Birkbeck is a railway station and light rail stop in the

London Borough of Bromley The London Borough of Bromley () is the southeasternmost of the London boroughs that make up Greater London, bordering the ceremonial county of Kent, which most of Bromley was part of before 1965. The borough's population is an estimated 332, ...

in the southern suburbs of

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, 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 dow ...

. On the rail network it is measured from . It is located on Elmers End Road (A214) and alongside Beckenham Crematorium.

History and layout

National Rail

The line through Birkbeck was opened as a double-track branch of the

West End of London and Crystal Palace Railway The West End of London and Crystal Palace Railway (WELCPR) was an early railway company in south London between Crystal Palace station and Wandsworth, which was opened in 1856. The line was extended in 1858 to a station at Battersea Wharf near t ...

in 1858, but was closed from 1860 to 1863 and again in 1915 until reopened in 1929 as part of the Southern Railway electrification scheme. A year later, on 2 March 1930, a new station was opened, to serve a growing suburban area, and named after the Birkbeck Freehold Land Society, whose name derived from the Yorkshire philanthropist

George Birkbeck George Birkbeck FRS (; 10 January 1776 – 1 December 1841) was a British physician, academic, philanthropist, pioneer in adult education and a professor of natural philosophy at the Andersonian Institute. He is the founder of Birkbeck, Univers ...

. In 1983 the line between Beckenham Junction and Bromley Junction was reduced to single track and the former up line and up platform was abandoned. The track was subsequently removed and the station building demolished. The tracks in the station are located well above street level; the National Rail buildings were damaged by fire in 1983. When the Croydon Tramlink was constructed a single line through the station was laid using the trackbed of the former BR up line and the former BR up platform was rebuilt. The National Rail line is served by a high level platform to the north of the track, whilst the Croydon Tramlink rail line is served by a low level platform to the south of the track. Each platform has its own access from the street, and the only access between the two platforms is via the street, with a fence between the two tracks to deter any attempt to cross the lines. Birkbeck railway station 1801492 3f915821

Birkbeck railway station 1801492 3f915821

Tramlink

The one-platform

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 ...

stop opened in 2000. This platform is used for both services which run to Beckenham Junction and Wimbledon. A proposed line alternative through Birkbeck station from

Crystal Palace railway station Crystal Palace railway station is a Network Rail and London Overground station in the London Borough of Bromley in south London. It is located in the Anerley area between the town centres of Crystal Palace and Penge, from . It is one of two st ...

to Beckenham Junction was considered for conversion to a

route but Transport for London has dropped the plan on the grounds that the existing rail service is adequate.

Services

National Rail

All

National Rail National Rail (NR) is the trading name licensed for use by the Rail Delivery Group, an unincorporated association whose membership consists of the passenger train operating companies (TOCs) of England, Scotland, and Wales. The TOCs run the ...

services at Birkbeck are operated by

Southern Southern may refer to: Businesses * China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China * Southern Airways, defunct US airline * Southern Air, air cargo transportation company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, US * Southern Airways Express, M ...

using

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 ...

. The typical off-peak service in trains per hour is: * 2 tph to via * 2 tph to During the evenings (after approximately 20:00), the service is reduced to hourly in each direction. No National Rail services call at the station on Sundays.

London Trams

Tram services at Birkbeck are operated by

. The tram stop is served by trams every 10 minutes between and via

Croydon Croydon is a large town in south London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a local government district of Greater London. It is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater London, with an exten ...

. This is reduced to a tram every 15 minutes on Saturday evenings and Sundays. Services are operated using

Bombardier CR4000 The Bombardier CR4000 is a 76% low floor model of the Bombardier Flexity Swift series of tram operated by Tramlink in London. They are based on and very similar in appearance to the K4000 built for use on the low-platform routes of the Cologne St ...

and Stadler Variobahn

Trams A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport ar ...

Connections

The stop is served by

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 s ...

routes 354 and 356 which provide connections to

Beckenham Beckenham () is a town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley, in Greater London. Until 1965 it was part of the historic county of Kent. It is located south-east of Charing Cross, situated north of Elmers End and E ...

Bromley Bromley is a large town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. It is south-east of Charing Cross, and had an estimated population of 87,889 as of 2011. Originally part of Kent, Bromley became a market town, c ...

Elmers End Elmers End is an area of south-east London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley, Greater London and formerly part of the historic county of Kent. It is located south of Beckenham, west of Eden Park, north of Monks Orchard and east of A ...

Penge Penge () is a suburb of South East London, England, now in the London Borough of Bromley, west of Bromley, north east of Croydon and south east of Charing Cross. History Penge was once a small hamlet, which was recorded under the name Penc ...

and Sydenham. Free interchange for journeys made within an hour is available between bus services and between buses and trams is available at Birkbeck as part of Transport for London's Hopper Fare.

Gallery

Image:Birkbeck stn mainline look west2.JPG, Main line looking west Image:Birkbeck stn Tramlink look east.JPG, Tramlink looking east Image:Birkbeck stn mainline signage.JPG, Main line platform sign Image:Birkbeck stn Tramlink signage.JPG, Tramlink platform sign

References

External links

Birkbeck tram Stop
– Timetables and live departures at Transport for London {{TSGN and SE Stations, Peckham Rye=y, SE None=y, FCC None=y Tramlink stops in the London Borough of Bromley Railway stations in the London Borough of Bromley Former Southern Railway (UK) stations Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1930 Railway stations served by Govia Thameslink Railway