London, Tilbury and Southend Railway

London-Tilbury-Southend Line
Class 357 unit between Barking and Upminster.
Overview
Type	Commuter rail, Heavy rail
System	National Rail
Status	Operational
Locale	Greater London East of England
Termini	London Fenchurch Street Shoeburyness
Stations	26
Operation
Opening	1854
Owner	Network Rail
Operator(s)	c2c
Depot(s)	East Ham and Shoeburyness
Rolling stock	Class 357 "Electrostar"
Technical
Line length	39.5 miles (63.57 km)
No. of tracks	2
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification	25 kV AC
Operating speed	up to 75 mph (121 km/h)
Route map Legend 0m 00ch Fenchurch Street( Tower Hill) Docklands Light Railway to Bank Closed 1853 DLR opened 1987 Tower Gateway | Minories Closed 1941 Leman Street Closed 1848 Cannon Street Road Shadwell East London Line Closed 1941 Shadwell(L&BR) Former London & Blackwall Railway 1m 58ch Limehouse Docklands Light Railway Regents Canal Closed 1941 Burdett Road Gas Factory Junction H&C and District lines to Great Eastern Main Line Docklands Light Railway 3m 18ch Bromley-by-Bow Bow Creek 4m 7ch West Ham Jubilee line 4m 45ch Plaistow 5m 28ch Upton Park 6m 35ch East Ham East Ham EMU depot London Overground Gospel Oak to Barking Line 7m 42ch Barking Upney 9m 48ch Becontree Dagenham Heathway 10m 45ch Dagenham Dock 11m 25ch Dagenham East Elm Park 12m 50ch Rainham 13m 56ch Hornchurch Upminster Bridge Romford to Upminster Line to Romford 15m 20ch Upminster Upminster Depot (LUL) Ockendon Chafford Hundred for Lakeside Shopping Centre West Thurrock Junction 19m 15ch West Horndon 19m 66ch Grays 21m 48ch Tilbury Town for Bus Link to Gravesend Ferry Tilbury Freight Terminal Closed 1992 Tilbury Riverside Closed 1967 Low Street 25m 07ch East Tilbury 22m 69ch Laindon 27m 13ch Stanford-le-Hope London Gateway Port 24m 26ch Basildon 1: 32m 37ch 2: 26m 42ch Pitsea 26m 42ch Milepost Change 26m 52ch Pitsea Junction 29m 11ch Benfleet for Canvey Island 32m 43ch Leigh-on-Sea 33m 69ch Chalkwell 34m 66ch Westcliff 35m 55ch Southend Central 36m 49ch Southend East 37m 73ch Thorpe Bay Shoeburyness carriage sidings 39m 40ch Shoeburyness Manual level crossing over Shoeburyness High Street MOD Pig's Bay

The London, Tilbury and Southend Railway is a railway line in England linking Fenchurch Street railway station in the City of London with the northern Thames Gateway area of southern Essex. It is now known as the Essex Thameside Route by Network Rail and forms part of strategic route 6.^[1] It is classified as a London and South East commuter line.^[2] Passenger train services on the line form the Essex Thameside franchise that is operated by c2c, a train operating company and part of the National Express Group.

The main route from Fenchurch Street to Shoeburyness via Basildon is 39.5 miles (63.57 km) and the fastest timetabled journey time from Fenchurch Street to Shoeburyness is 58 minutes^[3] giving an average speed of 40.7 mph, although the route can be done in 47 minutes, giving an average speed of 50 mph. A loop line serving Tilbury provides an alternative connection from London to Southend; and a branch line connecting the two via Chafford Hundred forms a third route. The line has a maximum speed limit of 75 mph (121 km/h), although the Class 357 Electrostar trains which run on it are capable of a maximum speed of 100 mph (160 km/h).

The line was authorised in 1852 and the first section was opened in 1854 by the London, Tilbury and Southend Railway Company, which was a joint venture between the London and Blackwall Railway and the Eastern Counties Railway. The line was extended in phases and partnerships were formed with the Midland Railway and District Railway to provide through services. The line was purchased by the Midland Railway in 1912 and became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway in 1923.

History

London, Tilbury & Southend Line
Legend
London Fenchurch Street Limehouse London and Blackwall Railway (1871–1941)Burdett Road   London and Blackwall Extension Railway to Great Eastern Main Line Whitechapel and Bow Railway (1858–1962)Bromley West Ham (1858–1962)Plaistow (1877–1962)Upton Park (1858–1962)East Ham Gospel Oak to Barking Line Barking Becontree(1926–1962) Dagenham Dock Dagenham(1885–1962) Hornchurch(1885–1962) Rainham Upminster Purfleet M25 motorway Ockendon A282 Dartford Crossing Chafford Hundred Grays Tilbury Town West Horndon (1854–1992)Tilbury Riverside East Tilbury Laindon London Gateway Low Street Stanford-le-Hope Basildon Pitsea Benfleet Leigh-on-Sea Chalkwell Westcliff Southend Central Southend East Thorpe Bay Shoeburyness

Initial construction

Construction of the 36-mile (58 km) line was authorised by Parliament on 17 June 1852.^[4] The first section, constructed by Peto and Grissell, was opened between Forest Gate junction on the Eastern Counties Railway and Tilbury, via Barking and Grays on 13 April 1854.^[5] Services initially ran from Fenchurch Street and Bishopsgate stations over existing lines to Stratford and Forest Gate Junction.^[5] Further extensions opened in late 1854 to Horndon, to Leigh-on-Sea on 1 July 1855 and finally to Southend on 1 March 1856.^[4] In 1858 a more direct route to Fenchurch Street was constructed through Bromley, Plaistow and East Ham,^[5] connecting with the London and Blackwall Extension Railway at Bow; and the service from Bishopsgate was withdrawn. Under the management of civil engineer Arthur Lewis Stride the line was extended from Southend to Shoeburyness in 1884.^[5] A more direct route from Barking to Pitsea via Upminster was constructed between 1885 and 1888, completing the current main route.^[5] A single track branch was constructed between Romford and Grays via Upminster in 1892 – 1893.

Route development

'LTSR' canopy support at East Ham (no longer served)

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 Bow with the District Railway at Whitechapel. The connection allowed through running of District Railway trains from the tunnels under central London to provide local services to Upminster from 2 June 1902.^[6] When the Metropolitan, District and Whitechapel & Bow Railway lines were electrified, an additional pair of tracks was constructed between Bow and East Ham and the service was cut back to there on 30 September 1905.^[6] The electrified tracks were extended to Barking and opened on 1 April 1908.^[6] Delayed by World War I,^[5] the electric tracks were extended to Upminster and District line services started on 12 September 1932.^[6]

The London Plan Working Party Report of 1949 envisaged as its Route G the LTSR electrified and diverted away from Fenchurch Street to Bank and on through the Waterloo & City line tunnels to Waterloo and its suburban lines.^[7] Of course, the Waterloo & City tunnels would have had to be bored out to main line size for this "Crossrail" to happen. However, electrification went ahead from 1961 to 1962^[5] and direct passenger services from Bromley, Plaistow, Upton Park, East Ham, Becontree, Dagenham and Hornchurch to Fenchurch Street were withdrawn. In 1974 a station opened to serve the new town of Basildon and in 1995 a station was built at Chafford Hundred to serve the new community there and Lakeside Shopping Centre. Platforms were reestablished and opened at West Ham station in 1999 to provide interchange with the extended Jubilee line.

Ownership and management

LMS 3-cylinder 2-6-4T No. 2500 built specifically for the LTSR section at National Railway Museum, York in 2003

The railway was initially jointly promoted by the Eastern Counties Railway and London and Blackwall Railway and was leased for 21 years to Peto, Brassey and Betts.^[8] The lease expired in 1875, leaving the LT&SR to take over operation itself.^[4] The Midland Railway and London, Tilbury and Southend Railway jointly constructed the Tottenham and Forest Gate Railway, which enabled through running of trains between St Pancras railway station and Tilbury Docks.^[5] In 1912 the London, Tilbury and Southend Railway was vested in the Midland Railway following an Act of 7 August 1912, though the MR did not assume full control until 1 October 1920.^[4] At grouping in 1923, the line became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway.^[5] The London, Midland and Scottish Railway was nationalised into British Railways in 1948 and in 1949 the LTSR line became part of the Eastern Region.^[5] The line was electrified in the late 1950s.^[4] In 1986 the route was transferred to the Network SouthEast sector of British Rail. On privatisation in 1996, ownership passed to Railtrack and Prism Rail took over operations of the London, Tilbury and Southend franchise; marketing the route as LTS Rail.^[5] Ownership passed to Network Rail in 2002. Prism Rail were bought out by National Express Group in 2000 and in 2002 the line was rebranded as c2c.

Rolling stock

The line was known for its use of 4-4-2 tank engines which were later displaced by 2-6-4Ts after it had been absorbed into the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) in 1923. In 1958 an accident at Dagenham East caused the loss of 10 lives.

Modernisation

Modern c2c Electrostar train on LT&SR route

During the early 1990s proposals were put forward to convert the whole line into a guided busway, however these plans were quickly dismissed when British Rail announced a complete re-signalling of the line. Over the years the LTS had been used in an almost experimental fashion and contained a whole host of different signalling systems (e.g. geographical, WESTPAC and relay interlockings). In 1995 work got underway to replace everything from signals and point machines to whole junctions.

The main contractor for the work was GEC Alsthom who provided a Mark 3 Solid State Interlocking (SSI) system with SEMA providing the IECC element at Upminster that replaced all signal boxes on the whole line. Main line running signals mostly became 4 aspect colour lights (replacing searchlight signals amongst others), all point machines were replaced with HW2000 machines and the whole line had a complete fibre optic network installed. All level crossings were renewed with full barriers to be CCTV controlled by a designated workstation at Upminster.

The main line between Fenchurch Street and Shoeburyness was also bi-directionally signalled (with 3 aspect signalling) along most parts, with the bi-directional section alternating from one track to the other between certain stations, to provide maximum flexibility for continuing operations should disruption occur.

The line was re-signalled over the Easter weekend 1996 when all the signal boxes from Fenchurch Street to Shoeburyness (via Basildon) were switched out and control was transferred to Upminster IECC. This was later followed over the 1996 August bank holiday when Upminster took control from the remaining boxes on the Tilbury Loop.

Stations

• ^a Millions of entries and exits during the 2013/14 financial year^[9]
• ^b Year station first served by London, Tilbury and Southend Railway service (could be served earlier by another company)
• ^c Off-peak Monday-Saturday trains per hour frequency in the December 2009 timetable^[3]
• ^d Service suspended in 1913 and reintroduced in 1999

Diversion to Liverpool Street

The main terminus is Fenchurch Street

When necessary, due to engineering work or other problems, trains can be diverted at Barking over the Gospel Oak to Barking Line and then the Great Eastern Main Line to call at Stratford and Liverpool Street. Trains diverted at Barking, having passed Stratford, can also rejoin the London, Tilbury and Southend line before Limehouse (avoiding West Ham) and continue to Fenchurch Street. This route is used by a limited service on Monday to Friday between Shoeburyness or Grays and Fenchurch Street via Stratford and consists of a short section of single track at Bow. From May 1985^[10] to May 2007, the weekday service after 22:30 operated from Liverpool Street. As of May 2010, most through services now start and terminate at Fenchurch Street, with a limited number of late evening and early morning weekday services operating to Liverpool Street. Westbound there are currently two services from Barking and one from Stanford-le-Hope, Grays and Southend Central to Liverpool Street. Eastbound there are only two services from Liverpool Street to Barking.

Proposed developments

2007 proposals

The Greater Anglia RUS, published in December 2007, outlined a number of developments intended for the Thameside Route. In the medium term, 2009–14, this includes minor infrastructure works and additional rolling stock to allow all main line peak-service trains to be extended to 12-car formation. Also included is the proposal for the extension of platforms on the Tilbury loop and Ockendon branch to handle 12 cars, to allow all main line peak-service trains to be extended to 8 or 12-car formation. In the longer term intentions are to continue the lengthening of peak trains to 12-car formation.^[11] A new railway station is proposed at Beam Reach, between Rainham and Purfleet.^[12]

London Gateway (port) link

A link to the London Gateway deep water port under construction present will be linked to the line. Work of the port started in February 2010 and it is expected to handle 3.5 million TEU and be completed over the next ten to 15 years.^[13]

Preservation

Of the original LTS, 4-4-2T number 80 survives as a stationary exhibit at Bressingham Steam Museum in Norfolk. An ex-LT&S BR Std (80079) is preserved as a stationary exhibit, on the Severn Valley Railway in Shropshire. Another ex LTS locomotive BR 42500 is the sole remaining member of the 36 3 cylinder 2-6-4 tank engines built by the LMS in the 1930s for the London Tilbury and Southend line. It is preserved in LMS livery at the National Railway Museum in York.

Shipping activity

Until 1855 the ferry crossing between Tilbury and Gravesend in Kent was operated by sailing and rowing boats, but in that year steam driven vessels were introduced on the River Thames crossing. On formation of the London,Tilbury and Southend Railway Company that operation became part of its activities.^[14]

Responsibility for the ferry operation was transferred to the Midland Railway Company and the London, Midland and Scottish Railway in 1912 and 1923 respectively.

Particulars of the ferry service and the vessels employed are listed at Gravesend-Tilbury Ferry.

References

Notes

Bibliography

External links

• Bibliography
• Detailed description of Tilbury Riverside at Disused Stations web site
• collection of 1940 clips, starting with restored 'Thundersley'

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London, Tilbury and Southend Railway Stations Forest Gate Junction to Southend Barking Benfleet Dagenham Dock Grays Thurrock Horndon Leigh Low Street Pitsea Purfleet Rainham Southend Tilbury Dock Tilbury Fort Westcliff-on-Sea Bow to Barking extension Bromley East Ham Plaistow Upton Park West Ham Barking to Pitsea extension Dagenham East Horndon Gale Street Halt Hornchurch Laindon Upminster Shoeburyness extension Shoeburyness Southend East Thorpe Bay Romford to Grays branch Emerson Park Ockendon Romford Locomotives 1 Class 37 Class 49 Class 51 Class 69 Class 79 Class MR 2100 Class LMS 4P 2-6-4T Relationships Corringham Light Railway District Railway Eastern Counties Railway Great Eastern Railway London and Blackwall Railway Midland Railway North London Railway Tottenham and Forest Gate Railway Absorbed by the Midland Railway in 1912 ►