North Woolwich railway station

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North Woolwich
North Woolwich station - Silverlink.jpg
North Woolwich station in 2005, prior to closure
Greater London UK location map 2.svg
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North Woolwich
Location of North Woolwich in Greater London
Location North Woolwich
Local authority Newham
Grid reference TQ432798
Number of platforms1 (originally 3)
Fare zone 3
National Rail annual entry and exit
2002–0367,443 [1]
2004–05146,908 [1]
2005–06Decrease2.svg 118,920 [1]
2006–07Increase2.svg 375,126 [1]
Railway companies
Original company Eastern Counties Railway
Pre-grouping Great Eastern Railway
Post-grouping London and North Eastern Railway
Key dates
14 June 1847 (1847-06-14)Opened
29 May 1994 [2] Temporarily closed for Jubilee Line Extension works
29 October 1995Reopened
9 December 2006 (2006-12-09)Closed
Replaced by King George V DLR
Other information
Coordinates 51°29′58″N0°03′44″E / 51.4994°N 0.0623°E / 51.4994; 0.0623
Underground sign at Westminster.jpg London transportportal

North Woolwich railway station in North Woolwich in east London was the eastern terminus of the North London Line. The station closed in 2006, to allow for the North London line between Stratford and Canning Town to be converted to Docklands Light Railway (DLR) operation. [3] The local area is now served by the nearby King George V DLR station. The historic station building (built by Sir William Tite in 1847) was Grade II-listed in 1998. [4]

Contents

History

RCTS East London Tour in 1951 North Woolwich RCTS East London Tour geograph-2889055-by-Ben-Brooksbank.jpg
RCTS East London Tour in 1951

The station opened on 14 June 1847 as the southern terminus of the Eastern Counties and Thames Junction Railway from Stratford. The station building itself was designed by Sir William Tite. The service was later extended beyond Stratford to Palace Gates. In 1963 diesel traction replaced steam and the service was cut back to Stratford with peak-hour trains to Tottenham Hale.

North London line

The route became an extension of the North London Line (NLL) in 1979. In 1979, the original station building and a platform were closed, being replaced by a minimalist entrance and passenger shelter on the south side. [5] From the 1980s onward, only one track of the double track line was used through the Connaught Tunnel under the Royal Docks and on to North Woolwich.

In 1985 the line from North Woolwich was electrified on the third rail system under British Rail, with the service running round inner north London to Richmond (a route part-third rail and part-overhead wire). Prior to closure, the typical service frequency Monday to Saturday was every 30 minutes during the daytime, increasing to every 20 minutes in the evening and every 30 minutes all day Sunday.

Class 313 waiting to depart a few days before the station closed. 313113 North Woolwich.jpg
Class 313 waiting to depart a few days before the station closed.

For a period of about 18 months, from May 1994 until October 1995, the line from North Woolwich to Stratford (Low Level) closed temporarily during the Jubilee Line extension which involved reconstruction on the platforms at West Ham and Canning Town stations. A replacement bus was in place during this time. In 1998, the original station building was Grade II-listed. [4]

From 1984 until 2008 the original station buildings and one disused platform served as the North Woolwich Old Station Museum, dedicated to the history of the Great Eastern Railway. [5] The building was then owned by the Passmore Edwards Museum Trust and run by the London Borough of Newham - on its closure most of the collection was dispersed and the building passed to the Trust's successor, the River Lea Tidal Mill Trust. [6]

Station closure

The historic station building in 2017, following the closure of the North Woolwich Old Station Museum North Woolwich Station (geograph 5348372).jpg
The historic station building in 2017, following the closure of the North Woolwich Old Station Museum

The station and the line to Stratford closed on 9 December 2006 [7] to allow conversion of the North London Line between Stratford and Canning Town to a Docklands Light Railway (DLR) line. At closure the station was served by Silverlink. Following the opening of the DLR extension to London City Airport in 2005, the area was better served by more frequent services from King George V DLR station. Following the extension of the line to Woolwich Arsenal in 2009, a rapid transit connection across the Thames was provided for the first time. [3]

Future

The Elizabeth line uses the Connaught Tunnel and nearby NLL route, with a new tunnel under the River Thames near the site of North Woolwich station. This prevents any future use of the station for railway purposes - preventing two proposed schemes for using the short section of railway track near the station:

Ownership of the station site passed to the House Mill Trust after closure, but high maintenance costs led to it being sold on to a property investment firm, Sav Group, in 2018, [8] with the station building and trackbed subsequently being purchased in 2021 by the New Covenant Church. [9]

In 2023 plans were submitted to redevelop the former goods yard with apartments, a café and a commercial space. [10]

Related Research Articles

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Estimates of station usage". Rail statistics. Office of Rail Regulation. Please note: Some methodology may vary year on year.
  2. ↑ Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 174. ISBN   1-85260-508-1. R508.
  3. 1 2 "Key milestone reached in £211m rail extension". Transport for London. 11 December 2006. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  4. 1 2 "NORTH WOOLWICH STATION INCLUDING TURNTABLE AND PLATFORM LAMP STANDARDS., Non Civil Parish - 1376229 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 30 October 2021.
  5. 1 2 Great Eastern Railway Society (1987). Return to North Woolwich. PEMT Enterprises Ltd. p. 8. ISBN   0 906123 09 7.
  6. ↑ "House Mill - About Us". Archived from the original on 25 April 2018. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  7. ↑ Closure of North Woolwich station Archived 27 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ↑ Ian Visits: The disused North Woolwich railway station is up for sale, 28 July 2020
  9. ↑ Colin Grainger: Former North Woolwich Old Station Museum to become a church, 07 February 2021
  10. ↑ Ian Visits: Former North Woolwich railway station to become blocks of flats, 27 July 2023
Disused railways
Preceding station National Rail logo.svg National Rail Following station
Silvertown
towards Richmond
Silverlink Terminus
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