Leigh-on-Sea railway station
Leigh-on-Sea  | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | |||||
| General information | |||||
| Location | Leigh-on-Sea, Southend-on-Sea England | ||||
| Grid reference | TQ831857 | ||||
| Managed by | c2c | ||||
| Platforms | 3 | ||||
| Other information | |||||
| Station code | LES | ||||
| Classification | DfT category C2 | ||||
| Key dates | |||||
| 1 July 1855 | Opened as Leigh | ||||
| 1 October 1904 | Renamed Leigh-on-Sea | ||||
| 1 January 1934 | Re-sited | ||||
| Passengers | |||||
| 2019/20 |  2.315 million | ||||
| 2020/21 | 0.480 million | ||||
| 2021/22 |  1.248 million | ||||
| 2022/23 | 1.563 million | ||||
| 2023/24 | 1.635 million | ||||
| |||||
Leigh-on-Sea railway station is on the London, Tilbury and Southend line, serving the town of Leigh-on-Sea, Essex. It is 32 miles 43 chains (52.4 km) down the main line from London Fenchurch Street via Basildon and it is situated between Benfleet to the west and Chalkwell to the east. Its three-letter station code is LES.
It was originally opened as Leigh by the London, Tilbury and Southend Railway on 1 July 1855, being renamed Leigh-on-Sea on 1 October 1904, but was rebuilt by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway on a new site, 880 yards (805 m) to the west, opening on 1 January 1934.[1] The station and all trains serving it are currently operated by c2c.
History
[edit]The original station was built in Leigh Old Town and opened in 1855, but a larger three-platform station some distance to the west was opened on 1 January 1934 to replace the first structure.[2] The original building was then used by a local Sea Scout troop until the northern platform buildings were demolished to allow the widening of the adjacent road. The other platform and station building still exist and are currently used by Leigh Sailing Club.[3]
The Whitechapel and Bow Railway, opened in 1902, permitted through trains to operate from the District Railway on to the LTSR. This was initially used for inner suburban District Railway trains that did not go beyond Upminster.[4] In 1909 and 1910 trial joint through services were run from Ealing Broadway to Southend, changing from electric District to steam LTSR locomotives en route. This became a regular timetable in 1911. The service ended on 11 September 1939.[5]
There were formerly sidings on the 'up' London-bound side to the south-west of the station.[6] There was a fatal accident at these sidings on 15 December 1935.[7] The sidings had been partly decommissioned by 1969.[6]
Services
[edit]As of the June 2024 timetable the typical Monday to Friday off-peak service is:[8]
- 4 tph (trains per hour) westbound to London Fenchurch Street via Basildon (2 tph all stations and 2 tph semi-fast)
- 2 tph westbound to London Fenchurch Street via Tilbury Town and Ockendon
- 6 tph eastbound to Southend Central, of which 4 tph continue to Shoeburyness
References
[edit]- ^ Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 141. ISBN 1-85260-508-1. R508.
- ^ Cooke, B.W.C., ed. (December 1956). "Leigh-on-Sea Station". The Why and the Wherefore. The Railway Magazine. Vol. 102, no. 668. Westminster: Tothill Press. p. 867.
- ^ History of 3rd Chalkwell Bay Sea Scouts Archived 2 February 2007 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Horne, Mike A. C. (2019). London's District Railway: A History of the Metropolitan District Railway Company. Twentieth Century. Volume two. Capital Transport Publishing. ISBN 978-1-85414-430-0.
- ^ Kay, Peter (2010). The London, Tilbury & Southend Railway: A History of the Company and Line. 1912-1939, the Midland and LMS years. vol. 3. Wivenhoe: Peter Kay. ISBN 978-1-899890-43-9.
- ^ a b Route training manual: London, Tilbury & Southend Lines, British Rail Eastern Region (November 1969). Published by Great Eastern Railways Society (2003)
- ^ "Fatal accident Leigh-on-Sea 15 December 1935".
- ^ "c2c Train Times" (PDF). c2c. June 2024. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
External links
[edit]
Media related to Leigh-on-Sea railway station at Wikimedia Commons
- Train times and station information for Leigh-on-Sea railway station from National Rail
| Preceding station |  National Rail
|
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benfleet | c2c London, Tilbury and Southend line |
Chalkwell | ||
| Former services | ||||
| Benfleet | District—LMS through service London, Tilbury and Southend line |
Chalkwell | ||