Purley railway station
Encyclopedia
Purley, London
Purley is a place in the London Borough of Croydon, England. It is a suburban development situated 11.7 miles south of Charing Cross.The name derives from "pirlea", which means 'Peartree lea'. Purley has a population of about 72,000....
in the London Borough of Croydon
London Borough of Croydon
The London Borough of Croydon is a London borough in South London, England and is part of Outer London. It covers an area of and is the largest London borough by population. It is the southernmost borough of London. At its centre is the historic town of Croydon from which the borough takes its name...
, on the main London to Brighton line
Brighton Main Line
The Brighton Main Line is a British railway line from London Victoria and London Bridge to Brighton. It is about 50 miles long, and is electrified throughout. Trains are operated by Southern, First Capital Connect, and Gatwick Express, now part of Southern.-Original proposals:There were no fewer...
, in Travelcard Zone 6
Travelcard Zone 6
Fare zone 6 is an outer zone of Transport for London's zonal fare system used for calculating the price of tickets for travel on the London Underground, London Overground, Docklands Light Railway and, since 2007, on National Rail services. The zone was created in January 1991; from May 1983 it had...
. It is a junction, with branches to Caterham and Tattenham Corner
Tattenham Corner Line
The Tattenham Corner Line is a railway line in Southern England. It was opened in two parts: from Purley to Tadworth as the Chipstead Valley Railway in 1893, and to Tattenham Corner as the Epsom Downs Extension Railway in 1894. Both companies were then acquired by the South Eastern Railway...
. There are sidings used by the Day and Son gravel company, part of whose installation has been given a visual treatment intended to resemble a signal box
Signal box
On a rail transport system, signalling control is the process by which control is exercised over train movements by way of railway signals and block systems to ensure that trains operate safely, over the correct route and to the proper timetable...
. Trains of aggregates from Cliffe
Cliffe
Cliffe could be*Cliffe, Kent, Kent*Cliffe, Richmondshire, North Yorkshire*Cliffe, Selby, North Yorkshire*Jess Cliffe , Valve Software*The Cliffe a residence in Peppermint Grove, Western Australia...
are dealt with here.
Godstone Road
The station was opened by the London and Brighton RailwayLondon and Brighton Railway
The London and Brighton Railway was a railway company in England which was incorporated in 1837 and survived until 1846. Its railway runs from a junction with the London & Croydon Railway at Norwood - which gives it access from London Bridge, just south of the River Thames in central London...
on 12 July 1841 as Godstone Road. This was closed on 1 October 1847 by the London Brighton and South Coast Railway (LB&SCR) which had opened the Stoat's Nest station one mile away at Coulsdon
Coulsdon South railway station
Coulsdon South railway station serves Coulsdon in the London Borough of Croydon, and is in Travelcard Zone 6, on the Brighton Main Line. The station is served by Southern.- History :...
.
Caterham Junction
In 1855 a proposal by a local company, to connect the sandstone quarries at Caterham to the railway system, became embroiled in a long running dispute between the LB&SCR and the rival South Eastern RailwaySouth Eastern Railway (UK)
The South Eastern Railway was a railway company in south-eastern England from 1836 until 1922. The company was formed to construct a route from London to Dover. Branch lines were later opened to Tunbridge Wells, Hastings, Canterbury and other places in Kent...
(SER), which resulted in the reopening of the station. The proposed line was in the territory of the SER, and was to be operated by that company. It would have to join the railway system on a section of the LB&SCR, where the SER had running powers but no stations. The new railway had to sue the LB&SCR to force it to allow the junction on to its lines and to reopen the station. On 5 August 1856 the Caterham branch opened, joining the main line near the site of the Godstone Road station. Three months later the LB&SCR reopened their station as ‘’Caterham Junction’’.
Purley
The station was renamed ‘’Purley’’ on 1 October 1888, and rebuilt around 1896 during the widening of the main line between Croydon and the beginning of the new Quarry Line at Coulsdon. The SER built a line from Purley to Chipstead railway stationChipstead railway station
Chipstead railway station is in the county of Surrey. It is a late-Victorian station on the Tattenham Corner Line. The station and all trains serving it are operated by Southern...
and Tattenham Corner railway station
Tattenham Corner railway station
Tattenham Corner railway station is in Surrey, in England. The station and all trains serving it are operated by Southern, and it is the terminus of the Tattenham Corner Line. London-bound trains head south as far as Tadworth, then turn east and finally north....
between 1897 and 1901, by the latter date it had become the South Eastern and Chatham Railway
South Eastern and Chatham Railway
The South Eastern and Chatham Railway Companies Joint Management Committee , known by its shorter name of the South Eastern and Chatham Railway was a working union of two neighbouring rival railways, the South Eastern Railway and London, Chatham and Dover Railway , that operated services between...
.
Fatal incidents
The Purley station rail crashPurley station rail crash
The Purley station rail crash was a train accident on the British railway system that occurred just to the north of Purley railway station in the London Borough of Croydon on Saturday 4 March 1989, leaving five dead and 94 injured....
on 4 March 1989 occurred just to the north of the station, and left five dead and 94 injured. A memorial garden was created at the station to commemorate this.
On the night of Friday 5 July 2002 a fire occurred on the 23:15 from Caterham train. A rail attendant, Mr Philip Cable, helped the train driver and another attendant to put out the fire after the train pulled into Purley station with smoke billowing from the train windows. In the course of this action Mr Cable suffered an asthma attack and collapsed. He subsequently died at Mayday Hospital in Croydon a few hours later. No inquest was held as a charge of manslaughter was laid against Karl Lacey who had set fire to newspapers and cushions in the carriage he had boarded at Whyteleafe station, before alighting at the next stop Kenley. Karl Lacey, who was 16 at the time, was sentenced to four years' youth custody by Judge David Paget at the Old Bailey on Friday 11 June 2004. The teenager had been caught on CCTV as the only passenger alighting at Kenley station. He was identified by his mother who contacted the police when the images were released to the public. The judge told Lacey, 'To start a fire on a train is extremely serious, reckless and irresponsible. You caused the death of a brave man whose devotion to duty in putting out the fire cost him his life.'
The old cafe - now the stores - on platform six is said to be haunted by an old signalman and his pet wolfhound.
Lift installation works
From October 2007, the subway to the platforms was temporarily closed while lifts to platforms were being installed. During this work a temporary footbridge was installed at the northern end of the platforms and in order to access platforms from the main entrance passengers were required to use the permanent staircase to Platform 1 and walk the length of the platform to the temporary footbridge.Ticket gates
Electronic ticket gates were installed at the station in summer 2009, as part of a project sponsored by the Department for Transport. Gates have been installed on both sides of the station and a new entrance created adjacent to platform 6. Some minor refurbishment of the main ticket hall was also carried out.Platforms
Platform 1 and 2 are normally used only on Saturdays and when engineering works dictate. On weekdays, fast services on the Brighton Main LineBrighton Main Line
The Brighton Main Line is a British railway line from London Victoria and London Bridge to Brighton. It is about 50 miles long, and is electrified throughout. Trains are operated by Southern, First Capital Connect, and Gatwick Express, now part of Southern.-Original proposals:There were no fewer...
make no stops between East Croydon and Brighton: these trains, together with Gatwick Express
Gatwick Express
Gatwick Express is the name given to the frequent rail shuttle service between Victoria station in London and Gatwick Airport in South East England, operated by the Southern franchise...
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, pass through platforms 1 and 2 without stopping. During 2008 a fence was erected to prevent access to Platform 2, following a number of suicides. A gate at the southern end of this fence is opened by staff for the few trains stopping at Platform 2.
Platform 3 is used for mainline services to London Bridge and London Victoria.
Platform 4 is used for mainline southbound services to Horsham
Horsham railway station
Horsham railway station serves the town of Horsham in West Sussex, England. It is on the Arun Valley Line 61 km south of London Victoria and the Sutton & Mole Valley Lines, and train services are provided by Southern...
, as well as weekend services to Bognor Regis
Bognor Regis railway station
Bognor Regis railway station is in the town of Bognor Regis, in the English county of West Sussex, England. It is approximately 65 miles south of London Victoria. The station and the trains serving it are operated by Southern railway company...
.
Platform 5 and 6 serve the branch lines to Tattenham Corner
Tattenham Corner railway station
Tattenham Corner railway station is in Surrey, in England. The station and all trains serving it are operated by Southern, and it is the terminus of the Tattenham Corner Line. London-bound trains head south as far as Tadworth, then turn east and finally north....
and Caterham
Caterham railway station
Caterham railway station serves the town of Caterham in the Tandridge district of Surrey, England.The station is the southern terminus of the Caterham Line, which branches from the London to Brighton main line at Purley...
. Both these platforms can be used by trains in either direction, though platform 5 is primarily northbound towards London
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...
and platform 6 is usually southbound.
Services
The typical off-peak train service per hour is:- 2 to London Victoria, calling at Purley Oaks, South Croydon, East Croydon, Selhurst, Thornton Heath, Norbury, Streatham Common, Balham, Wandsworth Common, Clapham Junction and Battersea Park (faster services to Clapham Junction and London Victoria are available by changing at East Croydon)
- 8 to London BridgeLondon Bridge stationLondon Bridge railway station is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex in the London Borough of Southwark, occupying a large area on two levels immediately south-east of London Bridge and 1.6 miles east of Charing Cross. It is one of the oldest railway stations in the...
, of which
- 4 call at East Croydon and Norwood Junction
- 2 call at East Croydon, Norwood Junction and New Cross Gate
- 2 call at Purley Oaks, South Croydon, East Croydon, Norwood Junction, Sydenham, Forest Hill, Honor Oak Park, Brockley and New Cross Gate
- 4 to CaterhamCaterham railway stationCaterham railway station serves the town of Caterham in the Tandridge district of Surrey, England.The station is the southern terminus of the Caterham Line, which branches from the London to Brighton main line at Purley...
, calling at Kenley, Whyteleafe and Whyteleafe South - 3 to Tattenham CornerTattenham Corner railway stationTattenham Corner railway station is in Surrey, in England. The station and all trains serving it are operated by Southern, and it is the terminus of the Tattenham Corner Line. London-bound trains head south as far as Tadworth, then turn east and finally north....
, calling at Reedham, Coulsdon Town, Woodmansterne, Chipstead, Kingswood and Tadworth - 1 to TonbridgeTonbridge railway stationTonbridge railway station is a station serving the town of Tonbridge in Kent, England. It is a junction between two important commuter routes; the South Eastern Main Line serving Ashford, Ramsgate and Dover and the Hastings Main Line serving Tunbridge Wells and Hastings, as well as a branch to...
, calling at Coulsdon South, Merstham, Redhill, Nutfield, Godstone, Edenbridge, Penshurst and Leigh - 1 to ReigateReigate railway stationReigate railway station is in Surrey, England. On the North Downs Line, the station is managed by Southern, which provides an hourly service to London Bridge via Redhill...
, calling at Coulsdon South, Merstham and Redhill - 2 to HorshamHorsham railway stationHorsham railway station serves the town of Horsham in West Sussex, England. It is on the Arun Valley Line 61 km south of London Victoria and the Sutton & Mole Valley Lines, and train services are provided by Southern...
, calling at Coulsdon South, Merstham, Redhill, Earlswood, Salfords, Horley, Gatwick Airport, Three Bridges, Crawley, Ifield and Littlehaven - 1 to Brighton Railway stationBrighton railway stationBrighton railway station is the principal railway station in the city of Brighton and Hove, on the south coast of England. The station master is Mark Epsom...
, calling at Gatwick Airport,Burgess Hill and Hassocks
- 4 to Caterham