Mitcham Eastfields railway station
Encyclopedia
Mitcham Eastfields is a railway station in London
, United Kingdom
, which opened on 2 June 2008. The station is located at Eastfields Road level crossing
, in an area previously poorly served by public transport. The nearest station was Mitcham Junction
, which along with Mitcham tram stop
, was over a mile away from the district. It is in fare zone 3.
did not feel the station would be ready to open until early June.. The station was planned to open in the morning of Monday 2 June but opened later in the afternoon due to delays involving safety inspections. The station opened at 16:00 with the first train arriving at 16:11.
, which is also used at Corby railway station
and Greenhithe railway station
which was the first to be constructed. The platforms are 170 m long, with a building on the up (northbound) platform. The platforms are arranged so that each is situated beyond the level crossing
in the direction of travel, allowing the crossing to be reopened while trains are stopped at the station, minimising the disruption to road traffic. However this means that passengers must cross Eastfields Road (no controlled crossing at present) if they wish to purchase a ticket on the northbound side and then travel southbound. The footbridge on the southbound side only allows safe movement over the railway and not the road.
services from Victoria and First Capital Connect
services (Monday to Saturday only) on the Sutton Loop of Thameslink
. The current journey time on this line between Mitcham Junction station
and Streatham
is six minutes. Victoria can be reached within 20 minutes.
The typical off-peak train service per hour is:
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, which opened on 2 June 2008. The station is located at Eastfields Road level crossing
Level crossing
A level crossing occurs where a railway line is intersected by a road or path onone level, without recourse to a bridge or tunnel. It is a type of at-grade intersection. The term also applies when a light rail line with separate right-of-way or reserved track crosses a road in the same fashion...
, in an area previously poorly served by public transport. The nearest station was Mitcham Junction
Mitcham Junction station
Mitcham Junction is a National Rail station served by First Capital Connect and Southern trains, and a Tramlink stop. It is in the London Borough of Merton and is in Travelcard Zone 4.The station opened on 1 October 1868...
, which along with Mitcham tram stop
Mitcham tram stop
Mitcham tram stop is a Tramlink stop in Mitcham in the London Borough of Merton. The stop is on Tramlink route 3 between Belgrave Walk and Mitcham Junction. It was formerly Mitcham railway station, whose station closed in 1997...
, was over a mile away from the district. It is in fare zone 3.
History
Proposals for the station have apparently existed since the 1930s. Planning permission was granted by the London Borough of Merton in August 2007. Construction started in October 2007. Following consultation, there were hopes to have the station open by December 2007. The opening was originally scheduled for 19 May 2008. However, on 20 May 2008 the station reopening was postponed as Network RailNetwork Rail
Network Rail is the government-created owner and operator of most of the rail infrastructure in Great Britain .; it is not responsible for railway infrastructure in Northern Ireland...
did not feel the station would be ready to open until early June.. The station was planned to open in the morning of Monday 2 June but opened later in the afternoon due to delays involving safety inspections. The station opened at 16:00 with the first train arriving at 16:11.
Design
The station cost £6m, and was the second station to be built to a modular design developed by Network RailNetwork Rail
Network Rail is the government-created owner and operator of most of the rail infrastructure in Great Britain .; it is not responsible for railway infrastructure in Northern Ireland...
, which is also used at Corby railway station
Corby railway station
Corby railway station, owned by Network Rail and managed by East Midlands Trains , serves the town of Corby in Northamptonshire, England. The current station, opened on 23 February 2009, replaces an earlier one dating from 1879 and first closed in 1966 .Plans for the current station, built on a...
and Greenhithe railway station
Greenhithe railway station
Greenhithe railway station serves the village of Greenhithe in north Kent and Bluewater Shopping Centre. Train services are operated by Southeastern.-Design:...
which was the first to be constructed. The platforms are 170 m long, with a building on the up (northbound) platform. The platforms are arranged so that each is situated beyond the level crossing
Level crossing
A level crossing occurs where a railway line is intersected by a road or path onone level, without recourse to a bridge or tunnel. It is a type of at-grade intersection. The term also applies when a light rail line with separate right-of-way or reserved track crosses a road in the same fashion...
in the direction of travel, allowing the crossing to be reopened while trains are stopped at the station, minimising the disruption to road traffic. However this means that passengers must cross Eastfields Road (no controlled crossing at present) if they wish to purchase a ticket on the northbound side and then travel southbound. The footbridge on the southbound side only allows safe movement over the railway and not the road.
Services
Mitcham Eastfields station is served by SouthernSouthern (train operating company)
Southern is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. Officially named Southern Railway Ltd., it is a subsidiary of Govia, a joint venture between transport groups Go-Ahead Group and Keolis, and has operated the South Central rail franchise since October 2000 and the Gatwick Express service...
services from Victoria and 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...
services (Monday to Saturday only) on the Sutton Loop of 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...
. The current journey time on this line between Mitcham Junction station
Mitcham Junction station
Mitcham Junction is a National Rail station served by First Capital Connect and Southern trains, and a Tramlink stop. It is in the London Borough of Merton and is in Travelcard Zone 4.The station opened on 1 October 1868...
and Streatham
Streatham railway station
Streatham railway station is a station in central Streatham in south London. It is off Streatham High Road, and is in Travelcard Zone 3.Services are provided by First Capital Connect and Southern. First Capital Connect services go north to Luton and Bedford via Blackfriars, the City and St Pancras,...
is six minutes. Victoria can be reached within 20 minutes.
The typical off-peak train service per hour is:
- 2tph (trains per hour) to St AlbansSt Albans railway stationSt Albans railway station can refer to one of four stations:* Two railway stations in St Albans, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom:**St Albans City railway station - Services operated by First Capital Connect...
via Herne HillHerne HillHerne 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:...
and London BlackfriarsBlackfriars stationBlackfriars station, also known as London Blackfriars, is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex in the City of London, England. Its platforms will eventually span the River Thames a short distance downstream from Blackfriars Bridge. The current entrance is located on the... - 2tph to London VictoriaVictoria station (London)Victoria station, also known as London Victoria, is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex. It is named after nearby Victoria Street and not Queen Victoria. It is the second busiest railway terminus in London after Waterloo, and includes an air terminal for passengers...
via Clapham Junction - 2tph to WimbledonWimbledon stationWimbledon 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 - 2tph to EpsomEpsomEpsom is a town in the borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey, England. Small parts of Epsom are in the Borough of Reigate and Banstead. The town is located south-south-west of Charing Cross, within the Greater London Urban Area. The town lies on the chalk downland of Epsom Downs.-History:Epsom lies...
via HackbridgeHackbridge railway stationHackbridge railway station is a railway station at Hackbridge in the London Borough of Sutton in South London. The station is served by First Capital Connect and Southern trains...
and Sutton
Usage statistics
Merton Council's magazine reported in June 2009 that 52,000 journeys have been made from the station.External links
- Eastfields station plan (3.47 MiBMebibyteThe mebibyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information. The binary prefix mebi means 220, therefore 1 mebibyte is . The unit symbol for the mebibyte is MiB. The unit was established by the International Electrotechnical Commission in 2000 and has been accepted for use by all major...
) - A photo of the station under construction from Railway Gazette InternationalRailway Gazette InternationalRailway Gazette International is a monthly business journal covering the railway, metro, light rail and tram industries worldwide. Available by annual subscription, the magazine is read in over 140 countries by transport professionals and decision makers, railway managers, engineers, consultants...
.