Ilford railway station

For the station in Manitoba, Canada, see Ilford railway station (Manitoba).

Ilford
Cranbrook Road entrance in June 2015
Location	Ilford
Local authority	London Borough of Redbridge
Managed by	TfL Rail
Owner	Network Rail
Station code(s)	IFD
DfT category	C2
Number of platforms	5
Fare zone	4
National Rail annual entry and exit
2007–08	6.120 million
2008–09	5.559 million
2009–10	5.363 million
2010–11	6.286 million
2011–12	6.721 million
2012–13	6.854 million
2013–14	7.632 million
Key dates
20 June 1839	Opened
Other information
External links	Departures Facilities
London transport portal

Ilford railway station is on the Great Eastern Main Line serving the town of Ilford in the London Borough of Redbridge, east London. It is 7 miles 28 chains (11.8 km) down-line from London Liverpool Street and is situated between Manor Park and Seven Kings. Its three-letter station code is IFD and it is in Travelcard zone 4.

The station was opened in 1839 by the Eastern Counties Railway. It is currently managed by TfL Rail. Services call at Ilford as part of the Shenfield-Liverpool Street stopping "metro" service. From 2019 the station will be fully served by Crossrail, linking it to additional stations in central London as well as Reading and London Heathrow Airport. TfL Rail, the precursor of Crossrail, took over the running of the Shenfield "metro" in May 2015.

History

Ilford station was opened on 20 June 1839 by the Eastern Counties Railway, along with the Mile End (temporary terminus) to Romford section of what was to become the Great Eastern Main Line.

Between 1903 and 1947, trains also ran through to Woodford via Hainault via the Fairlop Loop, most of which was transferred to London Underground's Central line. The triangular junction (Seven Kings being the third point of the triangle) is now the site of the Ilford carriage sheds and also a maintenance depot operated by Bombardier Transportation. Freight trains used the connection from the Fairlop Loop to Seven Kings until 1956.

On New Year's Day 1915 the station was the scene of a major collision in which 10 people were killed.

Lieutenant-Colonel Frank Heilgers, a Member of Parliament, was one of nine people killed in the 1944 Ilford rail crash.

Layout

Ilford station signage

Ilford railway station in 2002

The main entrance, in Cranbrook Road, was heavily rebuilt during the 1980s, with architecture in keeping with other contemporary buildings in Ilford, such as the Central Library. This stretch of Cranbrook Road was originally called Station Road but this name was transferred to a short portion of Havelock Street immediately opposite the station. There is also a rear entrance from York Road, open during peak hours only, from which the west (London) ends of the platforms can be reached via a footbridge. This entrance is convenient for access from north and west of the station.

The station has five platforms, two "up" (headed west toward Liverpool Street) and two "down" (towards Shenfield). The fifth platform, platform 5, is a bay platform, allowing peak services into London to start at Ilford. Platforms 1 and 2 are typically used only during engineering works and line disruptions, as the two adjacent tracks are used by fast trains that do not call at most of the suburban stations. Immediately to the west of the station is a flyover that allows the fast tracks to cross over from the south side of the suburban tracks to the north, and thus easily access the longer northern platforms at Liverpool Street. The tracks cross the River Roding at the same point, and pass under the North Circular Road.

The platforms are several metres below street-level, as the road rises up to pass over the railway line. The north side of the station is edged by an embankment lined with housing. The south side is lined with large buildings (the Valentine House office building, the former British Gas building now converted to residential use and a large British Telecom building, whose rooftop logo can be seen from passing trains) and platform level approximates to street-level by the far end of the station. Despite the steps to the platforms, wheelchair lifts are available by prior arrangement. There are two access stairways from the concourse to platforms 3 and 4. This is in order to segregate arriving and departing passengers. The down staircase goes immediately from the concourse to the station platform whilst the up staircase rises from approximately 100 m along the platform and is connected by an elevated walkway to the concourse. A second entrance and footbridge from York Road is open for passengers during the morning and evening peak periods.

Services

The following is the typical off-peak service:

Operator	Route	Rolling stock	Frequency
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	6x per hour

Connections

London Buses routes 25, 86, 123, 128, 145, 147, 150, 167, 169, 179, 296, 364, 366, 396, 462, W19, EL1 and EL2, 667 and 679 and night route N86 serve the station.

External links

• Media related to Ilford railway station at Wikimedia Commons
• Train times and station information for Ilford railway station from National Rail