Hoo Junction is a rail yard on the North Kent Line, near the village of Higham, Kent and Shorne Marshes, operated by DB Schenker. It is between Gravesend and Higham stations, at the junction with the freight-only single-track Hoo branch to the Hoo Peninsula.
There are up and down yards on either side of the main line, with the single-track Grain branch line entering from the north east.
The up yard (south of the main line) consists of 14 sidings and three through roads, with other ancillary sidings. The down yard (north of the main line) consists of 10 sidings and three through roads. Some sidings in the down yard have been taken up.
As part of Phase 1 of the Kent Coast Electrification Scheme, the yard at Hoo Junction had a simple overhead catenary system installed in 1959, to accommodate the Class 71 electric locomotives then brought into use. These were equipped with a pantograph to work off the catenary, intended to avoid the exposed third rail which could have added a danger for yard staff. Due to introduction of diesel-electric locomotives the catenary system had become redundant by 1975.
Westinghouse Rail Systems has buildings adjacent to the north perimeter of the yard.
The yard re-marshals wagon traffic on the main line and from the branch. The majority of traffic is aggregate wagons, with steel strip carriers are also present. Infrastructure units and ballast trains also use the yard. Container traffic from Thamesport used to pass through but this flow ceased around 2014 when the larger container shipping lines started using Thames Gateway instead of Thamesport.
Hoo Junction Staff Halt opened in 1956 in the yard, which it was built to serve. [1] The down platform was on the main line before the junction with the branch, at TQ 6950 7369 51°26′11″N0°26′20″E / 51.4364°N 0.4390°E , while the up platform was only on the main line, at TQ 6980 7364 51°26′09″N0°26′36″E / 51.4358°N 0.4433°E . [2] This station had an hourly service, which was advertised as being "for staff purposes only" [3] . The station has been closed and demolished.
| Preceding station | Disused railways | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denton Halt | 1956 to 3-12-1961 BR(S) Hundred of Hoo Railway | Uralite Halt | ||
| Gravesend Central | From 4-12-1961 BR(S) later Network Rail Hundred of Hoo Railway | Goods line to Grain | ||
| Denton Halt | 1956 to 3-12-1961 BR(S) North Kent Line | Higham |
| Preceding station |  National Rail | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gravesend | From 4-12-1961 BR(S) later Network Rail North Kent Line | Higham | ||
| Preceding station | Disused railways | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Higham | 1956 to 3-12-1961 BR(S) North Kent Line | Denton Halt |
| Preceding station | National Rail | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Higham | From 4-12-1961 BR(S) later Network Rail North Kent Line | Gravesend | ||
The Hoo Peninsula is a peninsula in Kent, England, separating the estuaries of the rivers Thames and Medway. It is dominated by a line of chalk, clay and sand hills, surrounded by an extensive area of marshland composed of alluvial silt. The name Hoo is a Saxon word believed to mean 'spur of land' or refers to the 'distinct heel-shape of the ridge of hills' through Hoo. Hoo features in the Domesday Book. The peninsula is home to internationally and nationally protected wildlife sites as well as industrial facilities and energy industries.
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The Hundred of Hoo Railway is a railway line in Kent, England, following the North Kent Line from Gravesend before diverging at Hoo Junction near Shorne Marshes and continuing in an easterly direction across the Hoo Peninsula, passing near the villages of Cooling, High Halstow, Cliffe and Stoke before reaching the Isle of Grain and the container port on its eastern tip, Thamesport. There used to be a short branch line leading from Stoke Junction to the coastal town of Allhallows but this closed from 4 December 1961, the same date on which the Hundred of Hoo line was closed to passenger services.
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