Rayleigh railway station
Rayleigh (RLG)  | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Rayleigh station in 2006 | |||||
| General information | |||||
| Location | Rayleigh, District of Rochford, England | ||||
| Coordinates | 51°35′20″N 0°36′04″E / 51.589°N 0.601°E | ||||
| Grid reference | TQ802910 | ||||
| Managed by | Greater Anglia | ||||
| Platforms | 2 | ||||
| Other information | |||||
| Station code | RLG | ||||
| Classification | DfT category C2 | ||||
| History | |||||
| Opened | 1 October 1889 | ||||
| Passengers | |||||
| 2020/21 |  0.352 million | ||||
| 2021/22 |  1.028 million | ||||
| 2022/23 | 1.332 million | ||||
| 2023/24 | 1.504 million | ||||
| 2024/25 | 1.553 million | ||||
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Rayleigh railway station is on the Shenfield to Southend Line in the East of England, serving the town of Rayleigh, in Essex. It lies 33 miles 9 chains (53.29 km) down the line from London Liverpool Street, and is situated between Wickford to the west and Hockley to the east. Each of the two platforms has an operational length for 12-coach trains.
History
[edit]The line from Wickford to Southend, including Rayleigh station was opened on 1 October 1889, by the Great Eastern Railway.[1] There was a goods yard to the west of the station, on the 'up' (London-bound) side, including a goods shed and cattle pens.[2] There was a signal box on the 'down' platform, which was closed in 1938 with the introduction of colour light signalling.[3] Overhead electrification of the Shenfield–Southend line at 1.5 kV DC was completed on 31 December 1956; that was changed to 6.25 kV AC in November 1960 and to 25 kV AC in January 1979.[2]
To the west of the station, there was a private halt called Bridge 774, which was used from May 1922 to April 1925 during construction work on the Southend Arterial Road.[2] To the east, there was a siding called Downhall, associated with a brickworks[2] which had been decommissioned by 1968.[4]
Facilities
[edit]It is a small station, with a ticket office but no barriers. The ticket office is open seven days a week during daytimes and early evenings; access to the platforms is available at other times through a gate to the left of the building. Outside the station, there is a taxi rank, a 437-space car park, bus stops and a newsagent.[5]
Service
[edit]Greater Anglia operates all trains serving the station.
The typical weekday off-peak service is three trains per hour in each direction between Southend Victoria and London Liverpool Street; services join the Great Eastern Main Line at Shenfield. At peak times, service frequencies are increased and calling patterns more varied.[6]
| Preceding station |  National Rail
|
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wickford | Greater Anglia Shenfield–Southend line |
Hockley | ||
References
[edit]- ^ "Southend Line: Rayleigh Station". Essex and South Suffolk Community Rail Partnership. Retrieved 14 January 2026.
- ^ a b c d Mitchell, Vic (2010). Branch Lines to Southend and Southminster. Midhurst Sussex: Middleton Press. ISBN 978-1-906008-76-5.
- ^ Notice: Colour light signalling between Wickford and Southend. London and North Eastern Railway (1938). Published by Great Eastern Railways Society (2003) ISBN 1 85622 251 9
- ^ Route training manual Liverpool Street to Ipswich and branches. British Rail Eastern Region (September 1968). Published by Great Eastern Railways Society (1992) ISBN 1 85622 239 X
- ^ "Rayleigh (RLG)". National Rail. Retrieved 14 January 2026.
- ^ "Timetables". Greater Anglia. 14 December 2025. Retrieved 14 January 2026.
External links
[edit]
- Train times and station information for Rayleigh railway station from National Rail
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