Sidcup railway station explained

Sidcup
Manager:Southeastern
Fare Zone:5
Locale:Sidcup
Symbol:rail
Events1:Opened
Years1:1 September 1866
Platforms:2
Railexits0405: 2.361
Railexits0506: 2.395
Railexits0607: 2.989
Railexits0708: 3.157
Railexits0809: 3.055
Railexits0910: 2.882
Railexits1011: 2.859
Railexits1112: 2.875
Railexits1213: 2.926
Railexits1314: 3.157
Railexits1415: 3.281
Railexits1516: 3.060
Railexits1617: 3.048
Railexits1718: 2.983 -->
Railexits1819: 3.172
Railexits1920: 3.107
Railexits2021: 0.751
Railexits2122: 1.779
Railexits2223: 2.179
Railcode:SID
Dft Category:C2
Access:yes
Coordinates:51.4338°N 0.104°W

Sidcup railway station serves Sidcup, south-east London, within the London Borough of Bexley. It is 11chain73chain down the line from .

It is in Travelcard Zone 5, and the station is managed by Southeastern.

History

Sidcup station opened on 1 September 1866[1] with the opening of the Dartford Loop Line. The station was built 1miles north of Sidcup town centre in the parish of Lamorbey. It had a small goods yard positioned on the down side and a station master's house. A new booking office was built in 1887. In the early 1890s a signal box was built on the up side which was in use until November 1970. A station hotel was built near the entrance to the goods yard. The hotel was demolished in 1975.[2] In the 1930s the station was partially rebuilt with new platform canopies. In 1955 the platforms were lengthened to take ten coach trains. In 1965 a footbridge was constructed between the up and down platforms which allowed the closure of the down side booking office. The goods yard closed in August 1966. The following year a short turnback siding was opened at a cost of £50,000 on the down side to the east of the platforms on part of the former goods yard. This enabled services to start or terminate from the station without blocking the main running lines. It was extended in 2013 to accommodate 12 car trains. The remaining area of the goods yard became a car park.[3]

In 1988 a new brick built entrance and booking hall with a glazed pitched-roof opened on the up side. In 1992 the platforms were extended to take twelve coach trains.

In January 2017 the old cross-platform bridge was fully removed, with the new bridge built further along the platform.

Location

The station is situated on Jubilee Way in Sidcup, almost 1miles away from Sidcup High Street.

Connections

London Buses routes 51, 160, 229, 233, 269, 286, 492 and SL3 serve the station.[4]

Facilities

The station has two platforms, platform 1 being for trains to Central London via Hither Green and platform 2 for trains to Dartford, Woolwich Arsenal and to Gravesend.

Facilities at the station include a mini cafe, ticket booths, photo booth and toilets. There are also free bike racks and a car park. The station has ticket gates on both up and down platforms, although the down side gates are rarely used outside peak hours.

Services

All services at Sidcup are operated by Southeastern using,, and EMUs.

The typical off-peak service in trains per hour is:

Additional services, including trains to and from London Cannon Street via either Lewisham, or via and, and to London Blackfriars call at the station during the peak hours.

Notes and References

  1. Chronology of London Railways by H.V.Borley
  2. Web site: Sidcup.
  3. Lewisham to Dartford. London Suburban Railways series. Vic Mitchell and Keith Smith (Middleton Press1991
  4. Web site: Buses from Sidcup. 24 February 2024. TfL. 24 February 2024.