West Malling
 The main entrance to the station. photograph by Gregory Beecroft |
| West Malling station is in Kent, on the line from Swanley to
Maidstone East and Ashford. Originally opened by the L C & D R as Malling,
on a single track route, on 1st June 1874, this station was very similar to the
one at Borough Green. The line was doubled eight years later at which time the
station also gained a signalbox on the down, º2, platform. As built
there was just a foot crossing between the platforms but this was replaced by a
girder footbridge in 1910.
In 1939 the line was electrified as far as Maidstone East with a corresponding improvement in the service, though Malling was still served by steam trains on services going beyond Maidstone East. The year after nationalisation the name was changed to West Malling then in 1999 had the rider "for Kings Hill" added. Kings Hill is a large residential development of the old West Malling airfield. For many years services ran to Blackfriars (peak hours), Cannon Street and Victoria in the up direction and to Maidstone East, Ashford and Canterbury West in the down but from March 2009 the Blackfriars services were extended across Central London via the Thameslink route, serving City Thameslink, Farringdon, St Pancras International and en route to St Albans, Luton and Bedford. |
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The entrance to º2 platform. As can be seen here there is
minimal protection against the elements for travellers using this platform.
photograph by Gregory Beecroft |
| The view from º2 platform looking across to the station
buildings on º1 platform.
photograph by Gregory Beecroft |
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The 1910 built station footbridge providing access to, and exit
from, º2 platform via the station buildings.
photograph by Gregory Beecroft |
| The brackets supporting the canopy on platform one.
photograph by Gregory Beecroft |
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This page was created 7 December 2009
