wight Steam Railway.

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Lake		Island Line Ryde to Shanklin		Brading
	Disused railways
Terminus		British Rail Southern Region Isle of Wight Central Railway		Alverstone

Gallery

• 
  Looking north
• 
  Main entrance
• 
  Entrance from other side
• 
  Looking south
• 
  Shelter on "To Ryde (North)" platform
• 
  Canopy on "To Shanklin (South)" side
• 
  Class 484 departing platform 1

References

1. R.J. Maycock and R. Silsbury (1999). The Isle of Wight Railway. The Oakwood Press. pp. 25–29. ISBN 0-85361-544-6.
2. R.J. Maycock and R. Silsbury (1999). The Isle of Wight Railway. The Oakwood Press. p. 45. ISBN 0-85361-544-6.
3. Table 167 National Rail timetable, May 2023

External links

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

50.657°N 1.162°W / 50.657; -1.162