The Priory Station was opened on 22 July 1861 by
the
London Chatham and
Dover Railway as the temporary terminus of their
line from London. On 1 November 1861 it became a through
station when the tunnel connecting it with the
Harbour
Station opened. Originally called Dover Town it
was renamed Dover Priory in July 1863, taking its
name from the nearby remains of
St
Martin’s Priory. The name
Dover
Town was then taken by the
South
Eastern Railway for their original terminus.
As built, Dover Priory had an overall roof covering
the platforms and was provided with goods, carriage
and engine sheds. Passenger services for the town
were consolidated at the Priory Station in 1927 when
the old
Harbour Station
was closed (the
Town Station
had closed to civilian traffic in October 1914). The
engine shed was closed in 1928 when a new shed near
the old Town Station was opened. In 1932 the station
was rebuilt in the modern style of the
Southern
Railway.
During the
Second
World War the station saw much traffic including
the
evacuation
of the children of Dover in June 1940. It had
the dubious honour of being the victim of the first
shell to hit the town, which destroyed the passenger
footbridge on 11 September 1940.
Since the war the station has seen a large increase
in cross-Channel passenger traffic as the Eastern
Docks hasdeveloped. With no rail connection to the
Eastern Docks, shuttle buses to there, and the Hoverport,
provide a connection for rail passengers. In 1994
the Priory Station became Dover’s only railway station
when the
Marine Station
closed.
In July 2006 it was announced that after several years
of campaigning Dover will have Channel Tunnel Rail
Link (CTRL) services into London. The Department for
Transport said hourly high-speed services would run
between Dover Priory and London St Pancras from December
2009. Journeys from the Kent coast into the capital
will take just over an hour.
Twenty-nine Hitachi class 395 trains, with a top speed
of 140mph (225km/h), will operate on the CTRL. Network
Rail will undertake improvements to the Shakespeare
Tunnel near Dover to make it safe for the Hitachi
trains to use.
In August 2006 major renovations started at the station.
Including the refurbishment of the station building,
booking hall and toilet facilities, and planned improvements
to the external circulation for vehicles. There were
also works to improve port interchange facilities,
signs for pedestrians and CCTV coverage in the waiting
areas.
The new service was introduced in December 2009 with
a Dover Priory to London St Pancras journey time of
69 minutes.
