[2] In the 1930s the Southern Railway made the platform facilities considerably larger, allowing the station to accommodate longer trains.

Although some facilities have since been removed, at the time they provided an asset for the non-stopping services because there were tracks to use as fast lines in the up and down direction.

Some South Western Railway services operated by two four- or five-carriage electric multiple units coupled together cannot be accommodated fully by the platforms and only selected doors open on such trains.

[4][5][6] A campaign involving the local MP Tobias Ellwood which began calling for the restoration of lifts at the station appears to have been successful with the winning bidders for the South Western Franchise, South Western Railway, required to install new lifts by 31 December 2019.

However, this date has been pushed back to at least September 2020 because of difficulties accessing the disused lift shafts safely.