Three Oaks railway station

Three Oaks railway station serves the village of Three Oaks in East Sussex, England. It is on the Marshlink Line, and train services are provided by Southern. It was originally known as Three Oaks & Guestling.

Three Oaks
The platform at Three Oaks station, looking north
Location	Three Oaks, Rother England
Coordinates	50°54′01″N 0°36′49″E
Grid reference	TQ838144
Managed by	Southern
Platforms	1
Other information
Station code	TOK
Classification	DfT category F2
History
Opened	1 July 1907
Original company	South Eastern Railway
Pre-grouping	South Eastern and Chatham Railway
Post-grouping	Southern Railway
Key dates
1 July 1907	Opened as Three Oaks Bridge Halt
1909	Renamed Three Oaks Halt
?	Renamed Three Oaks and Guestling Halt
5 May 1969	Renamed Three Oaks and Guestling
12 May 1980	Renamed Three Oaks
Passengers
2015/16	9,604
2016/17	6,648
2017/18	8,096
2018/19	11,534
2019/20	12,672
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

History

The railway line between Ashford and Hastings was opened by the South Eastern Railway in 1851,[1] but originally there were no stations between Winchelsea and Hastings.[2][3] Ore opened in 1888,[4] and with the introduction of steam railmotor services between Rye and Hastings,[5][6] three halts were opened between Winchelsea and Ore on 1 July 1907: Snailham Crossing Halt;[7] Guestling Halt;[8] and Three Oaks Bridge Halt.[9] The latter station has been renamed four times: in 1909 it became Three Oaks Halt; later on it became Three Oaks and Guestling Halt; on 5 May 1969 Three Oaks and Guestling; finally on 12 May 1980 the present name of Three Oaks was adopted.[9]

Description

The station has a single platform from which trains depart to Ashford International and Eastbourne via Hastings. The line was singled in 1979, with all trains using the one-time westbound platform, the eastbound platform remaining in situ, albeit in a decaying state.

The platform can only accommodate a single carriage, meaning that passengers wishing to disembark must travel in the front carriage of the train.

There is a ticket issuing facility accepting card payments available here and a customer help point with on screen customer information.

Centrally located in Three Oaks village, the service from this station was limited to only three or four trains a day in each direction, at inconvenient times, for a number of years. This has been increased to a two hourly service in each direction to Ashford and Brighton from December 2010. This followed an active campaign by Three Oaks and Winchelsea Action for Rail Transport (THWART) and the Marshlink Line Action Group (MLAG), and it is hoped that this development will drive-up usage, which has historically been very low. Until May 2018, southbound services ran as express services to Brighton , but this was discontinued and changed to a Eastbourne stopping service, due to long journey times and lack of rolling stock, which caused overcrowding, especially between Brighton and Eastbourne.[10]

References

1. White, H.P. (1992) [1961]. Thomas, David St John; Patmore, J. Allan (eds.). Volume 2: Southern England. A Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain (5th ed.). Nairn: David St John Thomas. p. 34. ISBN 0-946537-77-1.
2. Knight, Andrew (1986). The Railways of South East England. Shepperton: Ian Allan. p. 57. ISBN 0-7110-1556-2.
3. McCarthy, Colin; McCarthy, David; Cobb, Michael (October 2007). Waller, Peter (ed.). Railways of Britain: Kent and Sussex. Hersham: Ian Allan. map 34. ISBN 978-0-7110-3222-4. 0710/C1.
4. Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 178. ISBN 1-85260-508-1. R508.
5. Bradley, D.L. (April 1980) [1961]. The Locomotive History of the South Eastern & Chatham Railway (2nd ed.). London: RCTS. p. 30. ISBN 0-901115-49-5.
6. Gould, David (1993). Bogie Carriages of the South Eastern & Chatham Railway. Headington: Oakwood Press. p. 191. ISBN 0-85361-455-5. X52.
7. Butt 1995, p. 214
8. Butt 1995, p. 110
9. Butt 1995, p. 229
10. "Plans to axe unpopular two-carriage Eastbourne train service". Eastbourne Herald.

External links

• Three Oaks & Guestling Halt at Kent Rail