Silvertown railway station
Encyclopedia
Silvertown railway station was a station in Silvertown
, east London
. It was in Travelcard Zone 3
, and located between Custom House
and , the eastern terminus of the North London Line
until the line closure from Stratford to North Woolwich on 9 December 2006.
It was opened on 19 June 1863 by the Great Eastern Railway
, and was situated on the route of the former Eastern Counties and Thames Junction Railway
, with two tracks and platforms. A decline in use of the line led to its singling in 1980 with just one platform to serve trains in both directions. North Woolwich was also reduced to one platform. After third rail
electrification of the line in 1986 services were increased and the single track section became a bottleneck.
After London City Airport
opened nearby there was an attempt to offer the station for connection to the airport, the station being renamed Silvertown and London City Airport on 4 October 1987, but the walk through adjacent side streets, and the relatively infrequent service, which was peripheral rather than into central London, led to little air passenger traffic.
The Docklands Light Railway
(DLR) Woolwich Arsenal branch provides a substitute service for much of this part of the NLL, the nearest DLR station to Silvertown railway station is London City Airport
.
The remaining station buildings and platforms will be demolished as part of the construction of Crossrail
by Vinci, the contractor responsible for the reconditioning of Connaught Tunnel. Despite talk of constructing a replacement station nearby, this has not been provided for in the Crossrail Act 2008
. Nevertheless, passive provision will be made for a station shortly to the east in the event of development of nearby properties.
Silvertown
Silvertown is an industrialised district on the north bank of the Thames in the London Borough of Newham. It was named after Samuel Winkworth Silver's former rubber factory which opened in 1852, and is now dominated by the Tate & Lyle sugar refinery and the John Knight ABP animal rendering...
, east 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...
. It was in Travelcard Zone 3
Travelcard Zone 3
Fare zone 3 is a 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...
, and located between Custom House
Custom House station
Custom House for ExCeL station is in the Custom House area by the Royal Docks, east London. It is served by the Docklands Light Railway , and is in Travelcard Zone 3...
and , the eastern terminus of the North London Line
North London Line
The North London Line is a railway line which passes through the inner suburbs of north London, England. Its route is a rough semicircle from the south west to the north east, avoiding central London. The line is owned and maintained by Network Rail...
until the line closure from Stratford to North Woolwich on 9 December 2006.
It was opened on 19 June 1863 by the Great Eastern Railway
Great Eastern Railway
The Great Eastern Railway was a pre-grouping British railway company, whose main line linked London Liverpool Street to Norwich and which had other lines through East Anglia...
, and was situated on the route of the former Eastern Counties and Thames Junction Railway
Eastern Counties and Thames Junction Railway
The Eastern Counties and Thames Junction Railway in east London connected the Royal Docks with the Eastern Counties Railway . Authorised in 1844, it opened in 1846, and was absorbed by the ECR in 1847...
, with two tracks and platforms. A decline in use of the line led to its singling in 1980 with just one platform to serve trains in both directions. North Woolwich was also reduced to one platform. After third rail
Third rail
A third rail is a method of providing electric power to a railway train, through a semi-continuous rigid conductor placed alongside or between the rails of a railway track. It is used typically in a mass transit or rapid transit system, which has alignments in its own corridors, fully or almost...
electrification of the line in 1986 services were increased and the single track section became a bottleneck.
After London City Airport
London City Airport
London City Airport is a single-runway airport. It principally serves the financial district of London and is located on a former Docklands site, east of the City of London, opposite the London Regatta Centre, in the London Borough of Newham in east London. It was developed by the engineering...
opened nearby there was an attempt to offer the station for connection to the airport, the station being renamed Silvertown and London City Airport on 4 October 1987, but the walk through adjacent side streets, and the relatively infrequent service, which was peripheral rather than into central London, led to little air passenger traffic.
The Docklands Light Railway
Docklands Light Railway
The Docklands Light Railway is an automated light metro or light rail system opened on 31 August 1987 to serve the redeveloped Docklands area of London...
(DLR) Woolwich Arsenal branch provides a substitute service for much of this part of the NLL, the nearest DLR station to Silvertown railway station is London City Airport
London City Airport DLR station
London City Airport DLR station is a station on the Docklands Light Railway which serves the London City Airport. It opened on 2 December 2005. It is located on the King George V branch. Until the extension to Woolwich Arsenal, this station was the reason for this branch. It continues to be an...
.
The remaining station buildings and platforms will be demolished as part of the construction of Crossrail
Crossrail
Crossrail is a project to build a major new railway link under central London. The name refers to the first of two routes which are the responsibility of Crossrail Ltd. It is based on an entirely new east-west tunnel with a central section from to Liverpool Street station...
by Vinci, the contractor responsible for the reconditioning of Connaught Tunnel. Despite talk of constructing a replacement station nearby, this has not been provided for in the Crossrail Act 2008
Crossrail Act 2008
The Crossrail Act 2008 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that authorises the construction of the Crossrail railway from Maidenhead and Heathrow Airport to Shenfield and Abbey Wood. The legislation was introduced by the then Secretary of State for Transport Douglas Alexander and...
. Nevertheless, passive provision will be made for a station shortly to the east in the event of development of nearby properties.