Abandoned Park and Ride in Chineham, Hampshire

With car parking in urban centres at a premium, and commuters eager to leave their vehicles near transport facilities in order to catch trains and buses to their place of work, it seems strange to stumble across an abandoned park and ride. But that’s the situation at this neglected facility in Chineham, a civil parish in the Basingstoke and Deane district of Hampshire, southern England. The photographer writes: “I always wondered why the OS Map shows a Park & Ride here. Located just off Gresley Road it has not operated for at least 4 years. I was surprised to find so little evidence of vandalism given the secluded nature of the site.” Taken in 2008, the images date back almost a decade, yet even today it appears that Chineham’s abandoned park and ride remains deserted. Google Earth reveals a derelict patch of wasteland where the the fading paint markers of car parking spaces are still visible. A small number of vehicles are present on the satellite image, and a overlaid label stating “Network Rail Training Centre” may suggest reuse of at least a small part of the site. The abandoned park and ride sites alongside Gresley Road east of Basingstoke railway station. Several more convenient car parks, immediately outside the station itself, may explain why the Gresley Road site, with its weed-covered bus pickup point, is now abandoned.