Beltring railway station


Beltring railway station is on the Medway Valley Line in Kent, England, serving the village of Beltring. It is down the line from London Charing Cross via and is situated between and. The station and all trains that call are operated by Southeastern.

History

Beltring station opened later than the others on the line : its opening date was 1 September 1909. The halt originally had platforms built of wooden sleepers. It originally had a freight siding; used for the forwarding of farm produce until 5 June 1961. The station was then named Beltring and Branbridges Halt. It consists of concrete platforms with shelters. It serves a predominantly rural area: the nearest settlements being the small villages of Beltring, Branbridges, Laddingford and East Peckham.

Facilities

Beltring station is unstaffed and facilities are limited. The station is fitted with a self-service ticket machine as well as modern help points on the platforms. Seated areas are available on both platforms and train information screens are provided for running information.
No regular buses stop outside the station although Arriva Southern Counties routes 6 & 6A to Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells and Go Coach route 208 to Tonbridge both stop a short walk away on Branbridges Road.

Services

The typical off-peak service from the station is one train per hour to Paddock Wood and, and one train an hour to Strood. Connections to London are available at either of these two stations, or by changing at Maidstone Barracks and walking to Maidstone East.
Plans mooted in the mid-2000s to close Beltring station, or at least replace the existing services with a token service have been withdrawn.