Greenwich station

Infobox London station
name = Greenwich


owner = Network Rail (Pl. 1&2)
Docklands Light Railway (Pl. 3&4)
manager = Southeastern (Pl. 1&2)
Docklands Light Railway (Pl. 3&4)
zone = 2 and 3
railexits0405 = 1.649
railexits0506 = 1.702
railexits0607 = 2.446
latitude = 51.4781
longitude = -0.014
locale = Greenwich
borough = London Borough of Greenwich
years = 24 December 1838
events = Opened
years1 = 12 April 1840
events1 = Resited
years2 = 11 January 1871
events2 = Resited [Butt, R.V.J. (1995). "The Directory of Railway Stations", Patrick Stephens Ltd, Sparkford, ISBN 1-85260-508-1, p. 109.]
years3 = 1999
events3 = DLR extension
platforms = 4
railcode = GNW

Greenwich railway station is about 400 m southwest of the town centre of Greenwich, London, England. It is an interchange between National Rail trains between central London and Dartford (north Kent), and the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) between Lewisham to the south and the Docklands area and the City of London north of the River Thames. It is in Travelcard Zones 2 and 3. Tickets including either zone are valid.

Whilst Greenwich is the nearest National Rail station to the centre of Greenwich, Cutty Sark DLR station is more conveniently situated for the town centre, the National Maritime Museum, the former Greenwich Hospital (London), the covered market, and other tourist attractions.

East of the station, the Dartford line goes through a tunnel underneath the grounds of the National Maritime Museum, towards Maze Hill. Northwards, the DLR goes into a tunnel through Cutty Sark station and under the River Thames to emerge on the Isle of Dogs; in the opposite direction, it rises on a concrete viaduct to follow the River Ravensbourne upstream to Deptford Bridge and Lewisham.

Greenwich Station is 5.5 miles from Charing Cross - the milepost is on platform 1.

ervices

History

Although the DLR is a recent addition, the National Rail line through Greenwich station is one of London's oldest - the London and Greenwich Railway is reputed to be the world's first suburban railway. It was designed by former army engineer George Landmann, and promoted by entrepreneur George Walter. Greenwich was linked by a massive brick-built railway viaduct with 878 arches, first to a station in Spa Road (Bermondsey), and later to London Bridge. The service opened on 8 February 1836 from Deptford, and on 29 December that year from Greenwich. Greenwich's handsome station building was designed by George Smith in 1840, making it one of the oldest station buildings in the world.

Difficulties in extending the railway over the lands owned by the Greenwich Hospital (London) led to the station being bypassed for many years. Eventually the line was extended eastwards via a cut-and-cover tunnel towards Maze Hill. The link between Maze Hill and Greenwich opened on 1 February 1878. [http://rail.felgall.com/ser.htm SER Lines and Stations] [http://www.greenwich-guide.org.uk/february.htm#1 Greenwich Guide]

The Docklands Light Railway (DLR) was extended to Lewisham via Greewnwich in December 1999, the new platforms lying immediately to the south of the mainline station. At the eastern end, the DLR heads underground through the tunnel which serves nearby Cutty Sark station and then carries the route beneath the River Thames to the north.

Gallery

External links

* [http://www.tfl.gov.uk/dlr/stations/greenwich.shtml Docklands Light Railway website - Greenwich station page]

References