New Cross railway station serves
New Cross
New Cross is an area in south east London, England, south-east of Charing Cross in the London Borough of Lewisham and the SE14 postcode district. New Cross is near St Johns, Telegraph Hill, Nunhead, Peckham, Brockley, Deptford and Greenwich, ...
in south-east
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, England. It is down the line from and is in
London fare zone 2
Fare zone 2 is an inner 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.
Ba ...
. The platforms are lettered rather than numbered to avoid confusion with those at by staff who worked at both stations before privatisation of the stations in 1997. Platform D is used exclusively by
London Overground
London Overground (also known simply as the Overground) is a Urban rail in the United Kingdom, suburban rail network serving London and its environs. Established in 2007 to take over Silverlink Metro routes, (via archive.org). it now serves a ...
services. Ticket barriers control access to all platforms.
History
![Bricklayers Arms & New Cross, Midhurst RJD 91](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/29/Bricklayers_Arms_%26_New_Cross%2C_Midhurst_RJD_91.jpg)
In the early
Victorian railway boom two companies constructed lines through the area. The
London and Croydon Railway
The London and Croydon Railway (L&CR) was an early railway in England. It opened in 1839 and in February 1846 merged with other railways to form the London Brighton and South Coast Railway (LB&SCR).
Origins
The Croydon line and other railways
Th ...
(L&CR) built a station on the New Cross Road close to
Hatcham
Hatcham was a manor and later a chapelry in what is now London, England. It largely corresponds to the area around New Cross in the London Borough of Lewisham.
The ancient parish of Deptford straddled the counties of Surrey and Kent and there c ...
in 1839.
On 14 October 1844 a large fire that broke out in a paint shop destroyed carriage and engine sheds and workshops adjacent to the station. The fire was witnessed by
Louis Philippe I
Louis Philippe (6 October 1773 – 26 August 1850) was King of the French from 1830 to 1848, and the penultimate monarch of France.
As Louis Philippe, Duke of Chartres, he distinguished himself commanding troops during the Revolutionary War ...
, King of France who was travelling from the station to Dover.
On 30 July 1849 the
South Eastern Railway (SER) opened a station at North Kent Junction when the North Kent line opened linking Strood with the
London and Greenwich Railway
The London and Greenwich Railway (L&GR) was opened in London between 1836 and 1838. It was the first steam railway in the capital, the first to be built specifically for passengers, and the first entirely elevated railway.
Origins
The idea for t ...
route to London Bridge.
[Chronology of London Railways by H.V.Borley] This station proved inconvenient so a new station called New Cross & Naval School
was opened by the SER in October 1850 located adjacent to the New Cross Road in the heart of New Cross. In 1854 the station was renamed New Cross. Accordingly, both the
South Eastern Railway (SER) and the London Brighton & South Coast Railway had stations named New Cross which caused confusion until the two companies were absorbed under the 1923
grouping
Grouping may refer to:
* Muenchian grouping
* Principles of grouping
* Railways Act 1921, also known as Grouping Act, a reorganisation of the British railway system
* Grouping (firearms), the pattern of multiple shots from a sidearm
See also ...
into the
Southern Railway and the name of the older station was changed to
New Cross Gate
New Cross is an area in south east London, England, south-east of Charing Cross in the London Borough of Lewisham and the SE14 postcode district. New Cross is near St Johns, Telegraph Hill, Nunhead, Peckham, Brockley, Deptford and Greenwi ...
; the ex-South Eastern station remained New Cross.
On 7 December 1869 the
East London Line opened serving the
LBSCR New Cross station but it was not until 1 April 1880 that services (which started at
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 ...
and worked through to Liverpool Street) started operation via New Cross SER. Freight trains also operated via the East London Line and were hauled by
Great Eastern Railway
The Great Eastern Railway (GER) was a pre-grouping British railway company, whose main line linked London Liverpool Street to Norwich and which had other lines through East Anglia. The company was grouped into the London and North Eastern R ...
locomotives through to Hither Green Goods Yards. From 30 June 1911 East London Line passenger services south of New Cross ceased.
On 31 March 1913 electric passenger services operated by the
Metropolitan Railway
The Metropolitan Railway (also known as the Met) was a passenger and goods railway that served London from 1863 to 1933, its main line heading north-west from the capital's financial heart in the City to what were to become the Middlesex su ...
started operation from New Cross and worked through to
Kensington Addison Road via Kings Cross.
After World War II and following nationalisation on 1 January 1948, the station was part of
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 ...
ways Southern Region.
The East London Line was closed to goods traffic in 1962.
In the 1950s and 1960s, London Underground planned a new line connecting north-west and south-east London. Approval for the first stage of the
Fleet line
The Jubilee line is a London Underground line that runs between in east London and in the suburban north-west, via the Docklands, South Bank and West End. Opened in 1979, it is the newest line on the Underground network, although some secti ...
(renamed the
Jubilee line
The Jubilee line is a London Underground line that runs between in east London and in the suburban north-west, via the Docklands, South Bank and West End. Opened in 1979, it is the newest line on the Underground network, although some secti ...
in 1975) to
Charing Cross
Charing Cross ( ) is a junction in Westminster, London, England, where six routes meet. Clockwise from north these are: the east side of Trafalgar Square leading to St Martin's Place and then Charing Cross Road; the Strand leading to the City; ...
was granted in 1969,
with second and third stages approved in 1971 and 1972.
New Cross station was to be the penultimate station of phase 3 running to Lewisham. Southbound trains were to serve one of the existing platforms and northbound trains would have served a new platform in tunnel beneath the station.
[ Although phases 2 and 3 were not carried out due to a lack of funds, a section of the northbound tunnel was constructed near New Cross in 1972 to test new tunnelling techniques.]
The station was rebuilt in the 1970s and the original station buildings on the road bridge were replaced in 1975 by a wooden building which opened in Amersham Vale. Platforms on the down and up fast lines were closed and demolished and a new track layout was introduced at this time in connection with the wider London Bridge re-signaling scheme.
In 1985, the present buildings in Amersham Vale opened.
Until 22 December 2007 London Underground
The London Underground (also known simply as the Underground or by its nickname the Tube) is a rapid transit system serving Greater London and some parts of the adjacent ceremonial counties of England, counties of Buckinghamshire, Essex and He ...
used to serve this station as the southern terminus to their East London Line. This closed for major engineering work to convert the East London Line to standard 750 V third rail electrification. The line reopened on 27 April 2010 with services now operated by London Overground
London Overground (also known simply as the Overground) is a Urban rail in the United Kingdom, suburban rail network serving London and its environs. Established in 2007 to take over Silverlink Metro routes, (via archive.org). it now serves a ...
using ''Capitalstar'' units.
Carriage Shed
A 6 siding carriage shed was located just north of the station. Built by the East London Railway the shed was leased by the Metropolitan Railway
The Metropolitan Railway (also known as the Met) was a passenger and goods railway that served London from 1863 to 1933, its main line heading north-west from the capital's financial heart in the City to what were to become the Middlesex su ...
and continued in service until the line closed in 2007. When the line re-opened the new Capitalstar units were maintained at a new depot at New Cross Gate.
Services
Services at New Cross are operated by Southeastern
The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each se ...
and London Overground
London Overground (also known simply as the Overground) is a Urban rail in the United Kingdom, suburban rail network serving London and its environs. Established in 2007 to take over Silverlink Metro routes, (via archive.org). it now serves a ...
using , , , and EMUs
Emus may refer to:
* Emu
The emu () (''Dromaius novaehollandiae'') is the second-tallest living bird after its ratite relative the ostrich. It is endemic to Australia where it is the largest native bird and the only extant member of the g ...
.
The typical off-peak service in trains per hour is:
* 6 tph to London Cannon Street
Cannon Street station, also known as London Cannon Street, is a central London railway terminus and connected London Underground station in Travelcard zone 1 located on Cannon Street in the City of London and managed by Network Rail. It is ...
* 2 tph to via
* 2 tph to via
* 2 tph to via , returning to London Cannon Street via and
* 4 tph to
During the peak hours, the station is also served by trains to and and there is also one train per day that extends beyond Dalston Junction to .
Platform layout
*Platform A is used by Southeastern trains to London Cannon Street
*Platform B is a bi-directional platform used by Southeastern trains to London Cannon Street, Dartford, Hayes, Orpington etc.
*Platform C is used by Southeastern trains to Dartford, Gravesend (evenings and Sunday), Hayes or Orpington
*Platform D is used by London Overground trains to Dalston Junction or Highbury & Islington
Gallery
File:378139 and 376023 at New Cross.jpg, Class 378 terminating and Class 376 at New Cross after the line reopened and officially joined the LO Network.
File:East London Line terminus, New Cross - geograph.org.uk - 481877.jpg, A60/62 Stock train terminating at New Cross in 2006 before the line was temporarily closed to incorporate the line into the LO Network.
Connections
London Buses
London Buses is the subsidiary of Transport for London (TfL) that manages most bus services in London, England. It was formed following the Greater London Authority Act 1999 that transferred control of London Regional Transport (LRT) bus se ...
routes 53, 177
Year 177 ( CLXXVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Commodus and Plautius (or, less frequently, year 930 ''Ab urbe co ...
, 225
__NOTOC__
Year 225 ( CCXXV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Fuscus and Domitius (or, less frequently, year 978 ''Ab ...
, 453
__NOTOC__
Year 453 ( CDLIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Opilio and Vincomalus (or, less frequently, year 1206 ...
and night routes N53 and N89 serve the station.
Accidents
*The Spa Road Junction rail crash
The Spa Road Junction rail crash was an accident on the British railway system which occurred during the peak evening rush hour of 8 January 1999 at Spa Road Junction in Bermondsey, in South East London.
The incident
On a dark and wet evening, ...
occurred outside the station on 8 January 1999.
References
External links
{{Closed London Underground stations
Railway stations in the London Borough of Lewisham
Former South Eastern Railway (UK) stations
DfT Category C2 stations
Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1850
Railway stations served by London Overground
Railway stations served by Southeastern
New Cross