Chafford Hundred railway station,[4][5] also known as Chafford Hundred Lakeside station, is located on a single-track branch line of the London, Tilbury and Southend line, serving the area of Chafford Hundred as well as Lakeside Shopping Centre in Essex. It is 20 miles 77 chains (33.7 km) down the line from London Fenchurch Street via Upminster; it is situated between Ockendon and Grays. Its three-letter station code is CFH.
Chafford Hundred  | |
|---|---|
 Chafford Hundred railway station in 2010 | |
  Chafford Hundred Location of Chafford Hundred in Essex | |
| Location | Chafford Hundred |
| Local authority | Borough of Thurrock |
| Grid reference | TQ589787 |
| Managed by | c2c |
| Owner | Network Rail |
| Station code(s) | CFH |
| DfT category | E |
| Number of platforms | 1 |
| Accessible | Yes[1] |
| Fare zone | A |
| National Rail annual entry and exit | |
| 2019–20 |  2.816 million[2] |
| 2020–21 | 0.882 million[2] |
| 2021–22 |  1.916 million[2] |
| 2022–23 | 2.128 million[2] |
| 2023–24 | 2.332 million[2] |
| Railway companies | |
| Original company | British Rail |
| Key dates | |
| 30 May 1995[3] | Opened as Chafford Hundred |
| Other information | |
| External links | |
| Coordinates | 51°29′09″N 0°17′15″E / 51.4859°N 0.2876°E |
 London transport portal | |
The station has a single platform and was opened on 30 May 1995 by Railtrack. Today, all passenger train services are operated by c2c, which also manages the station. Although outside the London fare zones 1 to 6, the station became part of the Oyster card pay-as-you-go network in 2010. It is the busiest single-platform station in the UK.
History
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The single-track line through the area was opened in 1893 by the London, Tilbury and Southend Railway (LTSR) as part of a branch from Romford to Grays via Upminster. By the late 20th century service on the line had been reduced to a relatively infrequent shuttle between Upminster and Grays, calling at the only intermediate station at Ockendon.
Following the opening of Lakeside Shopping Centre in 1990 a new single-platform station was opened on 30 May 1995 by Railtrack.[6] The £1 million station was funded by the Chafford Hundred development consortium.[7] Initially a free shuttle bus connected the station to the shopping centre, with a direct pedestrian bridge link replacing the bus in 2000. The shuttle train service was eventually extended beyond Upminster to Fenchurch Street in London and beyond Grays to Southend Central in Southend-on-Sea, with service frequency increased to two trains an hour in each direction.
Usage is moderate for a suburban station and increasing; to expand capacity the buildings were rebuilt in 2006. The "Lakeside" suffix has occasionally been added to the name to not only reflect its location in the town of Chafford Hundred but also its proximity to the shopping centre.[citation needed] However, most sources including c2c and TfL, continue to simply call the station Chafford Hundred for sake of brevity.[4][5]
The station became part of the Oyster card pay-as-you-go network in 2010.[8]
Services
editAs of the June 2024 timetable the typical Monday to Friday off-peak service is:[9]
- 2 tph (trains per hour) westbound to London Fenchurch Street
- 2 tph eastbound to Southend Central
According to the ORR, the station is the busiest single-platform station in the UK, beating the next busiest (Windsor and Eton Central) by some 900,000 passengers per year.[10]
Connections
editReferences
edit- ^ "London and South East" (PDF). National Rail. September 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 March 2009.
- ^ a b c d e "Estimates of station usage". Rail statistics. Office of Rail Regulation. Please note: Some methodology may vary year on year.
- ^ Joe Brown, London Railway Atlas, 6th edition, Crécy Publishing (2023)
- ^ a b "Chafford Hundred attack: Noxious liquid thrown at men". London: BBC News. 26 February 2019. Archived from the original on 30 September 2019. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
It happened on a footbridge linking Chafford Hundred station…
- ^ a b Transport for London; Rail Delivery Group. "London's Rail and Tube services" (PDF). Transport for London. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
- ^ Joe Brown, London Railway Atlas, 6th edition, Crécy Publishing (2023)
- ^ Abbott, James, ed. (July 1995). "Three new stations in summer timetable". Modern Railways. 52 (562): 388.
- ^ "Request for Mayoral Decision – MD457. Title: January 2010 Fare Changes" (PDF). Greater London Authority. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 January 2010. Retrieved 1 December 2009.
- ^ "c2c Train Times" (PDF). c2c. June 2024. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
- ^ "Station Usage 15-16 | Office of Rail and Road". 5 December 2016.
- ^ "Ensignbus Network Map" (PDF). Ensignbus. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
External links
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| Preceding station |  National Rail
|
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ockendon | c2c London, Tilbury and Southend line |
Grays | ||