page_title: Poole
section_title: Transport
hierarchical_section_title: Poole / Transport
caption_attribution_description: English: Looking east from the footbridge at Poole railway station, South West Trains Class 442 750v dc third rail EMU (44)2408 County of Dorset departs platform 1 with a service to London Waterloo.
context_page_description: Poole is a large coastal town and seaport in Dorset, on the south coast of England. The town is 21 miles east of Dorchester and adjoins Bournemouth to the east. Since 1 April 2019, the local authority is Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council which is a unitary authority. Poole had an estimated population of 151,500 making it the second-largest town in the ceremonial county of Dorset. Together with Bournemouth and Christchurch, the conurbation has a total population of nearly 400,000.
  Human settlement in the area dates back to before the Iron Age. The earliest recorded use of the town's name was in the 12th century when the town began to emerge as an important port, prospering with the introduction of the wool trade. Later, the town had important trade links with North America and, at its peak during the 18th century, it was one of the busiest ports in Britain. In the Second World War, Poole was one of the main departing points for the Normandy landings.
  Poole is a tourist resort, attracting visitors with its large natural harbour, history, the Lighthouse arts centre and Blue Flag beaches. The town has a commercial port with cross-Channel freight and passenger ferry services.
context_section_description: The A350 road is Poole town centre's main artery, running north along Holes Bay and on to the A35, and as a single carriageway to Bath and Bristol. To the east, the A337 road leads to Lymington and the New Forest. The A35 trunk road runs from Devon to Southampton and connects to the A31 on the outskirts of the town. The A31, the major trunk road in central southern England, connects to the M27 motorway at Southampton. From here the M3 motorway leads to London, and fast access may also be gained via the A34 to the M4 north of Newbury. Poole Bridge, a narrow bascule bridge constructed in 1927, connects the town centre and Hamworthy. Approval for a second bridge was given by the Department for Transport in 2006 and the £37 million Twin Sails bridge was completed in 2012. A road link to Studland and the Isle of Purbeck across the narrow entrance of Poole Harbour is provided by the Sandbanks Ferry. Poole is also home to the Poole Heritage Cycle Route.
  Most local bus services are run by morebus who are based at the town's bus station and have served Poole since 1983. morebus operate networks across Poole, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Salisbury, in addition to operations on the Isle of Purbeck and the New Forest. Other services are run by Bournemouth-based Yellow Buses and Damory Coaches. Poole is connected to towns and villages along the Jurassic Coast by the First Hampshire & Dorset X54 service, which runs along a 32-mile (51 km) route to Wareham, Wool, Lulworth Cove and Weymouth. Poole is also a calling point for National Express Coaches, which have frequent departures to London Victoria Coach Station. There are also direct services to the Midlands, the North of England and to Heathrow and Gatwick airports.
  Poole has four railway stations on the South Western Main Line from London Waterloo to Weymouth. From east to west these are Branksome near the border with Bournemouth, Parkstone, Poole railway station in the town centre and Hamworthy. Services are operated by South Western Railway and consist of up to three trains an hour (fast, semi-fast and stopping services) to and from London, and twice an hour to and from Weymouth.
  Poole is a cross-Channel port for passengers and freight. Ferry services from Poole Harbour to Cherbourg are provided by Brittany Ferries who operate one round trip per day using the Barfleur  The Condor Ferries fast ferry Condor Liberation provides seasonal services to Guernsey, Jersey and St. Malo, Brittany. Bournemouth International Airport in Hurn, on the periphery of Bournemouth, is the nearest airport to Poole – 10 miles (16 km) from the town centre. Ryanair, easyJet and Thomson Airways operate from the airport and provide scheduled services to destinations in the UK and Europe.
caption: Poole railway station
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