Newport railway station was a pivotal station within the unique
railway network on the
Isle of Wight, that began in 1862 when the Cowes and Newport Railway opened for business. Situated in the centre of the town, the station was enlarged in 1875 with the opening of the
Ryde and Newport Railway in December 1875, which also connected the station to Ventnor. Traffic was also increased with the opening of the branch to Sandown in 1879, by the Isle of Wight (Newport Junction) Railway. In July 1887 The Cowes and Newport Railway, the Ryde and Newport Railway, and the Isle of Wight (Newport Junction) Railway were merged to form the
Isle of Wight Central Railway (IWCR). A major employer on the
island, it was noted for its busy and purposeful camaraderie. Closed in 1966, the station served as a base for the
Wight Locomotive Society until January 1971, when the site was demolished by scrap merchants. The station site is now built over with much of it now lost under the
A3054, Medina Way.
Stationmasters • William Thomas Gubbins ca. 1864 • Mr. Williams ca. 1865 • Henry Thomas ca. 1871 • William B.S. Greenwood 1877 - 1889 (afterwards station master at Cowes) • H. Frank Williams from 1889 (afterwards station master at Merston) • George W. Ranger 1894 - ca. 1906 (formerly station master at Cowes) • Thomas William Blanchfield ca. 1909 - 1911 • Henry Young 1911 - 1927 • A. Holdaway 1928 - 1936 (formerly station master at Petworth) • Percy Hawkins 1936 - 1940 (formerly station master at Ventnor) • Alex Wheway from 1941 (formerly station master at Sandown) ==Freshwater Yarmouth & Newport Railway station==