Herne Hill railway station
Encyclopedia
Herne Hill railway station is in Herne Hill
, a location in the London Borough of Lambeth
, South London
, England
. Its location is .
The station is above road level near the junction of five main roads, between Railton Road and Milkwood Road. There is no entrance in Milkwood Road, but there is a corridor between the two roads, from which it is possible to enter the station. There are four platforms.
The original brick buildings at street level, with arched window decoration, are still a feature. The more modern buildings on the two island platforms provide faces to the main lines and the Up and Down passenger loops. The platform on the Up (northbound) side includes a coffee bar and waiting room for connecting passengers; there are fewer facilities on the Down (southbound) side, which is a 1970s rebuild which shortened the platform canopy and replaced the then wooden buildings. The Northbound platform buildings were constructed when the station was reduced from 5 to 4 platforms. The entrance to the 5th platform was direct from the main building and the bricked up doors can still be seen from platform 1.
There is a flat junction at each end of the station; Herne Hill North Junction, where the lines to Loughborough Junction and Brixton diverge;, and Herne Hill South Junction, where the lines to West Dulwich and Tulse Hill diverge.
The station was opened by the London, Chatham and Dover Railway
, as part of its main access route to London Victoria station, on 25 August 1862. The station is served by South Eastern Trains to south east London and Kent
and by First Capital Connect
trains from Luton
to Wimbledon
via Sutton. Until the First World war, some main line trains were divided and joined at Herne Hill.
There have been rumours that the Victoria Line
may be extended to Herne Hill to provide faster turnaround at the southern end of the line.
and a steam train, caused by unsatisfactory "fogging" procedures leading to a signal at danger being passed by the steam train. The steam train ran into the side of the correctly signalled EMU, which was crossing its path at the flat junction. One fatality and nine hospitalised passengers resulted from this accident.
There are also two services per day to Brighton and occasional services from London Victoria to Maidstone East and Ashford International calling at Herne Hill.
All services passing through Herne Hill towards Elephant & Castle, with the exception of the diverted Bedford-Brighton trains mentioned above, will terminate at Blackfriars once the station's redevelopment is complete and the new terminating platforms have opened (scheduled for end of 2011/early 2012). Only the diverted Bedford-Brighton trains will run through central London and that will only last until they are directed back to London Bridge in 2015. As these trains may not call at Herne Hill, all passengers from Herne Hill will have to change at Blackfriars to travel further north from 2012 at the earliest and 2015 at the latest. The lack of through services will be a permanent arrangement.
, Camberwell
, Walworth Road, Borough Road
to Blackfriars Bridge railway station
as part of the company's ambitious City Branch which eventually saw trains running through the Snow Hill tunnel
into the City of London
. This service was discontinued in 1916 and the trains terminated at Holborn Viaduct station instead. In the late 1980s the link was re-opened and today the former City Branch forms the basis for the Thameslink
system.
Herne Hill
Herne Hill is located in the London Borough of Lambeth and the London Borough of Southwark in Greater London. There is a road of the same name which continues the A215 north of Norwood Road and was called Herne Hill Road.-History:...
, a location in the London Borough of Lambeth
London Borough of Lambeth
The London Borough of Lambeth is a London borough in south London, England and forms part of Inner London. The local authority is Lambeth London Borough Council.-Origins:...
, South London
South London
South London is the southern part of London, England, United Kingdom.According to the 2011 official Boundary Commission for England definition, South London includes the London boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Croydon, Greenwich, Kingston, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Southwark, Sutton and...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Its location is .
The station is above road level near the junction of five main roads, between Railton Road and Milkwood Road. There is no entrance in Milkwood Road, but there is a corridor between the two roads, from which it is possible to enter the station. There are four platforms.
The original brick buildings at street level, with arched window decoration, are still a feature. The more modern buildings on the two island platforms provide faces to the main lines and the Up and Down passenger loops. The platform on the Up (northbound) side includes a coffee bar and waiting room for connecting passengers; there are fewer facilities on the Down (southbound) side, which is a 1970s rebuild which shortened the platform canopy and replaced the then wooden buildings. The Northbound platform buildings were constructed when the station was reduced from 5 to 4 platforms. The entrance to the 5th platform was direct from the main building and the bricked up doors can still be seen from platform 1.
There is a flat junction at each end of the station; Herne Hill North Junction, where the lines to Loughborough Junction and Brixton diverge;, and Herne Hill South Junction, where the lines to West Dulwich and Tulse Hill diverge.
The station was opened by the London, Chatham and Dover Railway
London, Chatham and Dover Railway
The London, Chatham and Dover Railway was a railway company in south-eastern England from 1859 until the 1923 grouping which united it with other companies to form the Southern Railway. Its lines ran through London and northern and eastern Kent to form a significant part of the Greater London...
, as part of its main access route to London Victoria station, on 25 August 1862. The station is served by South Eastern Trains to south east London and Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
and by First Capital Connect
First Capital Connect
First Capital Connect is a passenger train operating company in England that began operations on the National Rail network on 1 April 2006...
trains from Luton
Luton
Luton is a large town and unitary authority of Bedfordshire, England, 30 miles north of London. Luton and its near neighbours, Dunstable and Houghton Regis, form the Luton/Dunstable Urban Area with a population of about 250,000....
to Wimbledon
Wimbledon station
Wimbledon station is a National Rail, London Underground, and Tramlink station located in Wimbledon in the London Borough of Merton, and is the only London station that provides an interchange between rail, Underground, and Tramlink services...
via Sutton. Until the First World war, some main line trains were divided and joined at Herne Hill.
There have been rumours that the Victoria Line
Victoria Line
The Victoria line is a deep-level London Underground line running from the south to the north-east of London. It is coloured light blue on the Tube map...
may be extended to Herne Hill to provide faster turnaround at the southern end of the line.
Accident
On 6 November 1947 a collision occurred at the south junction involving an EMUMultiple unit
The term multiple unit or MU is used to describe a self-propelled carriages capable of coupling with other units of the same or similar type and still being controlled from one driving cab. The term is commonly used to denote passenger trainsets consisting of more than one carriage...
and a steam train, caused by unsatisfactory "fogging" procedures leading to a signal at danger being passed by the steam train. The steam train ran into the side of the correctly signalled EMU, which was crossing its path at the flat junction. One fatality and nine hospitalised passengers resulted from this accident.
Services
The current off-peak service pattern from Herne Hill station comprises the following:- 4tph (trains per hour) to London Victoria via Brixton
- 4tph to Orpington via Beckenham Junction
- 2tph to Luton via Elephant & Castle
- 2tph to St Albans via Elephant & Castle
- 2tph to Sutton via Wimbledon
- 2tph to Wimbledon via Sutton
There are also two services per day to Brighton and occasional services from London Victoria to Maidstone East and Ashford International calling at Herne Hill.
Future
From the Autumn of 2012, the station will be increasingly busy as Thameslink trains destined for London Bridge will be diverted through Herne Hill from East Croydon to Blackfriars (current plans indicate 4tph in both directions). This is because of the large scale redevelopment of London Bridge Station that will close it to First Capital Connect (Bedford-Brighton) services. It is unclear if these services will call at Herne Hill as plans are in a draft format - but other services may be affected.All services passing through Herne Hill towards Elephant & Castle, with the exception of the diverted Bedford-Brighton trains mentioned above, will terminate at Blackfriars once the station's redevelopment is complete and the new terminating platforms have opened (scheduled for end of 2011/early 2012). Only the diverted Bedford-Brighton trains will run through central London and that will only last until they are directed back to London Bridge in 2015. As these trains may not call at Herne Hill, all passengers from Herne Hill will have to change at Blackfriars to travel further north from 2012 at the earliest and 2015 at the latest. The lack of through services will be a permanent arrangement.
Transport links
London bus routes 3, 37, 68, 196, 201, 322, 468, school route 690 and night route N3 and N68.London, Chatham and Dover Railway
In 1864 the line was extended Northwards through Loughborough JunctionLoughborough Junction
Loughborough Junction is an area of South London, in the Borough of Lambeth, which lies on the borderline of Brixton and Camberwell. It is centred at a junction which consists of 6 railway bridges which can all be seen at once from the centre of the junction. Loughborough Junction can be found...
, Camberwell
Camberwell
Camberwell is a district of south London, England, and forms part of the London Borough of Southwark. It is a built-up inner city district located southeast of Charing Cross. To the west it has a boundary with the London Borough of Lambeth.-Toponymy:...
, Walworth Road, Borough Road
Borough Road
Borough Road is in Southwark, London SE1. It runs east-west between St George's Circus and Borough High Street.- History and location :The route was created as part of the planning and road improvements associated with the completion of Westminster Bridge in 1750, to provide access to Southwark...
to Blackfriars Bridge railway station
Blackfriars Bridge railway station
Blackfriars Bridge railway station was a railway station on the London, Chatham and Dover Railway . It was constructed in 1864 and, for six months, was the northern terminus for a line from via . It was part of a scheme by the company to extend into the City of London...
as part of the company's ambitious City Branch which eventually saw trains running through the Snow Hill tunnel
Snow Hill tunnel
Snow Hill Tunnel is a railway tunnel on the northern edge of the City of London between City Thameslink and Farringdon stations. The tunnel runs beneath the Smithfield meat market and was constructed using the cut and cover method immediately prior to the building of the market...
into the City of London
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
. This service was discontinued in 1916 and the trains terminated at Holborn Viaduct station instead. In the late 1980s the link was re-opened and today the former City Branch forms the basis for the Thameslink
Thameslink
Thameslink is a fifty-station main-line route in the British railway system running north to south through London from Bedford to Brighton, serving both London Gatwick Airport and London Luton Airport. It opened as a through service in 1988 and by 1998 was severely overcrowded, carrying more than...
system.