Watlington railway station (formerly known as Magdalen Road) is on the Fen line in the east of England, serving the village of Watlington, Norfolk. It is 90 miles 70 chains (146.2 km) measured from London Liverpool Street and is situated between Downham Market and King's Lynn stations. Its three-letter station code is WTG.

Quick Facts General information, Location ...

Watlington
Watlington railway station in 2005
General information
Location	Watlington, King's Lynn and West Norfolk England
Grid reference	TF612110
Owned by	Network Rail
Managed by	Great Northern
Platforms	2
Other information
Station code	WTG
Classification	DfT category E
Key dates
27 October 1846	Opened as Watlington
1 June 1875	Renamed Magdalen Road
9 September 1968	Closed
5 May 1975	Reopened
3 October 1989	Renamed Watlington[1]
Passengers
2018/19	0.154 million
2019/20	0.138 million
2020/21	39,078
2021/22	0.106 million
2022/23	0.108 million
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

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The station and all trains calling are operated by Great Northern (with service to and from London King's Cross.)

The Bill for the Lynn and Ely Railway received Royal Assent on 30 June 1845. Work started on the line in 1846 and the line and its stations were opened on 27 October 1846. Watlington station opened with the line and was, as it is now, situated South of Lynn station (now King's Lynn). The station to the south was St Germain's station. The line ran from Ely to Downham, the eventual destination being Ely.^[2]

Watlington station, from 1847 part of the East Anglian Railway, became part of the Great Eastern Railway in 1862, and was renamed Magdalen Road in 1875 (a name which, perhaps, better reflects its lonely rural location in the middle of the flatlands of the East Anglian Fens). From 1848 onwards, Watlington was a junction, as a line once branched off from there to Wisbech. The branch, along with Magdalen Road station, was closed in 1968.

Due to local efforts, however, Magdalen Road station was reopened in 1975, and in 1989 returned to its original title of Watlington. The signal box at the station, in active use today, still bears a Network SouthEast sign with the Magdalen Road name. The current southbound platform, behind the signal box, dates from the early 1990s; the original station buildings on the southbound side have since been converted into a private residence. The original wooden waiting room on the northbound platform was replaced around the same time, though the original platform still survives as part of an extended platform.

Before electrification, services were normally operated by InterCity (latterly Network SouthEast) locomotive-hauled trains, normally pulling British Rail Mark 2b coaches (many services featured restaurant cars). The locomotives were usually Class 37 diesel-electrics, sometimes Class 31s or 47s. Off-peak links were often provided by Metro-Cammell diesel multiple units.

The station is mentioned by author Lisa St Aubin de Teran in a memoir as being the station closest to her Norfolk home - she reminisced about conversations with the train guard who was checking tickets, where she requested that the train stop at the station (for many years, most trains only called at the station if a passenger requested it, rather than it being a regular timetabled stop).^{[citation needed]}

Great Northern operates all services at Watlington, mostly with Class 387 EMUs.

The typical off-peak service in trains per hour is:^[3]

• 1 tph to London King's Cross
• 1 tph to King's Lynn

During the peak hours, additional services run to the station, giving Watlington a half-hourly service.

Greater Anglia operated a limited number of peak services between King's Lynn and London Liverpool Street. These were withdrawn at the May 2023 timetable change.

More information Preceding station, National Rail ...

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Downham Market		Great Northern Fen Line		King's Lynn
	Historical railways
Holme Line open, station closed		Great Eastern Railway Fen Line		St Germain's Line open, station closed
	Disused railways
Magdalen Gate Line and station closed		British Rail Eastern Region Wisbech Line		King's Lynn Line and station open

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