Southend Central railway station is on the
London, Tilbury and Southend line
The London, Tilbury and Southend line, also known as Essex Thameside, is a commuter railway line on the British railway system. It connects Fenchurch Street station, in central London, with destinations in east London and Essex, including , , , ...
and is one of two primary stations serving the city of
Southend-on-Sea
Southend-on-Sea (), commonly referred to as Southend (), is a coastal city and unitary authority area with borough status in southeastern Essex, England. It lies on the north side of the Thames Estuary, east of central London. It is bordered ...
, Essex. The city's other main station is called which is the terminus of
a branch line off the
Great Eastern Main Line
The Great Eastern Main Line (GEML, sometimes referred to as the East Anglia Main Line) is a major railway line on the British railway system which connects Liverpool Street station in central London with destinations in east London and t ...
. Southend Central is down the line from
London Fenchurch Street via and it is situated between and stations. Its three-letter station code is SOC.
It was opened in 1856 by the
London, Tilbury and Southend Railway
The London, Tilbury and Southend Railway (LT&SR), was a British railway company, whose network connected Fenchurch Street railway station, Fenchurch Street station, in central London, with destinations in east London and Essex, including , , , T ...
and was the eastern terminus of the line until 1888, after which the line was later extended to . The station and all trains serving it are currently operated by
.
Description
Southend Central has four platforms:
*Platform 1 is a
bay platform
In the United Kingdom and in Australia, a bay platform is a dead-end railway platform at a railway station that has through lines. It is normal for bay platforms to be shorter than their associated through platforms.
Overview
Bay and islan ...
; trains may terminate at this formerly disused platform if platform 4 is not available for use or when engineering works are taking place between Southend Central and Shoeburyness; it has an operational length for 12-coach trains.
*Platform 2 is typically for eastbound services to ; it has an operational length for 12-coach trains.
*Platform 3 is typically for westbound services to
London Fenchurch Street via ; it has an operational length for 14-coach trains.
*Platform 4 is a bay platform typically for westbound services to London Fenchurch Street via either or ; it has an operational length for 12-coach trains.
In 1922 there were two other bay platforms and carriage sidings to the south of platform 4 and a goods shed and goods sidings to the north of platform 1. The bay platforms (5 and 6) were extant in 1981 although the track had been lifted. The area was subsequently redeveloped as a car park.
Facilities at the station include a partially sheltered bicycle storage rack and a car park. The ticket office has two serving positions, one of which is fully accessible, and uses the
Tribute
A tribute (; from Latin ''tributum'', "contribution") is wealth, often in kind, that a party gives to another as a sign of submission, allegiance or respect. Various ancient states exacted tribute from the rulers of land which the state conqu ...
ticket issuing system.
Following the successful refurbishment of
Benfleet railway station,
implemented a similar project at Southend Central. The work cost £460,000 and was jointly funded by c2c and Southend Borough Council. It involved the complete refurbishment of the ticket office and toilets and the construction of a new forecourt on the north side of the station (leading to platform 2) opposite the
University of Essex
The University of Essex is a public university, public research university in Essex, England. Established by royal charter in 1965, Essex is one of the original plate glass university, plate glass universities. Essex's shield consists of the an ...
Southend campus, with new steps and handrails on both sides of the canopy, and a new glass roof and lighting over the bicycle parking area. It was completed in 2007 after around four weeks of work.
When the
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 ...
's
District line
The District line is a London Underground line running from in the east and Edgware Road in the west to in west London, where it splits into multiple branches. One branch runs to in south-west London and a short branch, with a limited servic ...
operated a seasonal non-stop excursion train service between 1910 and 1939 through to the Southend area, Southend Central was the second station to be called at after departing .
There was formerly a through siding, provided with overhead line electrification, to the north of the down (Shoeburyness-bound) line between Southend Central and Southend East. This was still in use in 1969.
[Route training manual: London, Tilbury & Southend Lines, British Rail Eastern Region (November 1969). Published by Great Eastern Railways Society (2003) ]
Services
The typical off-peak service frequency is:
* 2 tph (trains per hour) westbound to
London Fenchurch Street, of which:
**2 tph call at all stations via ;
**2 tph call at all stations via ;
* 2 tph eastbound to calling at all stations.
References
External links
{{coord, 51, 32, 14, N, 0, 42, 42, E, display=title, type:railwaystation_region:GB
Railway stations in Essex
DfT Category C1 stations
Railway stations in Southend-on-Sea
Former London, Tilbury and Southend Railway stations
Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1856
Railway stations served by c2c
Buildings and structures in Southend-on-Sea