Bromley North Line

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The Bromley North line is a less than 2-mile (3.2 km) long branch line in Greater London that connects at Grove Park with the South Eastern Main Line operated by Southeastern. During the 2010s the line which has two stations of its own has been served by a non-through (shuttle) service to and from Grove Park railway station in the London Borough of Lewisham. Network Rail records the line as route SO350.

Bromley North Line
Southeastern Class 465 unit 465001 at Bromley North.
Overview
StatusOperational
OwnerNetwork Rail
LocaleGreater London
Termini
Stations3
Service
TypeSuburban rail, Heavy rail
SystemNational Rail
Services1
Operator(s)Southeastern
Depot(s)Hither Green
Rolling stockClass 465 "Networker"
Technical
Number of tracks2
CharacterBranch line
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in) standard gauge
Electrification750 V DC third rail
Operating speed40 mph (64 km/h)
Route map
Map
Bromley North Line
Grove Park
Sundridge Park
Bromley North

History

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The line was built by the 'Bromley Direct Railway Company', in co-operation with the South Eastern Railway (SER), to compete with the London, Chatham and Dover Railway, which owned the other Bromley station, Bromley South. It opened on 1 January 1878 and was worked by the SER from the outset. The two companies merged later in the same year.[1]

The line was electrified at 750 V DC (third rail) with the other SECR urban routes from 1926 by Southern Railway.

Services

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A shuttle service operates, known by the staff as "the popper".[citation needed] The service is two trains per hour in each direction. Public holidays and Sundays are not operated by the franchisee.[2]

Through services were originally operated from Bromley North to Holborn Viaduct, Victoria, Cannon Street and Charing Cross. These were cut to a peak-hours only service in 1976, and were then withdrawn completely in 1990,[3] except during engineering works.

Trains

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Class 465 rolling stock primarily operates on this route. Until 2010 this was the only 'true branch', that is branch-only service, in Greater London for trains to be worked with a driver and a guard. Since 2010 this is now driver-only, as mirrors and monitors have been provided on the platforms to allow the driver to look back.

Future proposals

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The Southeastern Main Line into central London is at full capacity. Service patterns have begun to entrench all longer distance service destinations as direct, many trains per hour, stations. Therefore, Southeastern consider that it is not economically justifiable to reinstate direct services from Bromley North into central London, and consequently all (non-contingency Bromley South backup) services must terminate at Grove Park for the foreseeable future.

Various proposals have been put forward to convert the Bromley North Line to an alternative mode of transport to make better use of this isolated piece of rail infrastructure. In the 1980s, a plan to partially convert the line into a heritage railway using retired London Underground rolling stock was considered, but did not ultimately come to fruition.[4]

Transport for London have indicated that they are considering a number of possible options for connecting the Bromley North Line to one of the other public transport systems in London, including:[5]

These schemes have not been taken beyond the proposal stage and recommendations are expected to be published around 2017[needs update]. In a report published by the London Borough of Bromley in 2012, proposals to extend Tramlink beyond Beckenham Junction into Bromley town centre are outlined, with a further option to continue this route along the Bromley North Line to Grove Park. The report also considers the Bakerloo line extension favourably, but notes difficulties with tunnelling between Lewisham and Grove Park, and with the provision of a depot.[7] The Tramlink proposal also features in the Rail Utilisation Strategy report by Network Rail.[8]

Bromley North Line
The Bromley North Line in south-east London
Nearby transport lines which have been proposed to be connected to the Bromley North Line in the future

References

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  1. ^ Body (1989), p.57.
  2. ^ "Timetable 6 - London to Catford Bridge, Elmers End and Hayes. London to Bromley North, Orpington and Sevenoaks via Grove Park" (PDF).
  3. ^ "The Past and Future of the Bromley North Branch". 25 January 2013.
  4. ^ "Bromley North". KentRail.
  5. ^ "Could the DLR or Bakerloo line be coming to Bromley?". This is Local London. 23 January 2012. Retrieved 26 January 2013.
  6. ^ "The Past and Future of the Bromley North Branch". London Reconnections. 25 January 2013. Retrieved 26 January 2013.
  7. ^ "Future Rail and Tram Links to Bromley" (PDF). Report No. ES12004. London Borough of Bromley. 18 January 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 June 2013. Retrieved 26 January 2013.
  8. ^ "8.10 Gap Q – Tramlink extensions" (PDF). London and South East Route Utilisation Strategy. Network Rail. July 2011. p. 159. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 December 2013. Retrieved 26 January 2013.

Sources

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Geoffrey Body, Railways of Southern Region, (1978), Patrick Stephens Ltd. 1-85260-297-X.