Harold Wood railway station is on the Great Eastern Main Line in east London, serving Harold Wood in the London Borough of Havering. It is 14 miles 76 chains (24.1 km) down the line from London Liverpool Street and is situated between Gidea Park and Brentwood. Its three-letter station code is HRO and it is in Travelcard zone 6.
Harold Wood  | |
|---|---|
 Station entrance seen in May 2022 | |
  Harold Wood Location of Harold Wood in Greater London | |
| Location | Harold Wood |
| Local authority | London Borough of Havering |
| Managed by | Elizabeth line |
| Owner | Network Rail |
| Station code(s) | HRO |
| DfT category | C2 |
| Number of platforms | 4 |
| Accessible | Yes[1] |
| Fare zone | 6 |
| National Rail annual entry and exit | |
| 2019–20 |  3.064 million[2] |
| 2020–21 | 0.964 million[2] |
| 2021–22 |  1.998 million[2] |
| 2022–23 | 3.269 million[2] |
| 2023–24 | 4.224 million[2] |
| Key dates | |
| 1 December 1868 | Opened |
| Other information | |
| External links | |
| Coordinates | 51°35′34″N 0°14′03″E / 51.5928°N 0.2343°E |
 London transport portal | |
The station is currently managed and served by the Elizabeth line.
History
editHarold Wood station was opened on 1 December 1868 by the Great Eastern Railway in the north of the parish of Hornchurch.[3] It was located on its main line from Bishopsgate in London to the east of England and consisted of two staggered platforms of wooden construction, the down platform accessed from Station Road and the up platform from Oak Road. Goods facilities consisted of two sidings on the north side of the line opposite the up platform, and there was also a long siding serving a brickworks. A signal box was provided at the up end of the down platform controlling the signals, access to the goods facilities, and a trailing crossover.[4]
Two additional tracks were built to the north of the original lines in 1934 under London and North Eastern Railway ownership. The original tracks are normally used today by express services which do not call at Harold Wood. At this time the current station building was constructed on the overbridge at Gubbins Lane, and new platforms of precast concrete construction located slightly further east nearer to the new station building. The signal box was removed as part of these works, with control of the new colour light signals shared between Gidea Park and Brentwood.[4]
Services
editAll services at Harold Wood are operated by the Elizabeth line using Class 345 EMUs.
The typical off-peak service in trains per hour is:[5][6]
- 8 tph to London Paddington of which 2 continue to Heathrow Terminal 5
- 8 tph to Shenfield
On Sundays, the service is reduced to 4 tph in each direction between Shenfield and London Paddington with 2 tph continuing to run to and from Heathrow Terminal 5.
| Preceding station |  Elizabeth line
|
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gidea Park towards Heathrow Terminal 5
|
Elizabeth line | Brentwood towards Shenfield
|
Connections
editLondon Buses routes 256, 294, 346, 347 and 496 serve the station.[7]
References
edit- ^ "Harold Wood Station Plan". National Rail Enquiries. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
- ^ a b c d e "Estimates of station usage". Rail statistics. Office of Rail Regulation. Please note: Some methodology may vary year on year.
- ^ "Hornchurch: Introduction". British History Online. 1978. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
- ^ a b Brennand, Dave (December 2002). "Harold Wood". Ilford to Shenfield. Eastern Main Lines. Midhurst: Middleton Press (published 2002). pp. 59–63. ISBN 1-901706-974.
- ^ Table 5 National Rail timetable, December 2023
- ^ "Elizabeth Line Timetable: December 2023" (PDF). Transport for London. Retrieved 4 January 2024.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Buses from Harold Wood" (PDF). TfL. 9 March 2024. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
External links
edit
- Train times and station information for Harold Wood railway station from National Rail
- Excel file displaying National Rail station usage information for 2005/06 Archived 22 January 2013 at the Wayback Machine