Coombe Road was a railway station on the

Woodside and South Croydon Joint Railway The Woodside and South Croydon Joint Railway (W&SC) was a short, relatively short-lived and unsuccessful railway in the London Borough of Croydon in London, England. Its site is now largely occupied by Tramlink. Route ; Woodside station Ju ...

in London. When it was closed it was owned and managed by

British Rail British Railways (BR), which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was a state-owned company that operated most of the overground rail transport in Great Britain from 1948 to 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the Big Four British rai ...

History

A link between the

Mid-Kent Line The Mid-Kent line (also referred to as the Hayes line by train operators, official bodies and the general public) is a British railway line running from Courthill Loop North junction (just south of Lewisham station) to Hayes railway station in t ...

at Woodside and the

Oxted Line The Oxted line is a railway in southern England and part of the Southern franchise. The railway splits into two branches towards the south and has direct trains throughout to London termini. It was opened jointly by the London, Brighton and ...

at known as the

was authorised in 1880. Opened on 10 August 1885, it was jointly worked by the

London, Brighton and South Coast Railway The London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (LB&SCR; known also as the Brighton line, the Brighton Railway or the Brighton) was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1846 to 1922. Its territory formed a rough triangle, with London at its ...

and the South Eastern Railway. with the only intermediate station at Coombe Lane. As part of a scheme to increase patronage using Kitson steam railmotors designed by Wainwright, a

railway halt A train station, railway station, railroad station or depot is a Rail transport, railway facility where trains stop to load or unload passenger train, passengers, freight rail transport, freight or both. It generally consists of at least one r ...

was provided on the north side of Bingham Road in

Addiscombe Addiscombe is an area of south London, England, within the London Borough of Croydon. It is located south of Charing Cross, and is situated north of Coombe and Selsdon, east of Croydon town centre, south of Woodside, and west of Shirley. Et ...

on 1 September 1906. , also on the Woodside and South Croydon line, was opened on the same day, part of four such halts in the London area; the others being and Beeches Halt. Despite new construction along the route of the line, passenger loadings were light and working expenses generally exceeded farebox revenue. The line was a candidate for wartime economies during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and the halts at Bingham Road and Spencer Road were closed on 14 March 1915 upon which the railmotor service ceased, with full closure of the line following on 31 December 1916. The line was reopened and electrified by the Southern Railway on 30 September 1935. The former Coombe Lane station was completely rebuilt and given the name Coombe Road. Electrification was not a success and by 1949, 1959Londond Disused Stations Volume 4 page 34 by J.E.Connor the service was reduced to a peak-hours 2-car half-hourly shuttle from . The station's platforms were nevertheless extended as part of a mid-1950s scheme to allow it to accommodate 10-car trains. Full closure was proposed in the

Beeching Report Beeching is an English surname. Either a derivative of the old English ''bece'', ''bæce'' "stream", hence "dweller by the stream" or of the old English ''bece'' "beech-tree" hence "dweller by the beech tree".''Oxford Dictionary of English Surnames' ...

but a reprieve was granted on the basis that some hardship would be caused. The line continued to be unprofitable and from 10 July 1967, Bingham Road and were only served between 07:52 to 09:50 and 16:17 to 19:10 on weekdays. All through London services ceased in April 1976 leaving 2EPB 2-car sets to provide a shuttle service between Elmers End and Selsdon or . The inevitable closure of the line came in 1983, with the last train departing at 19:30 from Sanderstead on Friday 13 May and official closure following on 16 May.

Present day

The track was lifted and the station buildings were demolished within one year after closure.

Tramlink London Trams, previously Tramlink and Croydon Tramlink, is a light rail tram system serving Croydon and surrounding areas in South London, England. It began operation in 2000, the first tram system in the London region since 1952. It is manage ...

services reusing the railway alignment at Coombe Road commenced on 10 May 2000. A tramstop (

Lloyd Park tram stop Lloyd Park tram stop is on the edge of Lloyd Park in the London Borough of Croydon in the southern suburbs of London, beside Coombe Road and opposite Croham Park Avenue and Castlemaine Avenue. It is 200 metres east of the site of the Coombe R ...

) was constructed 200 metres to the east of the former station to serve the same area.

References

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* * * * * * * * * * {{Disused railway stations of London Disused railway stations in the London Borough of Croydon Former Woodside and South Croydon Joint Railway stations Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1885 Railway stations in Great Britain closed in 1917 Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1935 Railway stations in Great Britain closed in 1983