Tilbury Riverside railway station is a closed

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

located in the town of

Tilbury Tilbury is a port town in the borough of Thurrock, Essex, England. The present town was established as separate settlement in the late 19th century, on land that was mainly part of Chadwell St Mary. It contains a 16th century fort and an ancie ...

in the borough and unitary authority of

Thurrock Thurrock () is a unitary authority area with borough status and unparished area in the ceremonial county of Essex, England. It is part of the London commuter belt and an area of regeneration within the Thames Gateway redevelopment zone. The l ...

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

, England, south of a triangular junction on the railway between Tilbury Town and

East Tilbury East Tilbury is a village and former civil parish in the unitary authority of Thurrock borough, Essex, England, and one of the traditional Church of England parishes in Thurrock. In 1931 the parish had a population of 353. History In Saxon ti ...

. The station was down the line from London

Fenchurch Street Fenchurch Street is a street in London linking Aldgate at its eastern end with Lombard Street and Gracechurch Street in the west. It is a well-known thoroughfare in the City of London financial district and is the site of many corporate office ...

station via Rainham.

History

It was opened on 13 April 1854 as part of 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 ...

, providing an interchange with

Port of Tilbury The Port of Tilbury is a port on the River Thames at Tilbury in Essex, England. It is the principal port for London, as well as being the main United Kingdom port for handling the importation of paper. There are extensive facilities for contai ...

to take advantage of the increasing steamboat traffic in this area of the river

Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...

. The station was opened as ''Tilbury'', and it became ''Tilbury Riverside'' on 3 August 1934. It used to provide an interchange with the

Gravesend–Tilbury Ferry The Gravesend–Tilbury Ferry is a passenger ferry across the River Thames east of London. It is the last public crossing point before the Thames reaches the sea. History ''See also notes on Tilbury'' There were many ferries crossing the T ...

. Tilbury engine shed was sited in the triangular junction to the north of Tilbury Riverside station. Most trains from Fenchurch Street via Tilbury Town would reverse at this station and continue to

Westcliff Westcliff-on-Sea (often abbreviated to Westcliff) is an inner city area of the city of Southend-on-Sea, in the City of Southend-on-Sea, in the ceremonial county of Essex, England. It is on the north shore of the lower Thames Estuary, about 34 m ...

and Benfleet, with a few to or from Fenchurch Street starting or ending here, and there were also a few services operating short to or from Upminster. However, in 1986, London trains ceased calling here and the services were shortened to operate only from Upminster to Tilbury Riverside, East Tilbury and Stanford-le-Hope.

Tilbury Marine

Tilbury Marine was a short-lived station built by the

Port of London Authority The Port of London Authority (PLA) is a self-funding public trust established on 31 March 1909 in accordance with the Port of London Act 1908 to govern the Port of London. Its responsibility extends over the Tideway of the River Thames and its ...

to serve boat trains, it was located within the docks area to the west of Tilbury Riverside. It opened on 15 May 1927 and closed on 1 May 1932. The station suffered bomb damage in World War 2 but was still largely intact in 1947.

Closure

On 30 November 1992, the station was closed. For many years prior to closure, the station was served only by certain trains on the local service from

Upminster Upminster is a suburb, suburban town in East London, England, within the London Borough of Havering. Located east-northeast of Charing Cross, it is one of the district centres identified for development in the London Plan. Historically a rural ...

via Grays, because the nearby

Dartford Crossing The Dartford-Thurrock River Crossing, commonly known as the Dartford Crossing and until 1991 the Dartford Tunnel, is a major road crossing of the River Thames in England, carrying the A282 road between Dartford in Kent in the south and Thurr ...

and increased car ownership had caused a decline in its importance as a passenger ferry terminal. There was some opposition to closure, but British Rail cited financial reasons for the closure with the annual cost of running the service at £180,000 against income of £11,000. Tilbury Riverside railway station

The station building can now be reached by a shuttle bus service from

Tilbury Town railway station Tilbury Town railway station is on a loop line of the London, Tilbury and Southend line, serving the town of Tilbury, Essex. It is down the line from London Fenchurch Street via and it is situated between and . Its three-letter station co ...

, which was a requirement of the line closure. Conditions placed include that the bus service is at least as frequent as the train service at closure, and also that any withdrawal of the bus service go through the same process as closure of the rail service. The station building is now an indoor car park for Tilbury passenger terminal.

References

External links

Detailed description of ''Tilbury Riverside'' at Disused Stations web site
{{Special purpose UK stations Transport in Thurrock Disused railway stations in Essex Former London, Tilbury and Southend Railway stations Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1854 Railway stations in Great Britain closed in 1992 Grade II* listed buildings in Essex Tilbury Railway depots in England