Eynsford railway station

Eynsford railway station serves Eynsford in Kent, England. It is down the line from and is situated between and . Train services are provided by Thameslink.

History

The Swanley to Sevenoaks Bat & Ball line was opened on 2 June 1862, by the London, Chatham and Dover Railway, initially with just a single track. The station at Eynsford came into use the following month, with two platforms and a passing loop; the second track came in 1863.

The main station building is on the "down" side, two storeys high, with chimney stacks and arched window frames. On the "up" side is a shelter with an elaborate valance and sides for protection from the weather. The track was crossed at ground level until a lattice footbridge was built in about 1910. The signal cabin was positioned at the southern end of the "up" platform.

Eynsford's goods yard was positioned on the "down" side, to the south of the main building, and comprised a pair of sidings, one of which passed over a wagon turntable through the pitched-roof goods shed. The platforms were extended twice, first in 1894 and again in 1932 when they were lengthened at their southern ends, requiring the demolition of the signal box. This was replaced by a porch on the ground floor of the station building's platform side.

Electric services between Bickley and Sevenoaks were introduced on 6 January 1935, when the station lost its lattice footbridge to a prefabricated concrete replacement. Goods traffic ceased in May 1962 and the goods shed was demolished soon after.

Approximately 1 km to the north west lie the remains of Lullingstone, built but never opened, as the development it was intended to serve never materialised. All that remains are the platforms (still ''in situ'') and the platform canopies which were reinstalled at Canterbury East station. Between the two, the line is taken over the River Darent by an impressive nine-arch red-brick viaduct.

Facilities

The station has a ticket office which is located in the substantial station building on the Ashford bound platform. This is open during the morning Monday-Friday only (06:10-12:50). At other times, the station is unstaffed and tickets must be purchased from the self-service ticket machine at the station entrance.

The station has covered seating areas as well as modern help points located on each of its platforms which are connected by a concrete footbridge.

There is also a small (free) car park and cycle rack at the entrance to the station.

The station has step-free access available to the Ashford bound platform although the London bound platform is only reachable by the stepped footbridge so is not accessible.

Services

Off-peak, all services at Eynsford are operated by Thameslink using Class 700 EMUs.

The typical off-peak service in trains per hour is:
* 2 tph to London Blackfriars via
* 2 tph to

During the peak hours, the service to London Blackfriars is extended to and from via .

Southeastern services on the Maidstone East Line call here occasionally during times of service disruption or engineering work.

Bus Connections

The station is served by the Go-Coach route 2 bus service which provides connections to Swanley and Sevenoaks.

References

External links

{{TSGN and SE Stations, Catford Loop=y, Bromley South=y, SN None=y

Railway stations in Kent
DfT Category E stations
Former London, Chatham and Dover Railway stations
Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1862
Railway stations served by Southeastern
Buildings and structures in Sevenoaks District
1862 establishments in England
Railway stations served by Govia Thameslink Railway