Lewisham station

The North Kent line opened on 30 July 1849 by the South Eastern Railway linking Strood with the London and Greenwich Railway route to London Bridge. The original station was located east of the Lewisham Road overbridge with access off Lewisham Road. With the opening of the Mid-Kent line in 1857 a new station was built to the west so both lines could be served.[12]

The station was built to enable interchange between the north Kent and mid Kent lines. The Mid Kent line was opened on 1 January 1857.[13] For a period Old Lewisham Station was also kept open [14]

Platform 1, Lewisham station

Eleven passengers were killed in the 1857 Lewisham rail crash when a train ran into the back of a stationary train.

In 1898 the South Eastern Railway and the London Chatham and Dover Railway agreed to work as one railway company under the name of the South Eastern and Chatham Railway.

Following the Railways Act 1921 (also known as the Grouping Act), Lewisham became a Southern Railway station on 1 January 1923.

The Mid-Kent line was electrified with services commencing on 28 February 1926.

The North Kent Line was electrified with the (750 V DC third rail) system. Electrification was initially to Dartford (6 June 1926) and was extended to Gillingham by World War Two.

In 1929 large-scale remodelling of the junction was undertaken to enable cross-London freight traffic to be routed via Nunhead and Loughborough Junction. The new route utilised part of the former Greenwich Park branch (which had closed in 1917) and included a flyover.

The loop between Lewisham and the main line towards Hither Green, which had opened in 1929, was electrified on 16 July 1933 allowing Sidcup and Orpington local electric services to call.[15]

The Nunhead line was electrified in summer 1935 and opened to electric traffic on 30 September 1935 with services from the Bexleyheath and Sidcup to St Paul's (today Blackfriars). This service was cancelled during World War 2 as an economy measure recommencing on 12 August 1946.[15]

After World War II and following nationalisation on 1 January 1948, it fell under the auspices of British Railways Southern Region.

On the 4 December 1957 the Lewisham rail crash occurred to the west of the station with 90 fatalities.

As part of the London Bridge re-signalling a new loop line was opened with a reversible track down to the west (Fast Line) side of St Johns which opened up on 1 April 1976.

Upon sectorisation in 1982, three passenger sectors were created: InterCity, operating principal express services; and London & South East (renamed Network SouthEast in 1986) who operated commuter services in the London area.[16]

piano in Lewisham station

Following de-nationalisation of British Rail on 1 April 1994 the infrastructure to St Johns station became the responsibility of Railtrack whilst a business unit operated the train services. On 13 October 1996 operation of the passenger services passed to Connex South Eastern who were originally due to run the franchise until 2011.

On 22 November 1999 Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott opened the 4·2 km Lewisham extension of London's Docklands Light Railway with trains running through to Bank.[17]

Following a number of accidents and financial issues Railtrack plc was sold to Network Rail on 3 October 2002 who became responsible for the infrastructure.[18][19]

On 27 June 2003 the Strategic Rail Authority decided to strip Connex of the franchise citing poor financial management and run the franchise itself.[20][21] Connex South Eastern continued to operate the franchise until 8 November 2003 with the services transferring to the Strategic Rail Authority's South Eastern Trains subsidiary the following day.

On 30 November 2005 the Department for Transport awarded Govia the Integrated Kent franchise. The services operated by South Eastern Trains transferred to Southeastern on 1 April 2006.

The loop line to St Johns was doubled in 2013.

There was formerly a bus terminus within the station, but this was relocated to Thurston Road as part of the Lewisham Gateway project.

In 1971 and 1972, parliamentary approval was given for construction of Phases 2 and 3 of the planned Fleet line.[25] Phase 3 on the proposal would have extended the line from Fenchurch Street to Lewisham, with new platforms constructed underground.[25] Further plans for Phase 4 of the extension considered the line taking over the mainline tracks on the Addiscombe and Hayes branch lines. Preliminary construction works were carried out elsewhere on the extension before the plan was postponed by lack of funds. Following a change of name to Jubilee line, the first part of the line opened in 1979, but the remaining plans were not carried out. When the Jubilee line was extended in 1999, a different route to Stratford was followed.

Tfl is currently considering extending the Bakerloo line to Lewisham. Both line options stop at Lewisham. If progressed the station is currently expected to open in 2030.[26]

In its draft Kent Route Utilisation Strategy,[27] Network Rail mentions the possibility of extending the Bakerloo line from Elephant & Castle to Lewisham, and then taking over the Hayes branch line. Network Rail states that this would free up six paths per hour into central London and so increasing capacity on the Tonbridge main line, which would also relieve the junctions around Lewisham.

Railways around Lewisham and Hither Green
South Eastern main line to Charing Cross South Eastern main line to Cannon Street via New Cross non-stop via London Bridge   Nunhead to Lewisham link to London Victoria St Johns Greenwich Park branch line to Greenwich Park Docklands Light Railway to Bank–Monument or Stratford Elverson Road Lewisham Blackheath North Kent Line to Gravesend Bexleyheath line to Dartford via Bexleyheath Ladywell Hayes line to Hayes via Catford Bridge Hither Green Hither Green TMD Lee Dartford Loop Line to Dartford via Sidcup South Eastern main line to Kent non-stop via Orpington South Eastern main line to Orpington (stopping services)

Northbound;

• 4tph to London Charing Cross via London Bridge
• 8tph to London Cannon Street
• 2tph to London Victoria via Denmark Hill & Peckham Rye

Eastbound;

• 4tph to London Cannon Street via Sidcup or via Bexleyheath both returning via Greenwich
• 4tph to Dartford via Bexleyheath of which 2 continue to Gravesend
• 2tph to Dartford via Woolwich Arsenal

Southbound;

• 2tph to Orpington
• 2tph to Hayes

Northbound;

• 12tph to Bank via Greenwich, Canary Wharf and Limehouse

Docklands Light Railway trains operate to Canary Wharf DLR station, and continue onward to Bank with an weekly additional service to Stratford via Bow Church (peak hours only).