Bexleyheath line

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Bexleyheath line
DC third rail
Route map

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The Bexleyheath line runs for 8 miles (13 km) from

Lewisham to Dartford in Kent. It separates from the North Kent Line just to the east of Blackheath Station, and rejoins the same line just south of Slade Green near Dartford
.

History

The line was first proposed in 1881, when Squire Jones, of

Act of Parliament to build the line in 1883, routed via Lee.[1] However, this was followed by disputes between the two companies, and disagreements over the final route, and in 1887 another act was passed authorising the construction of a line along a new route, via Blackheath, including the construction of a 1-mile (1.6 km) tunnel at the eastern entrance to Blackheath station.[1] The project subsequently fell into financial difficulties, and it was not until 1891 that work on the line finally commenced, with the construction contract awarded to a Mr Rigby.[1]

After yet another delay due to a landslide at Blackheath in 1894,

South Eastern Railway – which had previously refused to build a line to serve the area between the two lines – was forced to take over.[2]

The line originally included five stations:

Southern Railway.[5] Having initially been built to serve very rural areas, Well Hall, Welling, Bexleyheath and Barnehurst were rebuilt in 1932 to cater for the huge suburban expansion into the area of the 1930s,[1] and Falconwood was added in 1936.[1]

On 11 June 1972, a train derailed on a sharp curve at Eltham Well Hall station, resulting in 5 deaths and 126 injuries.[6]

Kidbrooke station was rebuilt in 1972 as a CLASP prefabricated structure.[1] This was replaced by a brick construction in 1994, and a further rebuild was opened in 2021. In 1985, the new Eltham railway station replaced the two existing stations (Well Hall and Eltham Park) serving Eltham.[7] The changes coincided with the opening of the new Rochester Way Relief Road, which forms part of the A2 road.[8]

In the 2010s, there were multiple landslips on the line, including one which closed the line for at least a week from 11 February 2019.[9] The Bexleyheath line was temporarily closed between 15 and 23 February 2020,[10] to allow for rail improvement works to prevent further landslips in the Barnehurst area of the line.

Service patterns

Train services are operated by

London Victoria.[11]

The Monday-Sunday off-peak service is:

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "The Bexleyheath Line". Bexley.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 25 December 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.
  2. ^ a b "Bexley Heath Railway". National Archives.
  3. ^ "Danson House". Bexley.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 1 February 2016. Retrieved 30 November 2014.
  4. ^ a b c d e "Bexleyheath Line". Bexley Historical Society. Archived from the original on 4 December 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.
  5. ^ "The Growth of the Southern Electric Group". Southern Electric Group. Archived from the original on 5 December 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.
  6. ^ "Report on the Derailment that occurred on 11 June 1972 at Eltham (Well Hall) Station" (PDF).
  7. ^ "Domesday Reloaded". BBC.
  8. ^ "Disused Stations: Eltham Park Station". www.disused-stations.org.uk.
  9. ^ News Shopper https://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/17425704.no-southeastern-trains-through-bexleyheath-after-landslip/
  10. ^ Network Rail https://www.networkrail.co.uk/running-the-railway/our-routes/south-east/kent-and-south-east-london-railway-upgrade-plan/bexleyheath-line-closures/
  11. ^ [1] Archived 23 June 2019 at the Wayback Machine Southeastern May 2019
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