Hayes Line

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Hayes Line
A Southeastern class 465 at Hayes
Overview
StatusOperational
OwnerNetwork Rail
LocaleGreater London
Termini
Stations9 (Ladywell-Hayes)
Service
TypeSuburban rail, Commuter rail
SystemNational Rail
Services2
Operator(s)Southeastern
Rolling stockClass 376 "Electrostar"
Class 465 "Networker"
Class 466 "Networker"
Technical
Number of tracks2
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification750 V Direct Current third rail
Operating speed60 mph (97 km/h) maximum
Mid-Kent line (Hayes line)
Legend
South Eastern Main Line
to Charing Cross
Greenwich Park branch line
to Nunhead
Proposed Bakerloo line extension
to Elephant & Castle
 Lewisham Docklands Light Railway
North Kent Line
to Rochester
South Eastern Main Line
to Charing Cross
South Eastern Main Line
to Dover Priory
 Ladywell
Catford loop line
to Brixton
 Catford Bridge
Catford
Catford loop line
to Shortlands
 Lower Sydenham
Chatham Main Line
to Faversham
 Beckenham Junction Tramlink
New Beckenham
New Beckenham
(1864–1866)
Chatham Main Line
to London Victoria
Crystal Palace line
to Streatham Hill
 Clock House
Elmers End Tramlink
Woodside
Woodside & S. Croydon Joint Railway
to Sanderstead
Carriage depot (closed 1993)
 Addiscombe
Eden Park
West Wickham
Hayes

The Hayes Line is the railway service in south east London, United Kingdom operated by Southeastern between Charing Cross or Cannon Street and Hayes in the London Borough of Bromley. Part of its route follows the Mid-Kent Line.

History

Early years 1857-1922

The existing Hayes line consists of three sections built at different times. The Mid Kent Railway was built by the Mid-Kent and North Kent Junction Railway (MK&NKJR) and was opened on 1 January 1857 from Lewisham (where the existing station was closed and a new station re-opened at the junction) as far as Beckenham Junction (although it was not technically a junction as the West End of London and Crystal Palace Railway’s line did not open until 3 May 1858). From opening the line was worked by the South Eastern Railway (SER) and served new stations at Ladywell, Catford Bridge, Lower Sydenham and Beckenham (Junction).

Seven years later the MK&NKJR built an extension from a new junction station at New Beckenham to Croydon (Addiscombe Road) which again was operated by the SER. [1] The line diverged from the 1857 line to the west of Beckenham Junction and a new station was built in the junction area. This was re-located northwards two years later. Elmers End

In September 1866 a short-spur was opened from the north end of Ladywell station to the recently opened main line (which avoided Lewisham Junction station) which it joins at Parks Bridge Junction. [2]

The Elmers End – Hayes section was built by the West Wickham & Hayes Railway, but was sold to the South Eastern Railway in 1881, opening on 29 May 1882. Intermediate stations were opened at Eden Park and West Wickham.

A 1908 Railway Clearing House map of part of the Hayes Line, between Lower Sydenham and Elmers End, showing the now closed Addiscombe Line and W&SCR branches off the Hayes Line

Clock House station was opened in June 1890.

In 1898 the South Eastern Railway and its bitter rivals the London Chatham and Dover Railway agreed to work as one railway company under the name of the South Eastern and Chatham Railway and thus the stations became an SECR stations.

The original Lower Sydenham station was closed and moved half a mile south in 1906 in an attempt to develop a new area for housing.

On 14 June 1913 members of the Suffragettes movement planted a bomb which was discovered in the ladies waiting room at the station. The clock-work mechanism had stopped working and so it didn’t go off. This event followed the death of Emily Wilding Davison six days earlier after her attempt to stop the King’s horse at the Epsom Derby.[3]

Southern Railway 1923-1947

Following the Railways Act 1921 (also known as the Grouping Act), the Hayes line became a Southern Railway station on 1 January 1923.

The line was electrified with other SECR suburban routes in 1926 by the Southern Railway.

Hayes, West Wickham and Elmers End stations were all damaged by enemy bombs during the Second World War.

British Railways 1948-1994

After World War II and following nationalisation on 1 January 1948, the line fell under the auspices of British Railways Southern Region.

In 1956 platform lengths were extended to accommodate 10-car trains.

During the 1960s the local goods yards at Catford Bridge, Lower Sydenham, Clock House, Elmers End, West Wickham and Hayes all closed as did the gas works internal railway at Lower Sydenham.

Colour light signalling was introduced south of Ladywell (as far as New Beckenham) on 4 April 1971.[4] The line was fully converted to colour light operation in September 1975 under the control of London Bridge Signalling Centre. The old mechanical signal boxes closed at this time.[5]

Upon sectorisation in 1982, three passenger sectors were created: InterCity, operating principal express services; and London & South East (renamed Network SouthEast in 1986) who operated commuter services in the London area.[6]

During the planning of the Fleet line, now the Jubilee line it was intended that the line would continue on from Charing Cross and then travel through Central London with stations at Aldwych, Ludgate Circus (now called City Thameslink), Cannon Street and Fenchurch Street then taking over the East London line continuing to Lewisham; a further extension envisaged from Lewisham to Hayes and Addiscombe was planned by taking over the Hayes line from the National Rail network. However, after many changes, the Fleet line was renamed the current Jubilee line and eventually took a completely new alignment from Green Park.

Description of the route

  • Services commence at either Charing Cross via Waterloo East, or Cannon Street.
  • London Bridge - North Kent Junction, Bermondsey: The pioneer London and Greenwich Railway opened its line on 8 February 1836. This section is built on a brick viaduct
  • North Kent Junction - Lewisham: opened 30 July 1849 as the North Kent Railway, now called the North Kent line. Most of the railway here is in cutting with the four tracks passing through St Johns railway station, the two northernmost leading into Lewisham station.
  • Lewisham - New Beckenham: opened 1 January 1857 as the Mid-Kent line. This opening created a junction at Lewisham.
  • New Beckenham - Elmers End: opened on 1 April 1864 as part of an extension of the Mid-Kent line to Addiscombe
  • Elmers End - Hayes: this section was built by the West Wickham & Hayes Railway, but was sold to the South Eastern Railway on opening day, 29 May 1882

Service patterns

Historic

The historic service patterns using the current Hayes line are complex including trains to Addiscombe, Selsdon, Orpington (via Beckenham Junction)and Edenbridge. Most trains have been routed to Charing Cross and Cannon Street (via London Bridge) but in the early 1880s following the extension of the East London Line to New Cross services operated over the Hayes line from Addiscombe to Liverpool Street and later onto the northern section of the Circle Line.

Off-peak & Saturday

  • 2tph between London Charing Cross and Hayes #non stop between London Bridge and Ladywell#
  • 2tph between London Cannon Street calling at New Cross, St Johns, Lewisham to Ladywell then all stations to Hayes
  • 1tpd between London Charing Cross and Beckenham Junction #non stop between London Bridge and Ladywell. Additionally, no service on Saturday#

Peak hour frequencies vary.

Sunday

From December 2014

Due to the Thameslink Programme removing Spa Road Junction, all evening and Sunday services are likely to have the London Charing Cross services replaced with London Cannon Street services.[7] Therefore, passengers will have to change at London Bridge.

Future plans

It has been proposed that the Bakerloo line will be extended from its current terminus at Elephant & Castle to Hayes via Camberwell and Lewisham or Honor Oak.[8][9] More so, recently Network Rail's Kent Route Utilisation Strategy, published in 2010 envisages the ultimate incorporation of the Hayes Line into an extended Bakerloo line [citation needed]. Furthermore, if this were to happen, services on the Hayes line would be replaced by London Underground services and a most-likely withdrawal of National Rail services. Also, the Beckenham Junction branch will also be incorporated into the new extended line potentially meaning an all-day service. The driving force for this change is that Network Rail would like the train paths freed up for services mainly from the South Eastern Main Line [citation needed]. Transport for London prefer this route due to its being largely self-contained after Lewisham [citation needed].

An alternative plan has also been put forward by the Brighton Main Line 2 #BML2) pressure group to use the line as part of an alternative route from Sussex to London. This would involve re-opening the old link from Sanderstead to Elmers End and avoid the railway bottleneck at East Croydon.

References

  1. ^ Jackson, Alan A (1999). London's Local Railways (2nd ed.). Harrow Weald: Capital Transport Publishing. pp. 37–40.
  2. ^ Jackson, Alan A (1999). London's Local Railways (2nd ed.). Harrow Weald: Capital Transport Publishing. p. 37.
  3. ^ Gray, Lesley. "Suffragette timeline". The King's Jockey. Lesley Gray. Retrieved 29 May 2016.
  4. ^ Jackson, Alan A (1999). London's Local Railways (2nd ed.). Harrow Weald: Capital Transport Publishing. p. 47.
  5. ^ Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (September 1993). London Bridge to Addiscombe. Midhurst, UK: Middleton Press. p. 83. ISBN 1 873793 20 0.
  6. ^ Thomas, David St John; Whitehouse, Patrick (1990). BR in the Eighties. Newton Abbot: David & Charles. ISBN 0-7153-9854-7.
  7. ^ "Southeastern consults on changes to timetable in December 2014". 2013-12-17. Retrieved 21 December 2013.
  8. ^ John Bull (24 August 2009). "Extending the Bakerloo: Investigations and Options". London Reconnections. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
  9. ^ Lewisham Council (n.d.). "Catford plan - frequently asked questions". Retrieved 18 March 2014.
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