Dorchester West railway station


Dorchester West railway station is one of two railway stations serving the town of Dorchester in Dorset, England. The station is managed by Great Western Railway, who provide most services at this station. South Western Railway operate some Summer Saturday only services from and.
The station is located on the Heart of Wessex Line between and and is at the southern end of a single track section from. The line becomes double at the station and remains so to nearby Dorchester Junction where it joins the main line from London Waterloo to Weymouth.

History

The station was opened by the Great Western Railway on 20 January 1857, when it completed the former Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth line from Castle Cary and Yeovil through to Weymouth.
An accident occurred at this station in 1974 when an excursion train from Hereford to Weymouth, on its return journey, did not stop at the signal controlling the entry to the single line section, and ran into the sand drag. The locomotive ran right through the sand drag and out the other side, followed by a couple of coaches. Eighteen passengers suffered minor injuries in the derailment, but no one was seriously hurt. The passengers were taken home by train via Southampton later that evening, and the loco was subsequently re-railed and recovered during the night several weeks later.
In the late 1980s, the station gained attention as being one of the worst-maintained stations in the country. Subsequent renovations have brought it up to a much more respectable standard.

Services

operate services between and . South Western Railway runs additional services between and Yeovil Junction on Summer Saturdays.