General information | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Location | Ebbsfleet Valley, Kent, Borough of Dartford England | ||||
Grid reference | TQ613741 | ||||
Owned by | London and Continental Railways | ||||
Managed by | Network Rail | ||||
Platforms | 6 (4 domestic, 2 international) | ||||
Other information | |||||
Station code | EBD | ||||
IATA code | XQE | ||||
Classification | DfT category B | ||||
History | |||||
Opened | 19 November 2007 | ||||
Passengers | |||||
2019/20 | 1.978 million | ||||
Interchange | 58,888 | ||||
2020/21 | 0.417 million | ||||
Interchange | 19,330 | ||||
2021/22 | 1.213 million | ||||
Interchange | 44,469 | ||||
2022/23 | 1.559 million | ||||
Interchange | 82,975 | ||||
2023/24 | 1.715 million | ||||
Interchange | 79,598 | ||||
|
Ebbsfleet International railway station is in Ebbsfleet Valley,Kent,10 miles (16 kilometres) east of London,England,near Dartford and the Bluewater Shopping Centre to the west and Gravesend to the east. The station,part of the Thames Gateway urban regeneration project,is on the High Speed 1 (HS1) rail line,300 metres (980 feet) south-west of Northfleet railway station,off the A2 trunk road,5 mi (8.0 km) from its junction with the M25 motorway. It served as a primary park-and-rail service for the London 2012 Olympics.
Ebbsfleet International is owned by HS1 Ltd,which operates the High Speed 1 railway and St Pancras railway station,Stratford International,Ebbsfleet International and Ashford International.
The name Ebbsfleet dates from the seventeenth-century. The station is partly inspired by the name of Ebbsfleet in Thanet,47 mi (75 km) to the east. [1]
As part of the development of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link (CTRL) in the early 1990s,four potential station sites along the route were considered,with two in east London (Stratford and Rainham) and two in Kent (Nashenden on the outskirts of Rochester,and Ebbsfleet located southwest of Gravesend). [2] By August 1994,Ebbsfleet had been chosen over Nashenden,given its less remote location. The station would serve both international and domestic trains,allow park and ride from nearby M2 and M25 motorways and stimulate development in the Thames Gateway. The station was approved as part of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link Act 1996. [2]
Similar in design to Stratford International,the station was designed by architect Mark Fisher,working under Alastair Lansley –the chief architect on the Channel Tunnel Rail Link project. Fisher described the station as "a big,generous light-filled bridge of steel and glass crossing the tracks and spanning the box". [3] Internal finishings of the station were designed by Jestico + Whiles. [4]
Construction began on Phase 2 of the CTRL project in 2002. [2] [5] Construction was completed by September 2006. [6]
The £180m station opened to Eurostar passengers on 19 November 2007,five days after the rest of HS1. [7] This was because the security and ticketing equipment had to be transferred from Waterloo International and reinstalled at the station. The first daily service was the 05:38 service to Paris,arriving at its destination 132 minutes later. [7] Serving the Thames Gateway,the station had an initial service of seven weekday trains to Paris and five to Brussels. [7] A 2,500-space car park was provided. [7]
A formal opening ceremony in the presence of Dame Kelly Holmes took place on 29 January 2008. [8]
Residents of Ashford complained that the service at Ashford International was downgraded to compensate for the stop at Ebbsfleet and that it made more sense for them now to use Eurotunnel Shuttle services. [7]
"Ebbsfleet International Station" was the name originally proposed for the station,but "Dartford International Station" was later proposed at the urging of Eurostar,who felt that Dartford was a name with greater national recognition. Opposition to Eurostar's ‘Dartford International’proposal came from Gravesham Borough Council,whose administrative centre at Gravesend is just two miles (3.2 km) away (even though Ebbsfleet International is in the borough of Dartford and therefore outside Gravesham council's authority);Southfleet Parish Council;and Swanscombe and Greenhithe Town Council,both in the Borough of Dartford. [9] The similarity of its name to that of Dartford railway station,6 mi (9.7 km) away,was also of concern.
The Olympic Javelin [10] or Javelin [11] [12] was a high-speed train shuttle service operated by Southeastern over High Speed 1 during the 2012 Summer Olympics and Paralympics. The service ran for the duration of both games,between St Pancras International station and this station,via Stratford International station,which is close to the Olympic Park. [13] During the Summer Olympics a service of eight trains an hour ran between St Pancras and Ebbsfleet,calling at Stratford,replacing the usual East Kent highspeed service. Two of these were extended to Ashford and one to Faversham. Between 11pm and 1am the service between St Pancras and Ebbsfleet was increased to twelve per hour. [14]
In September 2020,Eurostar announced that due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent collapse in ticket revenue (down by 90%),both Ebbsfleet and Ashford International stations would not be served by Eurostar services until at least 2022. [15] In September 2021,Eurostar confirmed that services would not resume until 2023,despite complaints by local politicians that this was "bad for Kent". [16] Eurostar stated that it would resume services when commercially sensible to do so,as it would initially "focus on destinations where demand is highest". [16] A further update in August 2022 confirmed that Eurostar might not resume serving the station (along with Ashford) until at least 2025. [17]
On High Speed 1 there are avoiding lines in each direction and four platforms,two serving international Eurostar services and two the Southeastern High-speed services. Southeastern services travelling between London and the North Kent Line use a junction to the north of the station and are served by another pair of platforms that curve away to the east.
Ticket barriers control access to all platforms.
A partially built and disused concrete overbridge can be seen to the south of the station. This is believed to have been put in place in preparation for the Ebbsfleet Garden City housing development project;however,it was never needed. [18]
This station has bilingual signage,both in French and English. It is one of the relatively few stations in England to have bilingual signage,others being Wallsend (Latin),Southall (Punjabi),Hereford (Welsh),Whitechapel (Bengali),St Pancras and Ashford International (French).
The Channel Tunnel Rail Link (CTRL) Act allows a total of 9,000 car parking spaces to be constructed, [19] with an initial 6,000 built. The car parks are in a number of areas around the station - north of the North Kent Line,between the North Kent Line and High Speed 1,south of the High Speed 1 and south west of the station building.
The station is served by Fastrack buses operated by Go Ahead London,which connect it to Dartford,Bluewater,Greenhithe,Swanscombe and Gravesend. Despite being in close proximity to the station,Northfleet has no bus connection to the station. [20]
There is a taxi rank directly outside the station entrance/exit. Car rental services for both leisure and business are located in the concourse. The interchange facilities lie at either end of the main station box - taxis,buses and set down at the northern end (to also serve the NKL platforms) and coaches to the south of the station box. It was formerly planned that Crossrail would terminate at a separate station between Northfleet and Ebbsfleet International but under the current plan,Abbey Wood further west will be the eastern terminus. However,a Crossrail extension from Abbey Wood to Gravesend (Hoo Junction) remains safeguarded.
Northfleet railway station is approximately 400 metres (1,300 ft) to the north-east,although the walking distance between the two stations is significantly longer,approximately 2 km (1.2 mi) if roadside footpaths are followed. There is a shorter walking route (approximately 1,000 metres (3,300 ft)) through the car park to the north of Ebbsfleet station,but there are no footpaths provided and this way is obstructed by the car park access barriers. There are no specific pedestrian or cycle route signs for Ebbsfleet station on any of the possible routes between the stations. Gravesham Council acknowledges that the existing provision is inadequate, [21] although it is a complex planning issue to resolve as whilst Northfleet is in Gravesham,Ebbsfleet station is just over the border in the Borough of Dartford,and there are many other stakeholders involved.
On 29 June 2009,Southeastern started a weekday preview service between St Pancras International and Ebbsfleet International,extending to Ashford International during peak hours. [22] On 7 September the service was enhanced by a few services to Ramsgate via Canterbury West or Dover. [23] A regular service began on 13 December 2009. [24]
The typical off-peak service in trains per hour was: [24]
Additional trains,in peak hours only,serve Maidstone West,Broadstairs via the Medway towns,and Sandwich.
All domestic services at Ebbsfleet International are operated by Southeastern using Class 395 EMUs.
The typical off-peak service in trains per hour is: [25]
Additional services,including two daily return services between London St Pancras International and Maidstone West call at the station during the peak hours.
Since the opening of Ebbsfleet station in 2007,Eurostar has transferred a number of trips from Ashford to the newer station. Ashford International has a wider variety of destinations such as Calais,Lille,Brussels,Disneyland Paris,the French Alps,Paris,Lyon,Avignon and Marseille,but with fewer services to them. In contrast,Ebbsfleet International has services to only the core destinations (Paris,Brussels and Lille) and the Disneyland Paris service,but with much more frequent services.[ citation needed ]
Eurostar services are not used for non-international journeys,as the infrastructure and train design is not suitable for national travel,and there is no feasible reason to do so. Since the station's opening,Eurostar has withheld passenger usage statistics for international services,citing commercial confidentiality.[ citation needed ]
As of May 2019,the typical Eurostar services was:
Eurostar services have been suspended since 31 March 2020. [26] As of August 2022,Eurostar intends to resume service in 2025 at the earliest. [27]
Preceding station | National Rail | Following station | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Southeastern | ||||
Eurostar | ||||
London St Pancras International | Eurostar (Suspended) | Ashford International | ||
Calais-Frethun or Lille Europe | ||||
Paris Nord |
High Speed 1 (HS1), legally the Channel Tunnel Rail Link (CTRL), is a 109.9-kilometre (68.3-mile) high-speed railway linking London with the Channel Tunnel.
St Pancras railway station, officially known since 2007 as London St Pancras International, is a major central London railway terminus on Euston Road in the London Borough of Camden. It is the terminus for Eurostar services from Belgium, France and the Netherlands to London. It provides East Midlands Railway services to Leicester, Corby, Derby, Sheffield and Nottingham on the Midland Main Line, Southeastern high-speed trains to Kent via Ebbsfleet International and Ashford International, and Thameslink cross-London services to Bedford, Cambridge, Peterborough, Brighton, Horsham and Gatwick Airport. It stands between the British Library, the Regent's Canal and London King's Cross railway station, with which it shares a London Underground station, King's Cross St Pancras.
Dartford railway station serves the town of Dartford in Kent, England. It is 17 miles 12 chains (27.6 km) down the line from London Charing Cross. Train services from the station are operated by Southeastern and Thameslink. Southeastern also manages the station. Dartford is a major interchange station in the North Kent region of the Southeastern network. Ticket barriers control access to the platforms.
Northfleet is a town in the borough of Gravesham in Kent, England. It is located immediately west of Gravesend, and on the border with the Borough of Dartford. Northfleet has its own railway station on the North Kent Line, just east of Ebbsfleet International railway station on the High Speed 1 line. According to the 2021 census, Northfleet has a population of 29,900.
Stratford International is a National Rail station in Stratford and a separate Docklands Light Railway (DLR) station nearby, located in East Village in London. Despite its name, no international services stop at the station; plans for it to be served by Eurostar trains never came to fruition. The National Rail platforms are served by Southeastern trains on the High Speed 1 route originating at London St Pancras International. On the DLR, it is a terminus – one of seven end-of-the-line termini – for local services via Canning Town and London City Airport.
The North Kent Line is a railway line which branches off the South East Main Line at St Johns junction west of Lewisham station in Greater London and runs to Rochester Bridge Junction near Strood, Medway where it links to the Chatham Main Line.
Northfleet railway station serves the town of Northfleet in the Borough of Gravesham in Kent, England. It is 21 miles 69 chains (35.2 km) down the line from London Charing Cross. Train services are operated by Southeastern and Thameslink.
Gravesend railway station serves the town of Gravesend in north Kent, England. It is 23 miles 75 chains (38.5 km) down the line from London Charing Cross.
Strood railway station serves the town of Strood in Medway, England. It is on the North Kent Line and is also a terminus of the Medway Valley Line. It is 31 miles 11 chains (50.1 km) down the line from London Charing Cross.
The Chatham Main Line is a railway line in England that links London Victoria and Dover Priory / Ramsgate, travelling via Medway.
Rochester railway station is on the Chatham Main Line in England, serving the town of Rochester, Kent. It is 33 miles 61 chains (54.3 km) down the line from London Victoria and is situated between Sole Street and Chatham.
Ashford International railway station is a National Rail station in the town of Ashford, Kent, England. It connects several railway lines, including High Speed 1 and the South Eastern Main Line. Services are operated by Southeastern and Southern.
Margate railway station serves the town of Margate in Thanet, Kent, England. It is 73 miles 69 chains (118.9 km) down the line from London Victoria. The station and all trains that serve the station are operated by Southeastern.
London and Continental Railways (LCR) is a property development company owned by the Government of the United Kingdom for developing former railway land.
London & South Eastern Railway Limited, trading as Southeastern, was a British train operating company owned by Govia that operated passenger rail services in South East England. It was the key operator of commuter and regional services in South East London and Kent, and also served parts of East Sussex.
The British Rail Class 395 Javelin is a dual-voltage electric multiple unit (EMU) passenger train built by Hitachi Rail as part of the Hitachi A-train AT300 family for high-speed commuter services on High Speed 1 and elsewhere on the South Eastern franchise. The whole fleet is operated by Southeastern.
Regional Eurostar was a planned Eurostar train service from Paris and Brussels to locations in the United Kingdom to the north and west of London.
Ebbsfleet Valley is a new town and redevelopment area in Kent, South East England, and part of the Thames Gateway, southwest of Gravesend. Development is coordinated by the Ebbsfleet Development Corporation.
Transportation needs within the county of Kent in South East England has been served by both historical and current transport systems.
Istead Rise is a village in the borough of Gravesham in Kent, England, 3 miles (5 km) south of Gravesend. It had a population of 3,437 at the 2011 Census.
Chief architect for RLE, is Alastair Lansley ... describes Stratford station - designed by Mark Fisher, who did the British Pavilion for the 1992 Seville Expo - as "a big, generous light-filled bridge of steel and glass crossing the tracks and spanning the box."