Greenwich station

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This article is about the station in London. For the station in Connecticut, see Greenwich station (Metro-North).

Greenwich Docklands Light Railway National Rail
Greenwich station main building.JPG
Main station entrance
Greenwich is located in Greater London
Greenwich
Greenwich
Location of Greenwich in Greater London
LocationGreenwich
Local authorityRoyal Borough of Greenwich
Managed bySoutheastern
Docklands Light Railway
OwnerNetwork Rail
Docklands Light Railway
Station codeGNW
DfT categoryD
Number of platforms4
AccessibleYes[1][2]
Fare zone2 and 3
DLR annual boardings and alightings
2016Increase 5.415 million[3]
2017Decrease 5.206 million[4]
2018Decrease 4.936 million[5]
2019Decrease 4.855 million[6]
2020Decrease 2.085 million[7]
National Rail annual entry and exit
2016–17Decrease 2.818 million[8]
2017–18Decrease 2.534 million[8]
2018–19Increase 3.623 million[8]
2019–20Increase 3.770 million[8]
2020–21Decrease 0.867 million[8]
Key dates
24 December 1838Opened
12 April 1840Resited
11 January 1878Resited[9]
20 November 1999DLR extension
Other information
External links
WGS8451°28′41″N 0°00′50″W / 51.4781°N 0.014°W / 51.4781; -0.014Coordinates: 51°28′41″N 0°00′50″W / 51.4781°N 0.014°W / 51.4781; -0.014
Underground sign at Westminster.jpg London transport portal

Greenwich station is about 400 m south-west of the district centre, in London, England. It is an interchange between National Rail between central London and Dartford (north Kent), and the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) between Lewisham to the south and Docklands and the City of London. It is in Travelcard Zones 2 and 3.

It is the nearest National Rail station to the centre of Greenwich, but Cutty Sark for Maritime Greenwich DLR station is closer to the town centre and its tourist attractions.

East of the station the Dartford line goes through a tunnel underneath the grounds of the National Maritime Museum, towards Maze Hill. Northwards, the DLR goes into a tunnel through Cutty Sark station and under the River Thames to the Isle of Dogs; in the opposite direction, it rises on a concrete viaduct to follow the River Ravensbourne upstream to Deptford Bridge and Lewisham.

On the National Rail network, Greenwich is 3 miles 47 chains (5.8 km) measured from London Bridge.

Services[]

National Rail[]

National Rail services at Greenwich are operated by Southeastern and Thameslink using Class 376, 465, 466, 700 and 707 EMUs.

The typical off-peak service in trains per hour is:[10]

During the peak hours, the station is also served by direct trains to and from Bexleyheath and Barnehurst.

DLR[]

The typical DLR service in trains per hour is:[11]

During the peak hours, the station is also served by direct trains to and from Stratford.

Preceding station National Rail National Rail Following station
Thameslink
Greenwich Line
Southeastern
Greenwich Line
Preceding station   DLR no-text roundel.svg DLR   Following station
towards Bank
Docklands Light Railway
towards Lewisham

History[]

The National Rail line is one of London's oldest – the London and Greenwich Railway is reputed to be the world's first suburban railway. It was designed by former army engineer George Landmann, and promoted by entrepreneur George Walter. A massive brick viaduct with 878 arches was built to a station in Spa Road (Bermondsey), and later to London Bridge. The line opened on 8 February 1836 from Deptford, and on 24 December 1838 from a temporary station in Greenwich. Greenwich's handsome station building was designed by George Smith and opened in 1840, making it one of the oldest station buildings in the world.

The South Eastern Railway (SER) leased the Greenwich branch from 1 January 1845.

The South Eastern and Chatham Railway was formed on 1 January 1899 and as such took over operation of the station. The SER and London Chatham and Dover Railway formed a "management committee" comprising the directors of both companies and merged the two companies' operations both of which were on the brink of bankruptcy forced by years of bitter competition.

Up to this point the four tracks through the station (two of which had platforms, two of which did not) terminated at a sector plate which is a traverser that rotates around a pivot that is not at the centre and therefore cannot rotate through 360˚. This saves space and means locomotives can be transferred from one track to another. The original railway company's board room was located at that end of the station behind the sector plate. Both of these features were removed when the line was extended towards Maze Hill.[12]

Difficulties in extending the railway over land owned by the Greenwich Hospital led to the station remaining a terminus until the line was extended eastwards via a cut-and-cover tunnel towards Maze Hill, opening on 1 February 1878.[13][14]

The Southern Railway took over operation of the station following the grouping of 1923.

Up until 1924 there had been two platform tracks and two tracks between them allowing overtaking moves. This facility was removed (possibly in preparation from the forthcoming electrification) and the empty space between the two platforms remained until the arrival of the Docklands Light Railway at the station in 1999.[15]

Two years later following electrification works, a limited service worked by Electric Multiple Units commenced on 10 May 1926 with the full service commencing 19th July. The lines were electrified to the 750v DC system.[16]

Following nationalisation, operation of the station passed to the Southern Region of British Railways on 1 January 1948.

The Docklands Light Railway (DLR) was extended to Lewisham via Greenwich on 20 November 1999, the new platforms lying immediately to the south of the main-line station. At the eastern end, the DLR heads underground through the tunnel through Cutty Sark and under the River Thames.

Connections[]

London Buses routes 129, 177, 180, 188, 199, 286, 386 and night routes N1 and N199 serve the station.[17] The Quietway 1 cycle route terminates at the station.

References[]

  1. ^ "Step free Tube Guide" (PDF). Transport for London. April 2021. Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 May 2021.
  2. ^ "London and South East" (PDF). National Rail. September 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 March 2009.
  3. ^ "Passenger Numbers - Docklands Light Railway Limited" (XLSX (after downloading zip)). What Do They Know. Transport for London. 8 June 2017. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
  4. ^ "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2017. Transport for London. 23 September 2020. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
  5. ^ "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2018. Transport for London. 23 September 2020. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
  6. ^ "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2019. Transport for London. 23 September 2020. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
  7. ^ "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2020. Transport for London. 16 April 2021. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
  8. ^ a b c d e "Estimates of station usage". Rail statistics. Office of Rail Regulation. Please note: Some methodology may vary year on year.
  9. ^ Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 109. ISBN 1-85260-508-1.
  10. ^ Table 200, 201 National Rail timetable, December 2021
  11. ^ "DLR train timetables". Transport for London. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  12. ^ Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (1990). Charing Cross to Dartford. Midhurst UK: Middleton Press. p. 48. ISBN 0-906520-75-4.
  13. ^ Chapman, Stephen. "SER Lines and Stations". Steve's Railway Pages.
  14. ^ Male, David (2005). "Greenwich Day by Day". Greenwich Guide.
  15. ^ Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (1990). Charing Cross to Dartford. Midhurst UK: Middleton Press. pp. 49/51. ISBN 0-906520-75-4.
  16. ^ Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (1990). Charing Cross to Dartford. Midhurst UK: Middleton Press. p. 2. ISBN 0-906520-75-4.
  17. ^ "Buses and boats from Greenwich" (PDF). TfL. 21 November 2017. Retrieved 1 June 2020.

External links[]

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