Lewisham station

Lewisham
Lewisham Location of Lewisham in Greater London
Location	Lewisham
Local authority	London Borough of Lewisham
Managed by	Southeastern Docklands Light Railway
Station code	LEW
DfT category	C2
Number of platforms	6
Accessible	Yes (DLR and 4 NR platforms) [1][2]
Fare zone	2 and 3
DLR annual boardings and alightings
2007–08	9.024 million[3]
2008–09	8.837 million[3]
2010–11	8.745 million[4]
National Rail annual entry and exit
2004–05	4.071 million[5]
2005–06	4.021 million[5]
2006–07	5.841 million[5]
2007–08	6.294 million[5]
2008–09	6.261 million[5]
2009–10	6.370 million[5]
2010–11	7.019 million[5]
2011–12	7.387 million[5]
2012–13	8.192 million[5]
2013–14	8.670 million[5]
2014–15	9.218 million[5]
Key dates
30 July 1849	Opened
1 January 1857	Renamed (Lewisham Junction)
7 July 1929	Renamed (Lewisham)
1999	DLR extension
Other information
Lists of stations	DLR Underground National Rail Tramlink
External links	Departures Layout Facilities Buses
London Transport portal UK Railways portalCoordinates: 51°27′55″N 0°00′48″W / 51.4653°N 0.0133°W / 51.4653; -0.0133

Lewisham station is a National Rail and Docklands Light Railway station in Lewisham, south east London which first opened as Lewisham Junction New Station in 1857. It is on the south-east London commuter rail network operated by Southeastern.^[6] Southeastern currently have posters up within the station stating that there will be partial demolition of the 1857 building to open up a waiting area with work being completed over ten weeks before September 2015.^[7]

Station layout

There are four platforms for main-line trains: 1 and 2 on the North Kent Line, and 3 and 4 on a loop off the South Eastern Main Line (which are also known as the mid-Kent route). The former opened on 30 July 1849, the latter on 1 January 1857. The present station opened in 1857, when the Mid Kent line was added.

Elaborate cast iron brackets

In 1929 large-scale remodelling of the junction was undertaken to enable cross-London freight traffic to be routed via Nunhead and Loughborough Junction. The new route utilised part of the former Greenwich Park branch and included a flyover. Some trains heading to/from London use the flyover and then descend via Tanners Hill Junction to rejoin the main line, using a reversible line which opened in 1976. This junction was further developed in 2012.

Platforms 5 and 6 are served by Docklands Light Railway trains to Bank and Stratford. The Docklands Light Railway station opened in 1999 following a southward extension from Island Gardens.

From December 2009, Lewisham was fitted with electric ticket gates, in line with the Government's new strategy to give all Greater London National Rail stations Oyster card accessibility and closing access to those who attempt to travel without tickets. This was controversial as it involved the closure of the gate on Platform 4 and led to a petition signed by over 1,000.^[8]

British Transport Police also maintains a neighbourhood policing presence at Lewisham.^[9]

Station History

The Station was built to enable interchange between the north Kent and mid Kent lines. The Mid Kent line was opened on 1 January 1857.^[10] For a period Old Lewisham Station was also kept open ^[11]

The 1857 station is made of yellow stock brick with stone dressing and has an unusual survival of a wooden clapboard building at the back.The facade has a pleasing symmetry of three windows, three entrance doors, three windows. Sadly this is currently obscured by the placement of information screens and wiring. A closed Victorian post box is to the front of the station. Original doors sash windows skirting tiling and banisters are present inside. The original corniced ceiling of the main hall is currently concealed by a lowered fake ceiling. Platform 3 has kept its original canopy with its elaborate cast iron brackets which depict cherries. some of the original champfered wood and cast iron supports of the original canopy survive on platform 2 although it has been crudely extended width onto the front of the original canopy in the early 2Oth century.

Platform 1, Lewisham station - geograph.org.uk - 229248

The station has similarities with other listed stations built at around the same time such as the listed Ladywell railway station Blackheath station and Gravesend railway station which has the same elaborate cast iron supporting brackets as can be found at Lewisham.^[12]

Shortly after the rebuilding of the station in its current form in 1857 a rail crash saw 12 die *Lewisham rail crash (1857). 100 years later another rail accident took place nearby Lewisham rail crash

The original canopy over platform 4 was demolished at some point post 1990.

The original canopy over the main entrance was demolished in 2009 at a cost of £790k ^[13] and replaced with a steel version.

Lewisham Station (2) - geograph.org.uk - 436678

Planned Bakerloo line service

Tfl is currently considering extending the Bakerloo line to Lewisham. Both line options stop at Lewisham. If progressed the station is currently expected to open in 2030.^[14]

In its draft Kent Route Utilisation Strategy,^[15] Network Rail mentions the possibility of extending the Bakerloo line from Elephant & Castle to Lewisham, and then taking over the Hayes branch line. Network Rail states that this would free up six paths per hour into central London and so increasing capacity on the Tonbridge main line, which would also relieve the junctions around Lewisham. This would not be undertaken until after 2015.

Planned Jubilee line service

Lewisham tube station was planned to be built on the Jubilee line on the London Underground. Preliminary construction work was begun before the plan was delayed by lack of funds. Eventually the route was changed and the station cancelled.^[16]

Services

Lewisham is the southern terminus of the DLR, the previous station being Elverson Road. It is on the boundary of Travelcard Zone 2 and Zone 3 and is a major transport hub, with many buses passing through or terminating here.

There are a number of freight trains that are generally routed through platforms 3 and 4. In 2012 these include freightliner trains (Isle of Grain), gypsum (Hothfield), aggregates (Angerstein Wharf) and nuclear material (Dungeness).

The typical off-peak service in trains per hour is:

Southeastern (National Rail)

Northbound;

• 4tph to London Charing Cross (Fast to Waterloo East)
• 8tph to London Cannon Street via London Bridge
• 2tph to London Victoria via Denmark Hill & Peckham Rye

Eastbound;

• 4tph to London Cannon Street via Sidcup or via Bexleyheath both returning via Greenwich
• 4thp to Dartford via Bexleyheath
• 2tph to Gillingham via Woolwich Arsenal

Southbound;

• 2tph to Orpington
• 2tph to Hayes

Docklands Light Railway

Northbound;

• 12tph to Bank via Greenwich, Canary Wharf and Limehouse

Destinations

Railways around Lewisham and Hither Green

Legend South Eastern Main Line to Charing Cross non-stop via London Bridge South Eastern Main Line to Cannon Street via New Cross St Johns Nunhead to Lewisham link to London Victoria Greenwich Park Branch Line to Greenwich Park Docklands Light Railway to Bank–Monument or Stratford Elverson Road Lewisham North Kent & Bexleyheath Lines to Dartford via Blackheath Ladywell Hayes Line to Hayes via Catford Bridge Hither Green Hither Green TMD Dartford Loop Line to Dartford via Sidcup Lee South Eastern Main Line to Kent non-stop via Orpington South Eastern Main Line to Orpington (stopping services)

Southeastern trains operate to:

• St Johns, New Cross, London Bridge, Waterloo East, Charing Cross and Cannon Street (some trains non-stop to London Bridge, with a limited number running non-stop to Waterloo East in the morning peak).
• Nunhead, Peckham Rye, Denmark Hill and Victoria
• Dartford via Woolwich Arsenal, Bexleyheath or Sidcup (some trains continue to Gillingham via Gravesend)
• Hayes via Catford Bridge
• Orpington via Grove Park (during the day, trains continue to Sevenoaks but generally do not call at Lewisham)

Docklands Light Railway trains operate to Canary Wharf, and continue onwards either to Bank or Stratford. At peak times or following service disruption, it is not unusual to see trains terminating at rather odd locations, such as All Saints or Gallions Reach.

Preceding station		DLR		Following station
Elverson Road towards Bank, Tower Gateway or Stratford		Docklands Light Railway		Terminus
	National Rail
Nunhead		Southeastern Nunhead to Lewisham Link (Victoria - Dartford)		Blackheath
London Bridge or New Cross		Southeastern North Kent & Bexleyheath Lines
St Johns		Southeastern Hayes Line		Ladywell
London Bridge or St Johns		Southeastern Dartford Loop Line		Hither Green
		Southeastern Grove Park Line

Connections

London Buses routes 21, 47, 75, 89, 108, 136, 178, 180, 181, 185, 199, 208, 225, 261, 273, 284, 321, 380, 436, 484, P4 and 621 and night routes N21, N89, N136 and N199 serve the station.

References

• Horne, Mike (2000). The Jubilee Line. Capital Transport. ISBN 1-85414-220-8. 

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lewisham station (London).

• Docklands Light Railway website - Lewisham station page