85-522: Southend East railway station is on the London, Tilbury and Southend line , serving the Southchurch area to the east of Southend-on-Sea , Essex. It is 36 miles 49 chains (58.9 km) down the main line from London Fenchurch Street via Basildon and it is situated between Southend Central to the west and Thorpe Bay to the east. Its three-letter station code is SOE. It was opened in 1932. There
170-695: A V2 exploded at Ripple Lane. Following nationalisation on 1 January 1948 the LTS line was split so that Fenchurch Street to Gas Factory Junction became part of the Eastern Region whilst the rest of the LTS Line became part of the London Midland Region. This arrangement did not last long and on 20 February 1949 the whole of the LTS line was bought under Eastern Region control. November 1949 saw platforms 1 and 2 at Fenchurch Street electrified through to Bow Junction on
255-570: A few minor raids between 1942 and early 1944. Incidents elsewhere in London also affected the LTS Line, For example, the Metropolitan line services were suspended 9 December 1940 – March 1941 due to air raid damage at Kings Cross. Some service cuts were made during the blitz including the end of the LNER Fenchurch Street to North Woolwich services (via Bromley and Abbey Mills Junction). 1941 saw
340-439: A link on to the London and Blackwall line, heading towards Blackwall. The GER ran a short-lived Palace Gates to Blackwall service via Stratford but this only lasted a year and there were some Backwall – Southend excursion trains run in 1890. Primary use of the line was to offer another goods route into the docks. Under the management of civil engineer Arthur Lewis Stride, the line was extended from Southend to Shoeburyness . There
425-502: A loop to the south also on the up side of the layout. A new signal box named Southend East was provided with the 1896 signal box being renamed Southend Sidings. The opening day was marred by a minor derailment and according to local newspaper reports usage was fairly low. In early 1933 a fourth platform was supplied on the Down Main to better cater for down stopping trains. The stations use as an excursion station seems to have been limited and
510-476: A more direct route from London to Barking was constructed through Bromley , Plaistow and East Ham , connecting with the London and Blackwall Extension Railway a very short distance north east of Gas Factory Junction, and the service from Bishopsgate was withdrawn. Under the management of the LT&;SR lessees from 1856 to 1875 little additional work was done to the LT&S lines. After some degree of independence
595-491: A nearby terminus at Minories that had opened in July 1840. It had two platforms connected via a stairway to the booking hall. Steam locomotives did not use the station until 1849 because before this time trains were dragged uphill from Blackwall to Minories, and ran to Fenchurch Street via their own momentum. The reverse journey eastwards required a manual push from railway staff. William Marshall's railway bookstall established at
680-475: A peak shuttle service operated from Custom House to Gallions. Passengers for the North Greenwich branch changed at Millwall Junction . The Blackwall and North Greenwich passenger services were scheduled for closure on 30 June 1926 but the general strike brought that forward to 3 May. The station was rebuilt in 1935 to address overcrowding and provide better accommodation for Southend line services. When
765-577: A replacement DLR station for Tower Gateway as Transport for London have looked into closing Tower Gateway and constructing a replacement on the Bank branch to increase capacity. A number of goods depots were established near Fenchurch Street owing to the station's proximity to the City of London. This table lists the depots connected to the line between the station and Christian Street Junction just east of Leman Street : The poet John Betjeman passed through
850-474: A third exit on Cooper's Row to make connections with Tower Hill easier. In 2019, a planning application was submitted to the City of London (planning authority) for permission to revamp the station building. In the 1970s, Fenchurch Street was considered to be an integral part of the proposed Fleet line (now called the Jubilee line ), which would have given the station an Underground connection. An extension from
935-455: A total of 19 LMS trains per hour during the peak. The Fenchurch Street plan saw a comprehensive rebuild and lengthening of the platforms as well as additional approach tracks (which used part of one of the goods depots) as well as the provision of a new signal box and signalling. The platform rebuild and associated infrastructure was completed by the summer of 1935. The new signalling which gave 90 second headways from Stepney to Gasworks Junction
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#17328523041791020-400: A viaduct. The station has been Grade II listed since 1972 and the conference venue One America Square is built adjacent to it. Following rail privatisation in 1994, the station was run by Network Rail . Since 1996, the station has been served by c2c (which was sold by National Express to Trenitalia in 2017) who have a franchise to run services until 2029. Fenchurch Street is in
1105-524: Is a commuter railway line on the British railway system . It connects Fenchurch Street station , in central London, with destinations in east London and Essex , including Barking , Upminster , Basildon , Grays , Tilbury , Southend and Shoeburyness . Its main users are commuters travelling to and from London, particularly the City of London which is served by Fenchurch Street, and areas in east London including
1190-494: Is a short branch line connecting the main line at Upminster with the loop line at Grays via Ockendon . The line has a maximum speed limit of 75 mph (121 km/h), although the Class 357 and Class 720 electric trains which run on it are capable of speeds of 100 mph (161 km/h). The line forms part of Network Rail's strategic route 6 . It is classified as a London and South East commuter line. Passenger services form
1275-557: Is no step-free access available on the Shoeburyness bound platform. The station and all trains serving it are currently operated by c2c. The railway through the site was opened on 1884 when the London Tilbury and Southend Railway was extended eastwards from Southend to Shoeburyness. Increasing traffic levels saw the need for an intermediate block signal box called Southend East to be provided in order that more trains could run and this
1360-651: Is within 350 yards (320 m) of both the Tower Hill station on the London Underground and the Tower Gateway station on the Docklands Light Railway . The station frontage is on Fenchurch Place, adjacent to Fenchurch Street in the City of London . The station has two entrances: one on Fenchurch Place and another on Cooper's Row, near Tower Hill. It has four platforms arranged on two islands elevated on
1445-517: The Docklands financial district via London Underground and Docklands Light Railway connections at Limehouse and West Ham . The line is also heavily used by leisure travellers, as it and its branches serve a number of seaside resorts, shopping areas and countryside destinations. Additionally, the Tilbury Loop portion of the route provides an artery for freight traffic to and from Dagenham Dock and
1530-557: The East London line and to terminate at Barking instead. The provision of a flyover to remove goods trains from crossing the layout was not proceeded with but other changes to improve the flexibility at Barking were made. In addition a bay platform and stabling siding were put in at Dagenham and stabling increased at Upminster. The new Metropolitan line service began on 4 May 1936 and an additional eight hourly services worked in with 27 District Line services. The impact of World War II on
1615-515: The Essex Thameside franchise that is currently operated by train operating company c2c . The first part of the line was built by the London and Blackwall Railway whose line from Blackwall opened in 1840 with a terminus at Minories and intermediate stations on the route at Shadwell and Stepney. The line had two independent tracks which were initially worked by cable haulage and it was not until 1848 that steam locomotives were deployed. The line
1700-641: The Gravesend–Tilbury Ferry and cruise services) Basildon , Southend Central and Shoeburyness . As of the June 2024 timetable the typical Monday to Friday off-peak service is: During peak periods services are increased up to 20 trains per hour. Most peak services have 12 cars. Although the station's capacity is small compared to other London terminals, it has a high footfall, averaging around 16 million passengers annually. A report in 2001 showed approximately 3,000 people commuted daily from Castle Point to
1785-732: The Great Eastern Railway was created by amalgamating various East Anglian railway companies (including the ECR) and it shared the station with the LTSR until 1912, when the latter was bought by the Midland Railway . The station came under ownership of the London & North Eastern Railway (LNER) following the Railways Act 1921 , and was shared by LNER and London Midland & Scottish Railway (LMS) services until nationalisation in 1948. The line from
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#17328523041791870-658: The London and Blackwall Railway (L&BR) and the London, Tilbury and Southend Railway (LTSR) are to destinations in east London and south Essex , including Upminster , Grays , Basildon , Southend and Shoeburyness . The station opened in 1841 to serve the L&;BR and was rebuilt in 1854 when the LTSR, a joint venture between the L&BR and the Eastern Counties Railway (ECR), began operating. The ECR also operated trains out of Fenchurch Street to relieve congestion at its other London terminus at Bishopsgate . In 1862
1955-600: The North London Railway (NLR) on 1 January 1853) started operating a service from Bow into Fenchurch Street and the L&BR withdrew its service, closing the line between Gas Factory Junction and Bow & Bromley. The station had two heavily used platforms and a double track line from Stepney onwards. Following a reduced income at Blackwall (the South Eastern Railway had opened a direct line from Gravesend to London), LBR shareholders voted to align with
2040-485: The Southchurch area of Southend. During 2006, a £425,000 refurbishment programme was completed at the station, providing level access to the London-bound platform, as well as new toilets, baby-changing facilities, a redecorated waiting room with CCTV, and a self-service ticket machine. The former parcels depot, which handled mainly credit-card post from the nearby Access site, was demolished and replaced with housing,
2125-571: The Tilbury and London Gateway ports. Freight traffic can also travel further using the connection to the Gospel Oak to Barking line and the Great Eastern Main Line at Forest Gate Junction, allowing access to other main routes. Built by the London, Tilbury and Southend Railway Company – a joint venture between the London and Blackwall Railway and the Eastern Counties Railway companies –
2210-488: The District Railway at Whitechapel . The connection allowed through-running of District Railway trains from Central London to provide local services to Upminster from 2 June 1902. A new station was provided at West Ham in 1901 which was built with four platforms in anticipation of quadrupling to East Ham. The track quadrupling progressed in stages between 1902 and 1905 on the south side of the existing lines which became
2295-563: The ECR and jointly construct the London, Tilbury and Southend Railway (LTSR) from Tilbury to Forest Gate Junction. Services would split at Stratford , one service to Bishopsgate and the other to Fenchurch Street along the reopened line via Bow & Bromley (although the station did not reopen). To accommodate this service a third line was built between Stepney and Fenchurch Street which was enlarged at this time. The new service commenced on 13 April 1854 using ECR locomotives and stock. To accommodate
2380-603: The ECR; they wished to amalgamate formally, but could not obtain government agreement for this until 1862, when the Great Eastern Railway (GER) was formed by amalgamation. In 1866 the LBR was taken over by the GER and all the stations between Fenchurch Street and Stepney became GER stations. On 5 April 1880 the Limehouse Curve opened with a new junction called Salmon Lane Junction, located between Gas Factory Junction and Stepney it provided
2465-431: The GER became part of the London and North Eastern Railway . A new service for workers from Tilbury and East Tilbury to Thames Haven began on 1 January 1923 – the last service had run in 1909. There were four intermediate halts at Mayes Crossing, Curry Marsh, London & Thames Haven Oil Wharves and Thames Haven. A new halt called Gale Street Halt was opened between Barking and Dagenham station on 28 June 1926 to serve
2550-490: The Great Eastern Main Line on the 1500v DC system. No regular electric services worked this line and it was primarily for diversion and emergency usage although regular empty trains ran to ensure the system worked. These were formed of AM6 electric multiple units. During the brief period of London Midland Region control the little used Purfleet Rifle Range Halt was closed on 31 May 1948. During 1949 East Horndon
2635-527: The LTS line was far greater than the first world war as a result of the London Blitz of 1940/1941 and the later deployment of the V1 and V2 flying bombs. The first big event was the evacuation of children from the area and a number of trains were run in late 1939 although many children returned when the extensive aerial bombardment did not materialise. During 1940 a lot of people moved out of towns such as Southend as it
Southend East railway station - Misplaced Pages Continue
2720-457: The LTSR services. After the Railways Act 1921 the country's railways were grouped into four companies, with effect from 1 January 1923. At Fenchurch Street, the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMSR) took over operations of the MR, whilst GER services were taken over by the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER). Direct trains to Gallions were usually routed via Bromley at off-peak hours and
2805-518: The Local Lines whilst the newly laid southern lines (known as the Through Lines) were for longer distance services. The Local Lines were electrified allowing District line services to be extended to East Ham. West of Barking, additional tracks and sidings were provided and the electrified tracks were extended to Barking and that section opened on 1 April 1908. There were three new stations opened in
2890-461: The NLR shuttle from Bow in 1869, which it operated until April 1892 when the second Bow Road railway station opened along with a passenger foot connection to the NLR station. Subsequent services into Fenchurch Street were operated by the GER and the LTSR, and three years later the viaduct from Stepney to Fenchurch Street was widened to accommodate a fourth track. Despite this, overcrowding of LTSR services
2975-562: The Through Lines would also have been electrified (the Local Lines being electrified in 1905) and electric trains to Southend were envisaged. In parallel with this the GER was proposing improvements to Fenchurch Street and a plan was agreed that saw: This agreement was the end of the Merz & Mclellan scheme, although the Midland Railway still wanted to quadruple Bromley to Stepney and this
3060-484: The answer and in 1913 a report by Merz & Mclellan suggested electrification and four tracking between Campbell Road Junction (west of Bromley station) and Stepney station. West of Stepney a new junction at Ratcliff Square would see six lines as far as Cannon Street Road where the line would then drop underground and either run to Aldgate or via two subterranean additional platforms at Fenchurch Street and onto Bank. The lines would have been electrified and east of Bromley
3145-476: The central London Travelcard zone 1 like other terminal stations in the city, but it does not have a direct link to the London Underground . The nearest stations on the London Underground network are Tower Hill about 0.2 miles (0.32 km) to the southeast and Aldgate around 0.3 miles (0.48 km) to the northeast. The area around Fenchurch Street is one of the oldest inhabited parts of London;
3230-450: The changes, the station was enlarged to designs by George Berkley incorporating a 32 metres (105 ft) by 91 metres (299 ft) trussed-arch vaulted roof. Two platforms were added at the same time as was a circulating area for L&BR and LTSR traffic. The NLR, wanting its own London terminus instead of co-sharing Fenchurch Street, extended its railway towards the new Broad Street station in 1865. The railway through Stratford
3315-509: The city via Fenchurch Street, while a 2013 report said it was the busiest station on the LTSR route, with 46,000 daily peak-time passengers. There have been proposals to move the station 380 yards to the east to allow the station to expand to 6 platforms, (up from the current 4) and would be built partly on the site of Tower Gateway DLR station , which would likely be permanently closed. The new station could be built with direct interchange with Tower Hill tube station , which could also have
3400-511: The closure of Burdett Road (bomb damage), Shadwell and Leman Street. The latter briefly acted as the London terminal of the line when Fenchurch Street had been put out of service due to bomb damage in September 1940. The V weapons bombardment first affected the LTS line on 30 June 1944 when a V1 hit the LMS single line at Romford station. A further ten incidents followed with the last on 17 March 1945 when
3485-639: The down side west of the site in 1910. In 1912 the LT&SR was taken over by the Midland Railway and after World War 1 following the Railways Act 1921 the line and station became part of the London Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) The station was opened by the London Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) on 28 March 1932 for excursion traffic only with three platforms supplied on the Up Main and two platforms on
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3570-488: The end of the track terminus at Charing Cross to Fenchurch Street via Aldwych and Ludgate Circus would have seen the line cross the River Thames and continue southeastwards towards Surrey Docks and Lewisham . A revised route, approved in 1980, would have seen the line follow a more northerly route to Woolwich Arsenal and Beckton . Mott, Hay and Anderson and Sir William Halcrow and Partners began constructing
3655-511: The excursion platforms were used for a few originating/terminating trains during the weekday peaks. After nationalisation on 1 January 1948 the line became part of British Railways London Midland Region but on 20 February 1949 the whole LTS line was transferred to the Eastern Region , yet despite the organisational changes, the old LTSR still was a distinctive system operated by former LTS and LMS locomotives until electrification. On 1 May of
3740-530: The former ECR lines transferred to the Underground's Central line in 1948, the station was served solely by the former LTSR services. Following nationalisation of Britain's railways in 1948, the station transferred under British Railways to the Eastern Region although the old LTSR network west of Gasworks Junction was controlled by the London Midland Region . On 20 February 1949, the whole LTS line
3825-411: The home of tank engines. Fenchurch Street railway station Fenchurch Street railway station , also known as London Fenchurch Street , is a central London railway terminus in the southeastern corner of the City of London . It takes its name from its proximity to Fenchurch Street , a key thoroughfare in the City. The station and all trains are operated by c2c . Services run on lines built by
3910-422: The junction was never completed. A short lived interchange station at Victoria Park & Bow was built at the junction but saw little traffic which led to a temporary closure of the line in September 1850. In January 1853 a new junction was built at Gas Factory Junction enabling the North London Railway to operate a new service into Fenchurch Street. The construction of the London, Tilbury and Southend Railway
3995-533: The line in 1935. Quadrupling and Electrifying the line was first considered in the Midland Railway Act of 1914 and the LMS presented plans in 1928/1929 to extend the four track section to Upminster. There was no mention of the curve to the Romford line. Upminster station had to be completely rebuilt as a result and additional platforms were added for terminating District Line services. The engine shed at Upminster
4080-705: The line to Charing Cross, but did not finish the project until 1979. Rising costs and high inflation led to London Transport abandoning the eastwards extension via Fenchurch Street in 1981. The line was completed in 1999, using a different route via the Greenwich Peninsula to Stratford , crossing the LTSR line from Fenchurch Street at West Ham . This has altered demand for Fenchurch Street, with passengers from Essex changing there instead. Services from Fenchurch Street run towards East London and south Essex , including Barking , Upminster , Chafford Hundred Lakeside (for Lakeside Shopping Centre ), Tilbury Town (for
4165-463: The line to Loughton was opened, and Fenchurch Street became the usual terminus for its trains, being much more convenient for is City commuters than Bishopsgate. By the 1860s, railways in East Anglia were in financial difficulties, and most lines were leased to the ECR. Although the companies wished to amalgamate they could not obtain government consent until 1862, when the Great Eastern Railway (GER)
4250-528: The name "Fenchurch" derives from the Latin faenum (hay) and refers to hay markets in the area. The station was the first to be granted permission by the Corporation of London to be constructed inside the City of London, following several refusals against other railway companies. The original building, designed by William Tite opened on 20 July 1841, serving the London and Blackwall Railway (L&BR), replacing
4335-466: The nearby Becontree Estate although initially the station was not connected by road. This plan was to see comprehensive investment in new facilities to improve operations as well as additional stations on the LTS Line. Fenchurch Street was not part of the scheme (even though proposals had been made in 1914 and 1924) but a scheme was adopted and agreed with the LNER in 1931/32 as part of the works which would see
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#17328523041794420-519: The railway was authorised in 1852, with the first section opening in 1854. The route was extended in phases and partnerships were formed with the Midland Railway and District Railway to provide through-services. The railway serves three main routes. The main line runs from Fenchurch Street to Shoeburyness via Basildon over a distance of 39 miles 40 chains (63.6 km). A loop line between Barking and Pitsea provides an alternative route via Rainham (Essex), Grays and Tilbury. Finally, there
4505-565: The relevant platforms being infilled and paved over to provide a larger 'up' platform area. A ticket office is located adjacent to platform 1. It was completed in 2011 replacing the previous ticket office located adjacent to platform 2. It has two serving positions and uses the TRIBUTE ticket issuing system. As of the June 2024 timetable the typical Monday to Friday off-peak service is: London, Tilbury and Southend line The London, Tilbury and Southend line , also known as Essex Thameside ,
4590-495: The rise in traffic and house building at Southend was paused until the 1920s. The nature of traffic at Fenchurch Street was changing as passenger numbers fell on the GER Blackwall and North Woolwich services. As these services declined and were withdrawn, the LT&SR was allowed to run additional trains in their stead. The 1921 Railways Act saw the Midland Railway become part of the London Midland & Scottish Railway whilst
4675-556: The same time a third track was opened on the Fenchurch Street approaches and the station expanded to four platforms. LT&SR Services initially ran from Fenchurch Street and Bishopsgate stations over existing lines to Stratford where they were coupled together and then via Forest Gate Junction to Tilbury for ferry connections to Gravesend . Further extensions opened in late 1854 to Horndon , to Leigh-on-Sea on 1 July 1855 and finally to Southend on 1 March 1856. In 1858
4760-507: The same year the station was named to Southend-on-Sea East . The area was re-signalled in 1960 prior to electrification in 1961. From re-signalling the signal box was only operational when platforms 1 and 2 were in use. The goods yard was taken out of use on 5 December 1967. The station was renamed Southend East in 1969. From 1969 to 1981 platform 1 was used as the Southend Area parcels concentration depot. Once this traffic ceased there
4845-474: The service from Fenchurch Street "wholly unacceptable", while Teresa Gorman , Member of Parliament for Billericay , subsequently called it "one of the disgraces of our public railway service for many years". Between 1982 and 1992, the station was operated by Network SouthEast , one of British Rail 's three passenger business sectors, before being handed over to a business unit in preparation for privatisation. In July 1994, shortly before rail privatisation ,
4930-403: The station closed for seven weeks for an £83 million project to replace signals, track and electrification works. It was the first significant closure of a London terminal station, albeit planned and temporary. The development of Lakeside Shopping Centre , near Chafford Hundred and Thurrock, increased demand for services from the station. In 2013, Network Rail announced a £3.4m upgrade creating
5015-503: The station in 1841 was the first to be opened in the City of London. Following the opening of the London and Blackwall Extension Railway on 2 April 1849, services operated from Fenchurch Street to Bow & Bromley . Some were extended to Victoria Park & Bow where an interchange existed with the Eastern Counties Railway (ECR) from Bishopsgate . On 26 September 1850, the East and West India Docks and Birmingham Junction Railway (renamed
5100-590: The station on day-trips to Southend, and described it as a "delightful hidden old terminus". The first documented murder on the British rail network occurred on 9 July 1864, when Franz Muller murdered Thomas Briggs shortly after a train left the station en route to Chalk Farm . Fenchurch Street is one of four railway stations on the standard UK Monopoly board, alongside Liverpool Street , Marylebone and King's Cross . All are former LNER terminal stations. The 2005 football hooliganism film Green Street used
5185-405: The station was electrified in 1961, and closed for seven weeks in 1994. Fenchurch Street is one of the smallest railway terminals in London in terms of platforms, but one of the most intensively operated. It is the only London terminal with no direct interchange with the London Underground . Plans to connect it stalled in the early 1980s because of the lack of progress on the Jubilee line , but it
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#17328523041795270-533: The way for through passenger trains from St Pancras to Southend although most trains terminated at Barking. The approaches to Fenchurch Street were further improved in 1895 with the addition of a fourth track from Stepney to Fenchurch Street. In 1902, the Whitechapel and Bow Railway was constructed as a joint venture with the District Railway , connecting the London, Tilbury and Southend Railway at Bromley with
5355-491: The years before sale to the Midland Railway which were Dagenham Dock (1908) Thorpe Bay (1910) and for military use only Purfleet Rifle Range Halt in 1911. One of, if not the biggest problem, the Midland Railway (MR) faced when it bought the LT&SR was the rising Southend traffic. Additionally traffic was rising on stations between Plaistow and Barking and there were plans to extend more trains out to Upminster. The Midland Railway saw extension of electrification as part of
5440-521: Was a joint enterprise between the LBR and ECR and was authorised by Parliament on 17 June 1852. The first section, built by Peto and Grissell , was opened between Forest Gate Junction on the Eastern Counties Railway main line and Tilbury , via Barking and Grays on 13 April 1854. The junction at Bow was finally completed and as part of the deal and this enabled the Eastern Counties Railway to also start operating into Fenchurch Street. At
5525-417: Was achieved in 1875 the LT&SR started to take steps to becoming an organisation that could stand on its own two feet. One of the first steps was building its own works/engine shed facility at Plaistow followed by ordering its first locomotives. A station at Upton Park was opened in 1877 largely funded by a developer. By the 1860s the railways in East Anglia were in financial trouble, and most were leased to
5610-430: Was also a direct line built between Barking and Pitsea, with new stations at Hornchurch and Upminster opening in 1884, An intermediate station at Dagenham opened in 1885 and the line extended east to East Horndon and later the same year to a re-sited Pitsea in 1886. Two years later a new station between East Horndon and Pitsea was opened at Laindon . A new station was opened in 1886 at Tilbury Town railway station which
5695-430: Was built in conjunction with the building of the rail connected docks next door. A single-track branch was constructed between Grays and Upminster and opened on 1 July 1892 with an intermediate station at Ockendon, The Upminster to Romford section was opened the following year. The Tottenham and Forest Gate Railway was a joint venture between the Midland Railway and LT&SR and opened on 9 July 1894. This opened
5780-415: Was commissioned by April 1935 and consisted of three and four aspect colour light signalling. This part of the work was carried out by the LNER who were responsible for the line with the LMS paying 2/3 of the cost. Other works along with the electrification described below, included: To support this improvement the LMS built 37 new 3-Cylindered Stanier 2-6-4Ts for the line in 1934 and these were working
5865-454: Was demolished and rebuilt at this time. New stations were opened and existing stations had additional platforms added. The stations were staffed by the LMS and from west to east were:- The London Passenger Transport Board (LPTB) was founded in 1932 and bought the management of the different underground lines under one roof. Discussions between the LMS and LPTB resulted in a decision to route Metropolitan Hammersmith & City trains away from
5950-450: Was demolished in 2003. The station and all trains serving it are currently operated by c2c . Southend East has two through platforms. Platform 1 is typically for westbound trains towards London Fenchurch Street and platform 2 is for eastbound trains towards Shoeburyness ; there is one disused platform. In April 2006, signs were erected with the label "Southend East for Southchurch Village" to better reflect its geographical location in
6035-438: Was dismantled and high-rise office blocks were built above the station leaving the 1854 facade intact. Fenchurch Street station suffered a negative reputation under public ownership. By the end of the 1980s, the former LTSR line was carrying over 50,000 passengers a day on a 50-year old infrastructure. The persistent overcrowding and uncleanliness on trains led to it being dubbed "the misery line". In 1989 Sir Robert Reid called
6120-400: Was extended to the current London terminus at Fenchurch Street and operations commenced on 20 July 1841. A short-lived station opened on the route at Cannon Street Road in 1842 but this closed by 1848. The L&BR built an extension, known as the London and Blackwall Extension Railway, from Stepney station to a junction with the Eastern Counties Railway at Bow but there was a dispute and
6205-406: Was formed. In common with most railways, signalling was fairly basic and trains were separated by time interval. As traffic levels increased there was a need to improve signalling and, in 1869, the GER introduced absolute block working between Fenchurch Street, Gas Factory Junction and Bow Junction, opening signal boxes at all locations. In the 1870s the flat awning over the station main's entrance
6290-455: Was known as Network SouthEast's "misery line". On privatisation in 1996, infrastructure ownership passed to Railtrack and Prism Rail took over operations of the franchise, marketing the route as LTS Rail. Ownership passed to Network Rail in 2002. Prism Rail were bought out by National Express in 2000 and in 2002 the line was rebranded as c2c . National Express sold the operation of the franchise to Trenitalia in 2017. The main building
6375-466: Was no operational reason for platforms 1 and 2 to be retained and all connections were removed on 10 January 1982 and the signal box was never operated again. The main booking office and station building closed in 1969 being replaced by a smaller office on the former platform 4 (now platform 2). In 1986 the route was transferred to the Network SouthEast sector of British Rail . During this period, it
6460-513: Was one of the areas expected, by the population at least, to be under threat of invasion. The LMS had to deal with a mass evacuation of children and on 2 June 1940 with 12 trains running to destinations in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire. The timetable was reduced with through District services being cut and other services being cut back but these were minor compared to other areas in the UK. The service
6545-516: Was presented in a parliamentary bill passed on 7 August 1914. The bill also covered the quadrupling of Barking to Upminster and a curve at Horndon that would have seen a direct link from Barking to Romford built. Although land between Barking and Upminster was purchased the ongoing strain of World War I saw the collapse of all three schemes. During the war additional day tripper trains to Southend declined (but did not totally disappear). Military supplies ran to Shoeburyness and Dagenham Dock and Tilbury
6630-447: Was provided in 1896 on the down side east of Southend station . As central Southend developed and the resort expanded it became clear that better goods facilities would be required and a new goods yard was provided on the down side just to the east of the signal box in 1907. Southend was a popular seaside resort for Londoners and additional trains were run in the summer and bank holidays. To cater for these new carriage sidings were laid on
6715-748: Was renamed West Horndon (where it actually was), Heathway was renamed Dagenham Heathway and Dagenham renamed Dagenham East. The catastrophic North Sea flood of 1953 flooded parts of the LTS line on 1 February 1953. The affected areas on the LTS line were: The last section cut the Southend end of the line off from the London end and a significant number of locomotives and carriages were effectively marooned. Additional services were put in from Southend Victoria to Shenfield where passengers could then change to additional express EMU worked services to Fenchurch Street. This later changed to direct services which saw former GE and LNE tender engines visit Fenchurch Street, normally
6800-474: Was replaced with the current zig-zag canopy. The station's track layout was rearranged in 1883 with platform extensions, a fifth platform for use by the Blackwall services and a new gantry signal box (which lasted until the 1935 re-modelling). The GER used the station as an alternative to Liverpool Street station during the late-19th and early-20th centuries for former ECR routes. The GER took over operation of
6885-517: Was slowed down as the Stanier 3-cylinder 2-6-4Ts were transferred away, and haulage was put back in the hands of the LT&SR and LMS 4-4-2Ts. The first serious incident was recorded on 18 August 1940 when Shoeburyness station and signal box were bombed and a signalman, Charles Walter Speller, was killed on 18 August 1940. The London Blitz lasted until Saturday 10 May/Sunday 11 May 1941 and Kay records 26 serious incidents between those two dates. There were
6970-454: Was still occurring and this persisted until 1902 when the opening of the Whitechapel and Bow Railway offered an alternative route. In 1903, the GER built the Fairlop Loop , a short connecting line between Ilford and Woodford from where services ran to Liverpool Street and around 36 trains a day ran to Fenchurch Street. In 1912, the Midland Railway (MR) bought and took over operation of
7055-496: Was the arrival point for many American servicemen between 1917 and 1918. They were moved to camps all over the country by rail. After the end of the war Purfleet was a major demobilisation centre and rail was again used to disperse the former troops throughout the country. Records show that LT&SR locomotives worked as far as Wood Green (Alexandra Palace) on the Great Northern line from London Kings Cross. The war slowed down
7140-406: Was transferred to the Eastern Region , yet despite the organisational changes, the old LTSR still was a distinctive system operated by former LTS and LMS locomotives until electrification. British Railways electrified the former LTSR line in 1959. Electric services began on 6 November 1961 and a full electric timetable was introduced on 18 June the following year. In the 1980s, the station roof
7225-495: Was unable to cope with the extra services, so the LTSR planned to build a more direct line from Barking to Gas Factory Junction. The third track from Stepney to Fenchurch Street opened in 1856, followed by the direct line from Barking in 1858. LTSR services were diverted from Stratford and a spur was opened at Abbey Mills Junction (east of Bromley) which allowed services to and from North Woolwich to operate directly from Fenchurch Street instead of via Stratford. On 22 August 1856,
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