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Upminster station

Coordinates: 51°33′32″N 0°15′04″E / 51.559°N 0.2511°E / 51.559; 0.2511
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Upminster District Line London Overground National Rail
The side entrance to Upminster station (outdated signage)
Upminster is located in Greater London
Upminster
Upminster
Location of Upminster in Greater London
LocationUpminster
Local authorityLondon Borough of Havering
Managed byc2c
OwnerNetwork Rail
Station code(s)UPM
DfT categoryC2
Number of platforms7
AccessibleYes (except platform 6)[1][2]
Fare zone6
National Rail annual entry and exit
2019–20Decrease 5.842 million[3]
– interchange Increase 1.046 million[3]
2020–21Decrease 1.786 million[3]
– interchange Decrease 0.343 million[3]
2021–22Increase 3.711 million[3]
– interchange Increase 0.690 million[3]
2022–23Increase 4.406 million[3]
– interchange Increase 0.765 million[3]
2023–24Increase 4.613 million[3]
– interchange Increase 0.952 million[3]
Railway companies
Original companyLondon, Tilbury and Southend Railway
Pre-groupingMidland Railway
Post-groupingLondon, Midland and Scottish Railway
Key dates
1 May 1885Opened
1902District line started
1905District line paused
1932District line resumed
Other information
External links
Coordinates51°33′32″N 0°15′04″E / 51.559°N 0.2511°E / 51.559; 0.2511
London transport portal

Upminster is an interchange station serving the town of Upminster in the London Borough of Havering, Greater London. It is on the London, Tilbury and Southend line (LTSR), 15 miles 20 chains (24.5 km) down the line from London Fenchurch Street; it is the eastern terminus of the District line on the London Underground; and it is the eastern terminus of the Liberty line on the London Overground network. Upminster is the easternmost station on the London Underground network as well as the easternmost National Rail station in London.

The station is managed by c2c, which operates the LTSR main line services. The station was opened in 1885 by the LTSR; its original entrance and structure beside the main line platforms survive from that date. A larger entrance and ticket hall on Station Road was built by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway in 1932 and has since been extensively modernised and includes a number of retail units. Today the station is owned by Network Rail. Upminster is located within Travelcard Zone 6.

History

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The London Tilbury and Southend Railway (LTSR) connected the City of London and its terminal station at Fenchurch Street with the port at Tilbury Dock in 1854, extending out to the seaside town of Southend in 1856. The route to Southend was not direct, taking a considerable diversion in order to serve the docks at Tilbury. Between 1885 and 1888 a new direct route from Barking to Pitsea was constructed, with the station at Upminster opening on 1 May 1885.[4] The next station to the east was East Horndon (now called West Horndon) and to the west was Hornchurch.[4]

Branches were opened by the LTSR to Grays in 1892 and Romford in 1893. The Whitechapel and Bow Railway opened in 1902 and allowed through-services of the Metropolitan District Railway to operate on the LTSR line to Upminster.[5] The District Railway converted to electric trains in 1905 and services were lost at Upminster when they were curtailed at East Ham[6] due to the tracks between that station and Upminster not yet having been electrified.[5] The LTSR was purchased by Midland Railway in 1912 and was amalgamated into the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMSR) from 1 January 1923.

The District Railway electric service extended eastward as far as Barking in 1908.[5] Delayed by World War I,[4] an additional pair of electrified tracks were extended by the LMSR and services of the District continued to Upminster in 1932.[5][6][7] The District Railway was incorporated into London Transport in 1933, and became known as the District line. A new station at Upminster Bridge on the District line became the next station to the west in 1934.[6] After nationalisation of the railways in 1948, management of Upminster station passed to British Railways.

The London Overground service at the station was rebranded as the Liberty line from November 2024.[8]

Design

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London Underground signal box at Upminster.

The station was greatly expanded in 1932 by the LMSR and the main station building, the two footbridges and the buildings on the remaining platforms were constructed in typical 1930s style. A further platform for services to Romford was a later addition. The primary station building, which gives access to the main Station Road, has been extensively redeveloped in contemporary style and includes three retail units. The original Victorian station structures remaining beside the main-line platform 1 have been refurbished and now include a secondary ticket office and waiting room[2] with an exit to Station Approach and the car-park. The original platforms were linked by a subway which has since been abandoned. Step-free access is available to all platforms with the exception of platform 6, for the Romford branch line.[1][2]

Floodlight tower at the Upminster depot which illuminates the whole site and can be seen miles beyond.

The station is the location of a London Underground signal box at the eastern end of the platforms and, several hundred yards further east, the modern signal control centre for all main-line operations on the LTSR.[9] Further beyond the station to the east is Upminster Depot, one of the main railway depots for the District line.[10]

Platforms

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Class 357 Electrostar at Upminster
A London Overground train awaiting departure for Romford from Platform 6
  • Platform 1A, a bay platform, is only used during engineering works when c2c to operate a shuttle between Upminster & Grays. It is only accessible by trains arriving from the branch and leaving to the branch.
  • Platform 1 for services to Fenchurch Street and Liverpool Street.
  • Platform 2 for Grays, Southend and Shoeburyness.
  • Platforms 3, 4 and 5 are served by the District line.
  • Platform 6 is used for shuttle service to/from Romford, operated by London Overground.

Services

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The typical off-peak Monday to Friday service of trains per hour (tph) is:

Connections

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London Buses routes 248, 346, 347, 370 and school routes 646 and 652 serve the station.[13]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Step free Tube Guide" (PDF). Transport for London. April 2021. Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 May 2021.
  2. ^ a b c Our route – Upminster
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Estimates of station usage". Rail statistics. Office of Rail Regulation. Please note: Some methodology may vary year on year.
  4. ^ a b c "London, Tilbury and Southend Railway" (PDF), Local Studies Information Sheets, Barking and Dagenham London Borough Council, 2008, archived from the original (PDF) on 11 February 2010, retrieved 12 January 2010
  5. ^ a b c d e f Clive's Underground Line Guides – District line
  6. ^ a b c Douglas Rose (1999). The London Underground: A diagrammatic history (7 ed.). Douglas Rose. ISBN 1-85414-219-4.
  7. ^ Wolmar, Christian (2005). The Subterranean Railway: How the London Underground Was Built and How It Changed the City Forever. Atlantic Books. p. 268. ISBN 1-84354-023-1.
  8. ^ "Transport for London rolls out new Overground names and colours". BBC News. 20 November 2024. Retrieved 26 November 2024.
  9. ^ c2c – Train name unites c2c and Network Rail
  10. ^ Horne, Mike (2006). The District Line. Harrow, Middlesex: Capital Transport. ISBN 1-85414-292-5. OCLC 85863502.
  11. ^ a b "District line timetable: From Upminster Underground Station to Upminster Bridge Underground Station". Transport for London. Retrieved 16 March 2015.
  12. ^ "c2c Train Times" (PDF). c2c. June 2024. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  13. ^ "Buses from Upminster" (PDF). Transport for London. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
[edit]
Preceding station London Underground Following station
Upminster Bridge
towards Wimbledon, Richmond or Ealing Broadway
 District line Terminus
Preceding station London Overground Following station
Emerson Park
towards Romford
 Liberty line
Romford–Upminster line 		Terminus
Preceding station National Rail National Rail Following station
c2c
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