Longfield railway station
Encyclopedia
Longfield railway station is on the Chatham Main Line
, and serves the villages of Longfield
and Hartley
in north Kent
. Train services are provided by Southeastern
.
station in June 1872. The name of a nearby village was chosen as a local land owner had offered land and cash for provision of a station.
The original station was destroyed by fire around 1900, but rebuilt in the same location. The railway line through Fawkham station was electrified
in 1939 with electric trains operating between Victoria and Gillingham
. Steam trains continued to pass through the station on their way to/from the Kent Coast until June 1959 when those services were then also turned over to electric operation.
With the start of summer timetable in 1961, the true location of the station was recognised when it was renamed 'Longfield for Fawkham & Hartley' from 12 June. By the end of the 1960s the cumbersome appendences were dropped in favour of plain Longfield, although the longer name survived on some signs and tickets well into the next decade.
The station building built following the fire of 1900 was demolished in 1971 and replaced by the contemporary CLASP
prefabricated design favoured by British Rail.
Usage of the station has grown considerably in the last thirty years, as it rests within a large catchment area of residential development. The frequency of services and journey times to and from London also attracts commuters away from the slower North Kent Line services provided at Gravesend
, Northfleet
and Swanscombe
stations.
and 2 trains per hour to Ramsgate
and Dover Priory
dividing at Faversham.
The Sunday service from the station is 1 train per hour to London Victoria
via Bromley South
and 1 train per hour to Canterbury East
.
Chatham Main Line
The Chatham Main Line is a British railway line that runs from either London Victoria to Dover Priory / Ramsgate or London St Pancras to Faversham, with both services travelling via Medway...
, and serves the villages of Longfield
Longfield
Longfield is a village in the Dartford borough of Kent. It is located four miles south east of Dartford and near Gravesend. It contains several shops, a pub, and a 14th century church...
and Hartley
Hartley, Kent
This article is about the village in North Kent, England. For the South Kent village of the same name see Hartley, Cranbrook. For other uses, see Hartley ....
in north Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
. Train services are provided by Southeastern
Southeastern (train operating company)
London & South Eastern Railway Limited, trading as Southeastern is a train operating company in south-east England. On 1 April 2006 it became the franchisee for the new Integrated Kent Franchise , replacing the publicly owned South Eastern Trains on the former South East Franchise...
.
History
Although situated in Longfield, the station opened as FawkhamFawkham
Fawkham is a village and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England. The parish is located to the north-east of Sevenoaks town. The main village in the parish is Fawkham Green. The railway station now called Longfield was originally called Fawkham.The 12th century parish church is...
station in June 1872. The name of a nearby village was chosen as a local land owner had offered land and cash for provision of a station.
The original station was destroyed by fire around 1900, but rebuilt in the same location. The railway line through Fawkham station was electrified
Railway electrification in Great Britain
Railway electrification in Great Britain started towards of the 19th century. A great range of voltages have been used in the intervening period using both overhead lines and third rails, however the most common standard for mainline services is now 25 kV AC using overhead lines and the...
in 1939 with electric trains operating between Victoria and Gillingham
Gillingham (Kent) railway station
Gillingham railway station in the town of Gillingham , north Kent, is on the Chatham Main Line between and Rainham stations. Train services are provided by Southeastern....
. Steam trains continued to pass through the station on their way to/from the Kent Coast until June 1959 when those services were then also turned over to electric operation.
With the start of summer timetable in 1961, the true location of the station was recognised when it was renamed 'Longfield for Fawkham & Hartley' from 12 June. By the end of the 1960s the cumbersome appendences were dropped in favour of plain Longfield, although the longer name survived on some signs and tickets well into the next decade.
The station building built following the fire of 1900 was demolished in 1971 and replaced by the contemporary CLASP
CLASP (British Rail)
The CLASP system was a scheme developed in the 1950s by English local authorities to devise a method of designing and assembling prefabricated buildings for use in the public sector...
prefabricated design favoured by British Rail.
Usage of the station has grown considerably in the last thirty years, as it rests within a large catchment area of residential development. The frequency of services and journey times to and from London also attracts commuters away from the slower North Kent Line services provided at Gravesend
Gravesend railway station
Gravesend railway station serves the town of Gravesend in north Kent; train services are operated by Southeastern. The station is 24 miles from London Charing Cross...
, Northfleet
Northfleet railway station
Northfleet railway station serves the town of Northfleet in North Kent. Train services are operated by Southeastern.The ticket office, on the 'down' side, is situated in the substantial station building...
and Swanscombe
Swanscombe railway station
Swanscombe railway station serves the village of Swanscombe in North Kent, England. Train services are operated by Southeastern. The station is awkwardly located in a very deep chalk cutting, with a long staircase from the booking office leading to the up platform...
stations.
Service
The Monday to Friday off-peak service from the station will be 3 trains per hour to London Victoria, 1 train per hour to GillinghamGillingham (Kent) railway station
Gillingham railway station in the town of Gillingham , north Kent, is on the Chatham Main Line between and Rainham stations. Train services are provided by Southeastern....
and 2 trains per hour to Ramsgate
Ramsgate railway station
Ramsgate railway station serves the town of Ramsgate in Thanet in Kent, England, and is located about 10 minutes away on foot from the town centre. The station lies on the Chatham Main Line 127 km east of London Victoria, the Kent Coast Line, and the Ashford to Ramsgate line...
and Dover Priory
Dover Priory railway station
Dover Priory railway station is the main station in Dover in Kent, with the other station being Kearsney situated on the outskirts of Dover. . All train services are provided by Southeastern...
dividing at Faversham.
The Sunday service from the station is 1 train per hour to London Victoria
Victoria station (London)
Victoria station, also known as London Victoria, is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex. It is named after nearby Victoria Street and not Queen Victoria. It is the second busiest railway terminus in London after Waterloo, and includes an air terminal for passengers...
via Bromley South
Bromley South railway station
Bromley South railway station is a major interchange and station in Bromley town centre within the London Borough of Bromley in southeast London. It is in Travelcard Zone 5, and the station and all trains are operated by Southeastern...
and 1 train per hour to Canterbury East
Canterbury East railway station
Canterbury East railway station is one of two stations in Canterbury in Kent. It is south-southwest of the city centre and is served by Southeastern....
.