This Site
Copyright
Station info
Barren ... that pretty much sums up the Swale station.
I cannot fathom just how 8014 passengers use the station in a year! It really is in the mioddle of nowhere. No one got on or off the train when I arrived there on the day.
I have to admit the barreness of it and the fact there the only signs of lkife are the birds tweeting and the cars passing by was nice. Sadly no seats on the station at all.
Facilities are a minimum. No seats, no cover and no building. A single ticket machine that is by the entry which is basically by the road and a rather lonely looking bus stop (rail replacement bus sevices or scheduled bus routes?)
The concrete panels that act as walls on the platform have some rather interesting paintings on them (see images below).
Of course I had to take a photo of the train coming over the bridge from the station as it approached towards Swale. I was a little surprised that someone arrived on a bike and boarded our train back to Sittingbourne.
History
Opened as Kings Ferry Bridge Halt on 25th November 1913 the station was moved in 1960 by British Rail when the new Kings Ferry Bridge was constructed.
When a ship hit the bridge in 1922 the stationed was renamed Kings Ferry Bridge South Halt as they had to construct another station on the Isle of Sheppy called Kings Ferry Bridge North Halt as the bridge was not safe to carry rolling stock. North Halt was closed and the south one renamed to the orignal name in 1923 once bridge repairswere completed.
The station was renamed Swale Halt in 1929 and stayed that way until the station was resited on 20th April 1960.
Swale has been the least used station in Kent many times over the years.
Services
Just the one train an hour is the usual servie patter and is a Southeaster class 375/3.
