Strood railway station
Encyclopedia
Strood Railway Station serves the town of Strood
in Medway
. It is on the North Kent Line
and is a terminus for the Medway Valley Line
. Train services are operated by Southeastern
.
The South Eastern Railway (SER) had reached Strood in 1845 as the terminus of the line from Gravesend. In 1856, this line was linked to the existing Maidstone
branch from , which had opened in 1844. The new line left the line from Gravesend between Strood Tunnel and the original Strood terminus
; a new Strood station was provided on the Maidstone line, and it opened with the line on 18 June 1856.
The station became a junction with the opening of the first section of the East Kent Railway (EKR) between Strood and on 29 March 1858. The London, Chatham and Dover Railway
(which the EKR had become in 1859) soon opened their own route from towards London, the first portion as far as opening on 3 December 1860. The curve connecting the LCDR line with Strood station fell into disuse (apart from one goods train in each direction per day), but passenger services over this line were reintroduced in early 1877 at the insistence of the Mayor of Chatham. The Mayor's name was Toomer, and the line then became known as the "Toomer Loop".
Although Strood station was the property of the SER, the Toomer Loop, together with the stations at Rochester and Chatham, was LCDR property. A second junction at Strood was bought into use on 20 July 1891, when the first section of the Rochester & Chatham Extension was opened, by which SER trains reached their own stations at Rochester
and, from 1 March 1892, Chatham
. This line was to the north-east of, and largely ran parallel to, the LCDR line; it had its own bridge over the Medway. On 1 January 1899 the SER and LCDR entered into a working union which traded as the South Eastern and Chatham Railway
(SE&CR) and set about eliminating duplicated facilities. In 1911, a connecting line was put in between the SER and LCDR on the south-eastern side of the SER's Rochester Bridge; this allowed trains from Strood to reach the LCDR stations at Rochester and Chatham from October 1911. In 1927 (after the SER & LCDR had merged with other railways to form the Southern Railway
), another connecting line was put in between the former SER and LCDR routes on the north-eastern side of the SER's Rochester Bridge; this enabled the LCDR's bridge to be taken out of use.
and Platform 1 is at the eastern side. The entrance and ticket office adjoin Platform 1, with a tunnel from that platform leading to the island. Platforms 2 and 1 mainly handle traffic to and from London respectively, with and services terminating at and returning from Platform 3.
Typical off-peak services are:
Special peak hours service
Strood
Strood is a town in the unitary authority of Medway in South East England. It is part of the ceremonial county of Kent. It lies on the north west bank of the River Medway at its lowest bridging point, and is part of the Rochester post town....
in Medway
Medway
Medway is a conurbation and unitary authority in South East England. The Unitary Authority was formed in 1998 when the City of Rochester-upon-Medway amalgamated with Gillingham Borough Council and part of Kent County Council to form Medway Council, a unitary authority independent of Kent County...
. It is on the North Kent Line
North Kent Line
The North Kent Line is a railway line which connects central and south east London with Dartford and Medway.-Construction:The North Kent Line was the means by which the South Eastern Railway were able to connect its system to London at London Bridge...
and is a terminus for the Medway Valley Line
Medway Valley Line
The Medway Valley Line is the name given to the railway line linking and the Medway Towns with and onward to , and London St Pancras International...
. Train services are operated by Southeastern
Southeastern (train operating company)
London & South Eastern Railway Limited, trading as Southeastern is a train operating company in south-east England. On 1 April 2006 it became the franchisee for the new Integrated Kent Franchise , replacing the publicly owned South Eastern Trains on the former South East Franchise...
.
History
The South Eastern Railway (SER) had reached Strood in 1845 as the terminus of the line from Gravesend. In 1856, this line was linked to the existing Maidstone
Maidstone West railway station
Maidstone West railway station is one of three railway stations which serve the Town Centre of Maidstone, the County Town of Kent.It lies approximately halfway along the Medway Valley Line from Paddock Wood; from Strood) and train services are provided by Southeastern.- History :Due largely to...
branch from , which had opened in 1844. The new line left the line from Gravesend between Strood Tunnel and the original Strood terminus
Strood (1st) railway station
Strood was a terminus of the South Eastern Railway located in Strood and serving also the towns of Chatham and Rochester. It closed in 1856 when the present Strood station was opened....
; a new Strood station was provided on the Maidstone line, and it opened with the line on 18 June 1856.
The station became a junction with the opening of the first section of the East Kent Railway (EKR) between Strood and on 29 March 1858. 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...
(which the EKR had become in 1859) soon opened their own route from towards London, the first portion as far as opening on 3 December 1860. The curve connecting the LCDR line with Strood station fell into disuse (apart from one goods train in each direction per day), but passenger services over this line were reintroduced in early 1877 at the insistence of the Mayor of Chatham. The Mayor's name was Toomer, and the line then became known as the "Toomer Loop".
Although Strood station was the property of the SER, the Toomer Loop, together with the stations at Rochester and Chatham, was LCDR property. A second junction at Strood was bought into use on 20 July 1891, when the first section of the Rochester & Chatham Extension was opened, by which SER trains reached their own stations at Rochester
Rochester Common railway station
Rochester Common was a station on the Chatham Extension from Strood serving the town of Rochester.The station was opened by the South Eastern Railway which merged with the London, Chatham and Dover Railway to form the South Eastern and Chatham Railway in 1899...
and, from 1 March 1892, Chatham
Chatham Central railway station
Chatham Central was the terminus of the Chatham Extension from Strood serving the towns of Chatham and Rochester.The station was opened by the South Eastern Railway which merged with the London, Chatham and Dover Railway to form the South Eastern and Chatham Railway in 1899...
. This line was to the north-east of, and largely ran parallel to, the LCDR line; it had its own bridge over the Medway. On 1 January 1899 the SER and LCDR entered into a working union which traded as 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...
(SE&CR) and set about eliminating duplicated facilities. In 1911, a connecting line was put in between the SER and LCDR on the south-eastern side of the SER's Rochester Bridge; this allowed trains from Strood to reach the LCDR stations at Rochester and Chatham from October 1911. In 1927 (after the SER & LCDR had merged with other railways to form the Southern Railway
Southern Railway (Great Britain)
The Southern Railway was a British railway company established in the 1923 Grouping. It linked London with the Channel ports, South West England, South coast resorts and Kent...
), another connecting line was put in between the former SER and LCDR routes on the north-eastern side of the SER's Rochester Bridge; this enabled the LCDR's bridge to be taken out of use.
Facilities
The station has three ground-level platforms; Platforms 2 and 3 are on an island platformIsland platform
An island platform is a station layout arrangement where a single platform is positioned between two tracks within a railway station, tram stop or transitway interchange...
and Platform 1 is at the eastern side. The entrance and ticket office adjoin Platform 1, with a tunnel from that platform leading to the island. Platforms 2 and 1 mainly handle traffic to and from London respectively, with and services terminating at and returning from Platform 3.
Service
The typical off-peak service from the station is:Typical off-peak services are:
- 2tph to via
- 2tph to London Charing CrossCharing Cross railway stationCharing Cross railway station, also known as London Charing Cross, is a central London railway terminus in the City of Westminster, England. It is one of 18 stations managed by Network Rail, and trains serving it are operated by Southeastern...
via DartfordDartford railway stationDartford railway station serves the town of Dartford in Kent, England. All train services from the station are operated by Southeastern, which also manages the station...
and - 2tph to
- 2tph to FavershamFaversham railway stationFaversham railway station is on the Chatham Main Line in north Kent, and serves the town of Faversham, 52 miles from London Victoria and 49 miles from London St. Pancras International. Train services are provided by Southeastern. Typical journey times for fastest services to Victoria is 70...
- 2tph to Maidstone WestMaidstone West railway stationMaidstone West railway station is one of three railway stations which serve the Town Centre of Maidstone, the County Town of Kent.It lies approximately halfway along the Medway Valley Line from Paddock Wood; from Strood) and train services are provided by Southeastern.- History :Due largely to...
, of which 1tph is extended to Paddock Wood and .
Special peak hours service
- 4tpd using Class 395 JavelinBritish Rail Class 395British Rail Class 395 is a dual-voltage electric multiple unit used by train operating company Southeastern for its services along High Speed 1 and onwards to the Kent coast. The trains were built in Japan by Hitachi and shipped to the United Kingdom to operate new high speed domestic services...
units operate to and via .