Herne Hill railway station

Infobox London station
name = Herne Hill


manager = Southeastern
zone = 2 and 3
locale = Herne Hill
borough = London Borough of Lambeth
start = 25 August 1862
platforms = 4
railexits0405 = 1.636
railexits0506 = 1.619
railexits0607 = 2.354
railcode = HNH

Herne Hill railway station is in Herne Hill, a location in the London Borough of Lambeth, South London, England. Its location is gbmapping|TQ319744.

The station is above road level near the junction of five main roads, between Railton Road and Milkwood Road. There is no entrance in Milkwood Road, but there is a corridor between the two roads, from which it is possible to enter the station. There is a bus stop in front of the station entrance. There are four platforms.

For many years, there was a large chip (still?) missing from one of the slabs forming the edge of platform 3. This was not the result of damage occurring after the slab was installed: workmen installed a slab that was already chipped.

The original brick buildings at street level, with arched window decoration, are still a feature. The more modern buildings on the two island platforms provide faces to the main lines and the Up and Down passenger loops. The platform on the Up (northbound) side includes a coffee bar and waiting room for connecting passengers; there are fewer facilities on the Down (southbound) side.

There is a flat junction at each end of the station; Herne Hill North Junction, where the lines to Loughborough Junction and Brixton diverge;, and Herne Hill South Junction, where the lines to West Dulwich and Tulse Hill diverge.

The station was opened by the London, Chatham and Dover Railway, as part of its main access route to London Victoria station, on 25 August 1862. The station is served by South Eastern Trains to south east London and Kent and by First Capital Connect trains from Luton to Wimbledon via Sutton. Until the First World war, some main line trains were divided and joined at Herne Hill.

There have been rumours that the Victoria Line may be extended to Herne Hill to provide faster turnaround at the southern end of the line [http://www.davros.org/rail/culg/future.html Clive's Underground Line Guide - Future projects page] , Accessed October 11 2007] [ [http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/7069/tpftla_s.html?200713#VicHerne "Going Underground"'s future projects page, South London] , Annie Mole, Accessed October 11 2007] .

Accident

On 6 November 1947 a collision occurred at the south junction involving an EMU and a steam train, caused by unsatisfactory "fogging" procedures leading to a signal at danger being passed by the steam train. The steam train ran into the side of the correctly signalled EMU, which was crossing its path at the flat junction. One fatality and nine hospitalised passengers resulted from this accident.

Services

The current off-peak service pattern from Herne Hill station comprises the following:

* 4tph (trains per hour) to London Victoria via Brixton
* 4tph to Orpington via Beckenham Junction
* 2tph to Luton via Elephant & Castle
* 2tph to St Albans via Elephant & Castle
* 2tph to Sutton via Wimbledon
* 2tph to Wimbledon via Sutton

There are also two services per day to Brighton and occasional services from London Victoria to Maidstone East and Ashford International calling at Herne Hill.

London, Chatham and Dover Railway

In 1864 the line was extended Northwards through Loughborough Junction, Camberwell, Walworth Road, Borough Road to Blackfriars Bridge railway station as part of the company's ambitous City Branch which eventually saw trains running through the Snow Hill tunnel into the City of London. This service was discontinued in 1916 and the trains terminated at Holborn Viaduct station instead. In the late 1980s the link was re-opened and today the former City Branch forms the basis for the Thameslink system.

Gallery

References

External links

* [http://www.ideal-homes.org.uk/lambeth/herne-hill/station.htm Old image of Herne Hill station in the 1920s]