Hither Green railway station

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Station signage in use by British Railways Southern Region

Hither Green is a railway station located in Hither Green in the London Borough of Lewisham, in southeast London, United Kingdom. Hither Green is a busy commuter station with services to several London termini (Cannon Street, Charing Cross and London Bridge) and destinations to the southeast (Orpington and Sevenoaks on the South Eastern Main Line and Dartford and Gravesend on the Dartford Loop Line). It is in Travelcard Zone 3 and very close to Hither Green Traction Maintenance Depot (TMD), Grove Park Traction and Rolling Stock Maintenance Depot, and Grove Park Safety Training Centre.

The station and all trains are operated by Southeastern Trains.

History

Hither Green station was opened on the 1 June 1895. It was built at Hither Green junction which had been formed some thirty years earlier. Originally there was a booking hall in Springbank Road which was built to serve the St. Germans Estate. The redbrick gateposts are still visible outside the timber merchants which now occupies the site. The original stationmaster's house survives at 69 Springbank Road. The main station building was built in Staplehurst Road. Since 1974 access to the new booking hall located between platforms 2 and 3 has been up a ramp from a foot tunnel.

The station was formerly part of the Southern Railway, then part of the Southern Region of British Rail, from nationalisation in 1947 until the regions were completely abolished at the end of 1992.

Main article: Hither Green rail crash

On 5 November 1967, an express train from Hastings to Charing Cross derailed between Grove Park and Hither Green station, close to where the railway crosses St. Mildred's Road. Forty-nine passengers were killed.

Facilities and exits

There are two exits to Hither Green Station: Fernbrook Road and Springbank Road. The Fernbrook Road exit may be used to reach Hither Green village, the 273 bus line, and routes towards Lee Green. The Springbank Road exit may be used also for Hither Green Lane, and for the 225 bus line, private hire cabs, and routes towards Brownhill Road and St. Mildreds Road. The exit towards the southeast end of platform 4 is an exit for authorised personnel only via Hither Green Traction Maintenance Depot (TMD). Unauthorised personnel can be fined up to £1000 for trespassing on railway property.

While the station has a ticket office, it is not open at all times. Ticket machines are available at all times at the Fernbrook Road exit, between platforms 4 and 5, and at the Springbank Road exit, on platform 1. There are a refreshment stand and news stand, but these are not open at all times. A toilet is available; however the toilet is locked and can only be opened by a staff member during manned hours to travellers with a valid ticket.

Services

Destinations

Rail services operate from Hither Green station to:

• Lewisham, St Johns, New Cross, London Bridge, Waterloo East, Charing Cross and Cannon Street.
• Grove Park, Elmstead Woods, Chislehurst, Petts Wood, Orpington, Chelsfield, Knockholt, Dunton Green, and Sevenoaks (change at Grove Park for trains to Sundridge Park and Bromley North).
• Lee, Mottingham, New Eltham, Sidcup, Albany Park, Bexley, Crayford, Dartford, Stone Crossing, Greenhithe (for Bluewater), Swanscombe, Northfleet, and Gravesend.
• Slade Green, Erith, Belvedere, Abbey Wood, Plumstead, Woolwich Arsenal, Woolwich Dockyard, Charlton, Westcombe Park, Maze Hill, Greenwich, and Deptford.

Frequency

The typical off-peak service from the station is:

• 2 trains per hour (tph) to London Cannon Street, running fast to St. Johns then calling at all stations.
• 4 tph to London Charing Cross, of which two run fast to London Bridge and the other two call at Lewisham before running fast to London Bridge.
• 2 tph to London Cannon Street via Sidcup and Woolwich Arsenal.
• 2 tph to Gravesend via Sidcup and Dartford.
• 2 tph to Orpington via Chislehurst, of which one per hour is extended to Sevenoaks.

Connections

Bus 225 starts at Hither Green (Springbank Road) and reaches Lewisham, Canada Water (newly extended Lewisham - Hither Green). The buses are operated by Go-Ahead London Central for London Buses. Bus 273 serves Lewisham, Hither Green (Fernbrook Road), Lee Green, Chislehurst, Petts Wood and is operated by Selkent for London Buses.

There are two taxi companies near the station: Roseshade on Springbank Road and DJs on Staplehurst Road.

External links

• Train times and station information for Hither Green railway station from National Rail

• Hither Green railway station is at coordinates 51°27′07″N 0°00′03″W / 51.4519, -0.0008 (Hither Green railway station)Coordinates: 51°27′07″N 0°00′03″W / 51.4519, -0.0008 (Hither Green railway station)
• Southeastern trains
• Street Map