Birkbeck station

Birkbeck Tramlink National Rail
Station in 2008
Birkbeck
Location of Birkbeck in Greater London
Location Anerley
Local authority London Borough of Bromley
Managed by Southern
Station code BIK
DfT category F2
Number of platforms 1 (main line)
1 (Tramlink)
Fare zone 4
Tramlink annual boardings and alightings
2009–10 0.186 million[1]
2010–11 0.186 million[2]
National Rail annual entry and exit
2012–13 Increase 86,360[3]
2013–14 Increase 0.104 million[3]
2014–15 Steady 0.104 million[3]
2015–16 Increase 0.117 million[3]
2016–17 Decrease 82,662[3]
Railway companies
Original company Southern Railway
Post-grouping Southern Railway
Key dates
1858 Line opens
1915 Line closes
3 March 1929 line reopens
2 March 1930 Opening of station
1983 station reduced to single platform
2000 Tramlink starts
Other information
Lists of stations
External links
WGS84 51°24′14″N 0°03′24″W / 51.4039°N 0.0568°W / 51.4039; -0.0568Coordinates: 51°24′14″N 0°03′24″W / 51.4039°N 0.0568°W / 51.4039; -0.0568
London transport portal
UK Railways portal

Birkbeck is a railway station and light rail stop in the London Borough of Bromley in the southern suburbs of London. On the rail network it is 10 miles 26 chains (16.6 km) measured from London Victoria. 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 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,[4] to serve a growing suburban area, and named after the Birkbeck Freehold Lane Society, whose name derived from the Yorkshire philanthropist George Birkbeck.[5][6] 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.[7]

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 Station in 1961

The one-platform Tramlink stop opened in 2000.

A proposed line alternative through Birkbeck station from Crystal Palace railway station to Beckenham Junction was considered for conversion to a Tramlink route but Transport for London has dropped the plan on the grounds that the existing rail service is adequate.[8]

Services

The weekday daytime frequencies are as follows:
National Rail

  • 2 tph to London Bridge
  • 2 tph to Beckenham Junction

Some late night services terminate at London Victoria via Streatham Hill and Clapham Junction instead of London Bridge

Preceding station National Rail Following station
Crystal Palace   Southern
London Bridge to Beckenham Junction
(via Crystal Palace)
(Mondays-Saturdays only)		   Beckenham Junction
Preceding tram stop   Tramlink   Following tram stop
towards Wimbledon
Tramlink
Wimbledon to Beckenham Junction

References

  1. ↑ "Tram Stop Usage 2009-10 (FOI)" (XLS). Tramlink annual passenger performance 2009-2010. Transport for London. 18 August 2011. Retrieved 28 November 2012.
  2. ↑ "Tramlink numbers 2010-2011" (PDF). Tramlink annual passenger performance 2010-2011. Transport for London. 28 March 2012. Retrieved 28 November 2012.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Station usage estimates". Rail statistics. Office of Rail Regulation. Please note: Some methodology may vary year on year.
  4. ↑ Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 34. ISBN 1-85260-508-1. R508.
  5. ↑ "Birkbeck Freehold Lane Society". Beckenham History. 2016-01-11. Retrieved 2017-08-07.
  6. ↑ "The Railways of Beckenham", Andrew Hajducki, 2011
  7. ↑ by Pedantic of Purley (2017-02-09). "The Lonely Life of Birkbeck: South London's Bellwether Station". London Reconnections. Retrieved 2017-08-07.
  8. ↑ "Transport for London - Croydon Tramlink Extension Brochure" (PDF).
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.