Bexleyheath Line

Bexleyheath Line
Overview
Type	Heavy rail
System	National Rail
Status	Operating
Locale	Greater London
Termini	Lewisham Dartford
Operation
Owner	Network Rail
Operator(s)	Southeastern
Rolling stock	British Rail Class 376 British Rail Class 465 British Rail Class 466
Technical
Number of tracks	2
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 ^1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification	750 DC third rail
Route map Legend South Eastern Main Line to Charing Cross Lewisham South Eastern Main Line to Dover Blackheath North Kent Line to Woolwich Arsenal Kidbrooke Tunnel Kidbrooke Eltham Well Hall(1895–1985) A2 Rochester Way Relief Road Eltham Eltham Park(1908–1985) Falconwood Welling Bexleyheath Barnehurst North Kent Line to Woolwich Arsenal Slade Green River Cray Dartford Loop Line to Sidcup and SEML Dartford Dartford Carriage Sidings North Kent Line to Rochester

The Bexleyheath Line runs for 8 miles (13 km) from Lewisham to Dartford in Kent. It separates from the North Kent Line just to the East of Blackheath Station, and rejoins the same line just South of Slade Green in Dartford.

History

The Bexley Heath Railway company, led by railway engineer Alfred Bean (owner of Danson House),^[1] secured the necessary Act of Parliament to build the line in 1883,^[2] but it was not until 1 May 1895 that the Bexleyheath Line was finally opened.^[3] The company soon went into bankruptcy. South Eastern Railway - who had previously refused to build a line to serve the area between the two lines - was then forced to take over.^[4]

The line was electrified with the other South Eastern and Chatham Railway local routes to Dartford on 6 June 1926 by Southern Railway.^[5]

In 1985 the new Eltham railway station replaced two nearby stations Well Hall station and Shooters Hill & Eltham Park station.^[6] The change coincided with the opening of the Rochester Relief Road which forms part of the A2 road.^[7]

Service patterns

December 2010

Off-peak & Saturday:

• 2tph between London Charing Cross & Dartford (not calling at New Cross)
• 2tph between London Cannon Street & Barnehurst (calling at New Cross)
• 2tph between London Victoria & Dartford

From 11 December 2011 the Barnehurst service continued to Slade Green and returned to London Cannon Street.^[8]

Evenings & Sunday:

• 2tph between London Charing Cross & Dartford (calling at New Cross)

From January 2015

Due to the Thameslink Programme causing Southeastern to make modifications to its timetable, it has been proposed that the following service pattern will operate.^[9]

Off-peak & Saturday

• 2tph between London Charing Cross & Dartford
• 2tph between London Cannon Street & Slade Green (calling at New Cross)
• 2tph between London Victoria & Dartford

Evenings:

• 2tph between London Charing Cross & Dartford
• 2tph between London Victoria & Dartford

Sundays:

• 2tph between London Victoria & Dartford

From August 2016

Due to the Thameslink Programme causing Southeastern to make more modifications to its timetable, the line is expected to have some minor changes.

Events

The Eltham Well Hall rail crash took place close to at Eltham Well Hall station in 1972 and resulted in 5 deaths and 126 injuries.^[10]

References

1. "Danson House". Bexley.gov.uk.
2. "The Bexleyheath Line". Bexley.gov.uk.
3. "Bexleyheath Line". Bexley Historical Society.
4. "Bexley Heath Railway". National Archives.
5. "The Growth of the Southern Electric Group". Southern Electric Group.
6. "Domesday Reloaded". BBC.
7. "Station Name: ELTHAM PARK".
8. "December 2011 timetable changes" (Press release). Southeastern Railways. 3 November 2011. Retrieved 3 November 2011.
9. "January 2015 Draft Timetable" (Press release). Southeastern Railways. 2 July 2014. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
10. "Report on the Derailment that occurred on 11 June 1972 at Eltham (Well Hall) Station" (PDF).