[4] After the Southsea Railway branchline was closed on 6 August 1914, the name of the station was eventually changed back to Fratton on 1 December 1921.

Canal barges also had an alternative route to and from Portsmouth via Portsbridge Creek, avoiding the need to move through Portsea Island.

Fratton railway station was planned and built to serve as an interchange station between Portsmouth and the new one-and-a-quarter mile (2 km) long Southsea Railway branch line, built to serve the fashionable Victorian seaside resort of Southsea.

[7] This island platform and staircase was removed after the Southsea Railway was closed, its former location now has a modern train washing facility built over it.

The unbuilt station site, near today's Copnor Bridge, has since been developed with a short row of terraced houses, a bus stop and a public lavatory block.

[10] Fratton railway station and the Southsea Railway were jointly opened on 1 July 1885 by Lady Ada Mary Willis[2] (née Neeld), wife of General Sir George Willis, the Lieutenant Governor of Portsmouth.

[4] In 1891, the main Portsmouth Town engine sheds were moved to the railway sidings at Fratton.

After the Motive power depot closed in the late 1950s, some former sidings were used during the withdrawal of the South West Trains greyhound fleet around 2003.

The same sidings were then used in 2007[11] and in 2009 for freight trials, this involved DB Schenker Rail (UK) hauling small container trains to and from Eastleigh.

The work, scheduled by Network Rail to take place between 23 December 2006 and 4 February 2007, was subject to a massive overrun.

The works were first extended six weeks into mid-March 2007 but in late February it became obvious that there were major problems with the new equipment being installed by the contractor Siemens AG.

[14] Fratton Traction Maintenance Depot, operated by South Western Railway now occupies part of the site.