Herne Hill railway station

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Herne Hill National Rail
Herne Hill Station Main 2012.jpg
Herne Hill is located in Greater London
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Herne Hill

Location of Herne Hill in Greater London
Location Herne Hill
Local authority London Borough of Lambeth
Managed by Southeastern
Station code HNH
Number of platforms 4
Accessible Handicapped/disabled access [1]
Fare zone 2 and 3
National Rail annual entry and exit
2004–05   1.636 million[2]
2005–06 decrease 1.619 million[2]
2006–07 increase 2.354 million[2]
2007–08 increase 2.807 million[2]
2008–09 decrease 2.686 million[2]
2009–10 decrease 2.564 million[2]
25 August 1862 Opened
Lists of stations DLR · Underground · National Rail · Tramlink
External links Departures • Layout
  Facilities • Buses
Portal icon London Transport portal
Portal icon UK Railways portal
Coordinates: 51°27′12″N 0°06′08″W / 51.4533°N 0.1021°W / 51.4533; -0.1021

Herne Hill railway station is in Herne Hill in the London Borough of Lambeth, South London, England, located at grid reference TQ319744 and on the boundary between London fare zones 2 and 3. First Capital Connect and Southeastern offer direct services to destinations including London Victoria, London Blackfriars, Farringdon, St. Pancras International and Luton Airport.

The Grade II listed[3] station building on Railton Road was opened in 1862 by the London, Chatham and Dover Railway. There is step-free access to the station's four platforms.

The future of the station and its passenger services are uncertain beyond 2017. Network Rail has recommended terminating all northbound First Capital Connect services from Herne Hill at Blackfriars from 2018. It is also considering undertaking major infrastructure works at the station after 2020 to relieve congestion caused by the station's junctions.

Contents

[edit] Services

The off-peak service pattern is:

First Capital Connect also operates additional evening peak services calling at Herne Hill: one service from Bedford to Beckenham Junction; two services from Bedford to Rochester; and one service from Luton to Kent House. Southeastern operates two morning peak services from Kent House to Bedford calling at Herne Hill.

Preceding station National Rail National Rail Following station
Loughborough
Junction		   First Capital Connect
Sutton Loop		   Tulse Hill
Brixton   Southeastern
Victoria - Orpington		   West Dulwich

[edit] The station today

The station's four platforms are above road-level between Railton Road and Milkwood Road. The station building is on Railton Road and there is a foot tunnel between the two roads, through which it is possible to enter the station (this tunnel also serves as the station's night entrance).

The original brick building, containing the ticket office and a newsagent's, is still in use. The two island platforms were rebuilt in the 1970s. The northbound platform includes a coffee bar, information office, waiting room and toilet facilities. The southbound platform has a waiting room and a unisex disabled toilet. The station used to have a platform that was accessed directly from the upper floor of the main building. The upper floor is now rented office space, but the bricked up doors to the removed platform can still be seen from the northbound platform.

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. Southeastern and First Capital Connect services cross each other's paths at both junctions.

There is also a turnback siding (requiring the driver to change from one end of the train to the other) on the eastern side of the station (opposite platform 4, adjacent to the Milkwood Road). It was brought back into service in 2009 for use by First Capital Connect trains to compensate for the loss of sidings when the Moorgate Thameslink branch was closed.[4]

[edit] History

An 1863 illustration. Note the public stairway on the left for accessing the upper floor and the wider canopy.

[edit] LCDR: 1862 to 1923

The station was opened by the London, Chatham and Dover Railway (LCDR) on 25 August 1862 as part of its main route to London Victoria. A northern extension to Elephant & Castle via Loughborough Junction, Camberwell and Walworth Road opened on 6 October 1862 as part of the company's City Branch. This extension continued via Borough Road to Blackfriars Bridge railway station (on the south bank of the River Thames), which opened on 1 June 1864.

Blackfriars Railway Bridge was then built across the Thames and a terminus for trains from the south opened at Ludgate Hill on 1 June 1865. Snow Hill tunnel opened in January 1866, allowing trains from Herne Hill to reach Farringdon. LCDR trains from the South East and the continent travelling to Victoria were split at Herne Hill to give passengers easier access to the City of London.[5]

In 1868, the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (LB&SCR) opened a suburban line from London Bridge to Sutton via Tulse Hill. A year later, the line at Tulse Hill was extended a mile north to Herne Hill to allow LB&SCR trains to use LCDR's City Branch (this short extension enabled the later creation of the current Wimbledon/Sutton loop).

Cross-London service from Herne Hill was discontinued in 1916 with the closure of Snow Hill tunnel to passengers and trains from the south terminated at Holborn Viaduct instead.

LCDR's routes were taken over by the newly-formed Southern Railway in 1923.

LCDR's City Branch (in red).

[edit] 1924 to present

Work began on electrifying the former LCDR suburban routes in 1924.[6] By 1929, a 660-Volt third-rail system had been installed on the lines from Victoria to Orpington, via Herne Hill, and Holborn Viaduct to Herne Hill.

A large goods yard (with at least 25 sidings) between Herne Hill and Loughborough Junction was closed on 1 August 1966.[7][8] Nothing of these sidings remains: residential accommodation has been built along the Shakespeare Road (on the western sidings) and commercial premises have been built along the Milkwood Road (on the eastern sidings).

In 1989, Snow Hill tunnel was re-opened and now the former LCDR City Branch forms the basis of the Thameslink system. From December 2008 to May 2012, to facilitate work on the Thameslink Programme, Thameslink services serving Herne Hill did not run most weekends or after 22:30 every weeknight.

Until the completion of High Speed 1 in November 2007, Eurostar services from the continent travelled to London Waterloo via Herne Hill (without stopping). The distinctive Eurostar trains passed through the station regularly.

Lifts were installed to provide step-free access to the platforms in 2008[9] and the unisex disabled-accessible toilet on the southbound platform opened in 2010.[10]

[edit] Accidents

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. This accident caused one death and the hospitalisation of nine others.[11]

A minor accident occurred on 30 June 1957. A light engine, travelling towards Tulse Hill, was waiting to cross the south junction when it was struck from behind by an express passenger service passing through the station. The driver of the light engine and two passengers from the express train were hospitalised but quickly discharged.[12]

A map showing the layout of the former sidings north of Herne Hill and the point of the 1960 collision.

Another fatal collision occurred at the now-removed sidings, just north of the station, on 1 April 1960 in fog that reduced visibility to 20 yards. A steam engine was waiting on the southbound track outside Herne Hill for a proceed signal when the signalman cleared an electric passenger service (behind the steam engine) to proceed down the same track. The steam engine was struck from behind, destroying it and killing the electric train's driver.[13]

[edit] Future

[edit] Thameslink

The station will be busier from May 2015 as Thameslink trains serving London Bridge will be diverted via Herne Hill with a planned 4tph in both directions. This is due to the redevelopment of London Bridge that will close it to Bedford-Brighton trains until January 2018.[14] It is unclear if any of the diverted trains will call at Herne Hill between London Blackfriars and East Croydon; it will certainly not be possible for the 12-car peak services to do so (even with selective door operation).[15]

Network Rail has recommended that all services from Herne Hill towards Blackfriars should terminate in Blackfriars' new bay platforms from 2018 after London Bridge's redevelopment is complete and the diverted Bedford-Brighton trains return there. Passengers from Herne Hill would have to change at Blackfriars to travel further north. Network Rail has made this recommendation because more services will be using the route between St. Pancras and London Bridge from 2018; maintaining the planned intensive timetable will require the route to be as simple and reliable as possible. Sending trains from Herne Hill to the terminating platforms on the western side of Blackfriars (instead of the through tracks on the eastern side of the station) will remove the need for them to cross in front of trains to/from Denmark Hill and trains to/from London Bridge at junctions south of Blackfriars.[16]

It has yet to be decided by the Department for Transport if the Wimbledon/Sutton loop will remain part of Thameslink service after 2018 and receive the new Thameslink trains.[17]

In the longer term, Network Rail has forecast that by 2031 there will be 900 more passengers attempting to use peak services between Herne Hill and Blackfriars than can be accommodated on the trains.[18] It is anticipated that 8-car trains with higher capacity (similar to the Class 378 trains used on inner London metro routes) will eventually be required to address this shortfall.[19]

[edit] London Overground

The Mayor of London published a long-term vision for the London Overground in February 2012.[20] It recommends that all London suburban rail services should eventually be devolved to Transport for London (TfL) and that suburban services currently provided by Southeastern and Greater Anglia be devolved by 2020 to demonstrate the benefits of this approach.[21] Southeastern's suburban services include the route between Victoria and Orpington via Herne Hill.

[edit] Station infrastructure

The layout of tracks and structures at Herne Hill station.

The route from Victoria to Bromley South and Orpington via Herne Hill is projected to be the most congested and highly stressed in the South East by 2026.[22] Network Rail is considering grade-separating the two lines passing through Herne Hill so that trains would not cross each other's paths at the station's junctions, which restricts the number of services that can pass through the station (currently 32tph[23], with capacity for a further 8tph reserved for the Bedford-Brighton trains that will be diverted from London Bridge between 2015 and 2018). A 2008 Rail Utilisation Strategy for South London concluded this improvement will not be required before 2020 but recommended safeguarding the required land (an industrial site between the two lines).[24] This project will also enable the platforms at Herne Hill to be lengthened to accommodate 12-car trains as the current northern junction, which prevents them from being extended, would be removed.[25] (However, longer trains could not be used on the Wimbledon/Sutton loop without also rebuilding Tulse Hill and Elephant & Castle.[26])

The exact form of the grade-separation (e.g. a fly-over that allows express services to bypass Herne Hill or the complete reconstruction of the station with high and low level platforms) has yet to be determined, but it is seen as a vital project if critical overcrowding on trains to the South East is to be avoided in the future.[27] Network Rail acknowledges this work would cause significant disruption in Herne Hill, but believes it would strongly benefit commuter services to the South East.[28] The project is strongly supported by Southeastern.[29]

The corridor to the platforms. Transport for London has recommended expanding the station's interior to ease congestion.

The congestion within the station itself has been noted by Network Rail and it is keeping the situation under review.[30] TfL has recommended that specific improvement works (new entrance doors, removal of interior wall, wider stairs to platforms and second station entrance) be carried out between 2014 and 2019.[31]

TfL has also suggested there may be potential for the turnaround siding adjacent to Milkwood Road to be converted for passenger use.[32] This would require substantial changes to the station as there is no direct access to the platforms from Milkwood Road and the current corridor for accessing the platforms does not extend any further east than the southbound platform.

[edit] Victoria line extension

TfL has considered extending the Victoria Line to Herne Hill to provide faster turnaround at the southern end of the line, which would increase the line's capacity (a double cross-over just north of Brixton tube station directs southbound trains into empty platforms and northbound trains into the northbound tunnel. Trains often have to queue to use this cross-over, causing substantial delays).[33][34] The extension would be a single platform loop. TfL has no current plans to construct it.

[edit] Transport links

Herne Hill is served by London bus routes 3, 37 (24 hours), 68, 196, 201, 322, 468, school route 690 and night buses N3 and N68.

North Dulwich, 0.7 miles away, offers trains to London Bridge. Denmark Hill, 1.4 miles away, will have trains to Clapham Junction in south-west London and Dalston Junction in north-east London when Phase II of London Overground's East London line extension is completed in December 2012.

The nearest London Underground station is Brixton, 1.1 miles away.

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Herne Hill: Accessibility and mobility access". Network Rail. February 2012. http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/stations_destinations/search.html?stnq=HNH. Retrieved 26 February 2012. 
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Station usage". Rail statistics. Office of Rail Regulation. 30 April 2010. http://www.rail-reg.gov.uk/server/show/nav.1529. Retrieved 17 January 2011.  Please note: Some methodology may vary year on year.
  3. ^ List entry Number: 1376144, HERNE HILL RAILWAY STATION, ENTRANCE BLOCK ONLYEnglish Heritage, Retrieved 28 February 2012
  4. ^ Thameslink Key Output Zero - Blackfriars Terminus Platforms Closure Southern Electric Group, Retrieved 26 February 2012
  5. ^ Ludgate Hill Disused Stations, Retrieved 12 February 2012
  6. ^ Brixton & South Stockwell History Kent Rail. Retrieved 27 February 2012
  7. ^ Camberwell New Road History Kent Rail, Retrieved 27 February 2012
  8. ^ Report on 1960 collision at Herne Hill sorting sidings, Appendix A Ministry of Transport. Retrieved 26 February 2012
  9. ^ Herne Hill Station, p.4 Herne Hill Society. Retrieved 27 February 2012
  10. ^ Disabled Peoples Protection Policy, p.5 London & Southeastern Railway. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
  11. ^ Report on 1947 collision Ministry of Transport, Retrieved 26 February 2012
  12. ^ Report on 1957 collision Ministry of Transport, Retrieved 26 February 2012
  13. ^ Report on 1960 collision Ministry of Transport, Retrieved 26 February 2012
  14. ^ A new station for London Bridge, Thameslink Programme, Retrieved 15 February 2012
  15. ^ Question 27, Thameslink Programme, Retrieved 29 February 2012
  16. ^ 5.16 Capacity via Elephant & Castle, p.80, Network Rail, Retrieved 13 January 2012
  17. ^ Question 41, Thameslink Programme, Retrieved 15 February 2012
  18. ^ Table 7.2 – Forecast capacity shortfall, p.102, Network Rail, Retrieved 29 February 2012
  19. ^ 7.11.4, p.139, Network Rail, Retrieved 29 February 2012
  20. ^ The Mayor’s Rail Vision, Mayor of London, Retrieved 25 February 2012
  21. ^ A specific proposal for devolution, p.23, Mayor of London, Retrieved 25 February 2012
  22. ^ Stress on the London Rail Network, Figure 2, Transport Committee, Retrieved 23 February 2012
  23. ^ Services at Herne Hill (HNH) between 17:00 and 18:00, Advanced display, Open Train Times, Retrieved 27 February 2012
  24. ^ 17.3 Enabling options – optimising use of capacity in the Herne Hill area, p.145, Network Rail, Retrieved 13 January 2012
  25. ^ 10.3.5 Further train lengthening, p.128, Network Rail, Retrieved 27 February 2012
  26. ^ 7.11 Gap H: Elephant & Castle corridor, p.139, Network Rail, Retrieved 27 February 2012
  27. ^ Sub-regional transport plan - South, National Rail corridor priorities, p.32, Transport for London, Retrieved 23 February 2012
  28. ^ Transport Committee 13 November 2008, Transport Committee 13 November 2008, Retrieved 23 February 2012
  29. ^ Response to Rail Utilisation Strategy consultation, p.3, Southeastern, Retrieved 27 February 2012
  30. ^ Gaps and Options, p.57, Network Rail, Retrieved 15 February 2012
  31. ^ Summary of recommendations at Strategic Interchanges, p.71, Transport for London, Retrieved 23 February 2012
  32. ^ 9.4 Gap H: Elephant & Castle corridor, Transport for London, Retrieved 27 February 2012
  33. ^ Clive's Underground Line Guide - Future projects: Victoria line, Retrieved 11 October 2007
  34. ^ "Going Underground"'s future projects page, South London, Annie Mole, Retrieved 11 October 2007

[edit] External links

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