Gidea Park railway station
Gidea Park | |
---|---|
Location | Gidea Park |
Local authority | London Borough of Havering |
Managed by | TfL Rail |
Station code | GDP |
DfT category | C2 |
Number of platforms | 4 |
Accessible | Yes |
Fare zone | 6 |
National Rail annual entry and exit | |
2013–14 | 2.811 million[1] |
2014–15 | 2.945 million[1] |
2015–16 | 2.861 million[1] |
2016–17 | 2.797 million[1] |
2017–18 | 2.711 million[1] |
Key dates | |
1910 | Opened as Squirrels Heath & Gidea Park |
1913 | Renamed Gidea Park & Squirrels Heath |
20 Feb. 1969[2] | Renamed Gidea Park |
Other information | |
External links | |
Coordinates | 51°34′55″N 0°12′23″E / 51.582°N 0.2063°E |
London transport portal |
Gidea Park railway station is on the Great Eastern Main Line, serving the neighbourhood of Gidea Park in the London Borough of Havering, east London. It is 13 miles 41 chains (21.7 km) down the line from London Liverpool Street and is situated between Romford and Harold Wood. Its three-letter station code is GDP and it is in Travelcard zone 6.
The station is currently managed by TfL Rail and is served by the Shenfield-Liverpool Street stopping "metro" service. In the future TfL Rail will be re-branded as the Elizabeth line as part of the Crossrail project. Eventually, the Elizabeth line service will be extended beyond Liverpool Street to Paddington and onwards to Reading and Heathrow Airport.
History
The station, constructed in a cutting, was opened as Squirrels Heath & Gidea Park on 1 December 1910 by the Great Eastern Railway on that company's main line out of London Liverpool Street. The name was switched to Gidea Park & Squirrels Heath in late 1913, but the "Squirrels Heath" suffix was dropped some time later.[3]
On 2 January 1947, in darkness and dense fog, an express train from London to Peterborough passed a signal at danger and collided with a stopping service bound for Southend Victoria as it started to depart from Gidea Park on the country-bound main line. The Peterborough train was travelling at an estimated 30 to 35 mph on impact, which destroyed the rear three coaches of the Southend train.[4] Seven people were killed in the crash and 45 were hospitalised. Two of the four lines through the station were reopened within two hours, and the other two followed the next day.[5]
External videos | |
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Footage of the aftermath of the 1947 crash at Gidea Park - British Pathé |
Services
The following services typically call at Gidea Park during off-peak hours. Frequency is increased during peak times.[6] Additionally, there is one late-night service to Colchester operated by Greater Anglia.
Operator | Route | Rolling stock | Typical frequency | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
TfL Rail | London Liverpool Street - Stratford - Maryland - Forest Gate - Manor Park - Ilford - Seven Kings - Goodmayes - Chadwell Heath - Romford - Gidea Park - Harold Wood - Brentwood - Shenfield | Class 315, Class 345 | 6x per hour | 4x per hour on Sundays |
In 2017, new Class 345 trains began entering service as Crossrail partially opened. The platforms at Gidea Park will be extended from their current length of 184 metres (201 yd) to accommodate the new Crossrail trains which will be over 200 metres (220 yd) long once extended to nine carriages. New lifts, signage, help points, customer information screens and CCTV will also be installed, and the footbridge and carriage-sidings will be refurbished.
Connections
London Buses routes 294, 496, 649, 650 and 674 serve the station.
References
- ^ a b c d e "Estimates of station usage". Rail statistics. Office of Rail Regulation. Please note: Some methodology may vary year on year.
- ^ Chronology of London Railways by H.V.Borley
- ^ http://www.romfordrecorder.co.uk/news/feature_havering_s_lifeline_rail_service_the_liverpool_street_to_shenfield_line_1_1807296
- ^ http://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/documents/MoT_Gidea1947.pdf
- ^ Earnshaw, Alan (1991). Trains in Trouble: Vol. 7. Penryn: Atlantic Books. p. 30. ISBN 0-906899-50-8.
- ^ https://tfl.gov.uk/cdn/static/cms/documents/liverpool-street-romford-shenfield-v4.pdf[permanent dead link] TfL Rail Timetable
External links
- Train times and station information for Gidea Park railway station from National Rail