Norwood Junction station.html



Coordinates: 51°23′50″N 0°4′30″W / 51.39722, -0.075

Norwood Junction

Location	South Norwood
Local authority	London Borough of Croydon
Managed by	Southern
Owner	Network Rail
Station code	NWD
Platforms in use	5 (7 in total)
Travelcard zone	4
NR 2004/5 usage	1.792 million1
NR 2005/6 usage	1.829 million1
NR 2006/7 usage	2.946 million1
5 June 1839	Opened (Jolly Sailor)
October 1846	Renamed (Norwood)
1 June 1859	Resited
1 October 1910	Renamed (Norwood Junction and South Norwood for Woodside)
13 June 1955	Renamed (Norwood Junction)2
List of stations	Underground • National Rail
External links	Departures • Facilities
London Transport Portal
UK Railways Portal

Norwood Junction railway station (originally called Jolly Sailor) is in South Norwood in the London Borough of Croydon in south London, in Travelcard Zone 4.

The station and most trains are operated by Southern, with one train per hour off-peak in both directions operated by Southeastern. The East London Line extension is planned to service this station, which will then form part of the London Overground.

Platforms

There are seven platforms but at the present time only five of them are in use.

Platforms 1 & 2

Platform 1 is the first platform you arrive at when you come into the station via the main entrance. This is the only platform which disabled users can use at the moment without having to negotiate the subway via stairs for access to all other platforms. Its main use is for trains travelling northwards to London Bridge and London Victoria; most of these trains are slow serving many Southern stations. The services mainly come from Caterham, Sutton and Smitham.

Platform 2 shares the same track as Platform 1 and is not used.

Platform 3

Platform 3 is for faster services to London Bridge and Charing Cross. It is also the only northwards platform served by Southeastern train services from Tunbridge Wells. Most services come from Horsham, East Grinstead and Reigate, with the occasional service from Brighton and Uckfield. If the Thameslink Programme completes, First Capital Connect services to Bedford would stop at this platform as well.

Platforms 4, 5 & 6

Platforms 4, 5 and 6 are for southwards services, with all trains serving either West Croydon or East Croydon. Platform 4 is for fast services from London Bridge to Uckfield, East Grinstead, Gatwick Airport, Tunbridge Wells, Tattenham Corner and Horsham. Platform 5 is for Metro services within London that have stopped at a few stations on their way, mainly involving high-frequency London Bridge services to Sutton and Caterham. Platform 6 is usually just used when platform alterations are required. Services to Smitham coming from London Victoria via Crystal Palace are usually scheduled to stop at Platform 5 but can sometimes be subject to a platform alteration to Platform 6.

Platform 7

Platform 7 is disused at the moment and the line is covered by overgrown plants. It is likely that the London Overground scheme which extends the East London Line to the station and on to West Croydon will use it for its southbound services.

Typical service

Typical off-peak service is as follows, in trains per hour (tph):

Up (northbound)

• 6 to London Bridge via Forest Hill, of which two call at all stations, two run fast to Sydenham and two run fast to London Bridge
• 2 to London Bridge via Crystal Palace, East Dulwich and Peckham Rye
• 2 to London Victoria via Crystal Palace and Clapham Junction

Down (southbound)

• 2 to Caterham via East Croydon
• 2 to Smitham via East Croydon
• 2 to Sutton via West Croydon
• 2 to West Croydon
• 1 to Horsham via East Croydon
• 1 to Tonbridge, Tunbridge Wells or Maidstone West via East Croydon, operated by Southeastern

History

Jolly-sailor station

Jolly-sailor station in 1845, showing the bridge carrying Portland Road in the background and the atmospheric-propulsion system pumping station, with its Gothic chimney/exhaust vent, in the foreground.³

In 1839 the London and Croydon Railway opened Jolly-sailor station (sic) — listed as "Jolly-sailor near Beulah Spa" on fares lists and timetables — at the north end of the street. The station was renamed Norwood in 1846. The station was immediately adjacent to a level crossing over Portland Road.

In 1844 the London and Croydon Railway was given parliamentary authority to test an experimental pneumatic propulsion system on the railway (referred to at the time as the atmospheric-propulsion system). A pumping station was built on Portland Road to create a vacuum in a continuous pipe located centrally between the rails. A piston extended downwards from the trains into a slit in the pipe, meaning that trains were literally sucked towards the pumping station (or more accurately, blown away from it by atmospheric ppressure). The pumping station was built in a Gothic style, with a very tall ornate tower which served both as a chimney and as an exhaust vent for air pumped from the propulsion pipe.

As part of the construction works for the atmospheric-propulsion system, the world's first railway flyover (overpass) was constructed at the north end of Portland Road to carry the new atmospheric-propulsion line over the conventional steam line below.⁴ However in 1847 the atmospheric propulsion experiment was abandoned but the flyover remains in use constituting part of what is sometimes known as Windmill Junction.

Following construction of new lines the station was closed on 1 June 1859 and replaced by the current station on the south side of the A215 road.

Norwood Junction rail accident

Main article: Norwood Junction rail accident

Future

London Overground

Main article: London Overground

The London Overground scheme is a plan to extend the East London Line to West Croydon via Norwood Junction. The project (which should be finished by 2011 in time for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London) would connect Norwood Junction with Dalston Junction and Highbury & Islington in North London for interchange with First Capital Connect and the Victoria Line.

As a result of London Overground routes being shown on the iconic London Tube map, Norwood Junction now appears on some versions of the standard tube map introduced in January 2008 (shown as part of the 'under construction' portion of the London Overground).

Oyster Card

The Oyster card can be used at this station if it holds a Travelcard fare.⁵ Pay-as-you-go fares held on the Oyster card are not accepted as the station does not lie on the Clapham Junction to Watford Junction route.⁶⁷

Thameslink Programme

Main article: Thameslink 2000

The Thameslink Programme (formerly known as Thameslink 2000), is a £3.5 billion major project to expand the Thameslink network from 51 to 172 stations⁸ spreading northwards to Bedford, Peterborough, Cambridge and King's Lynn and southwards to Guildford, Eastbourne, Horsham, Hove to Littlehampton, East Grinstead, Ashford and Dartford. The project includes the lengthening of platforms, station remodelling, new railway infrastructure (e.g. viaduct) and additional rolling stock. When implemented, First Capital Connect services would also call at Norwood Junction station.

Selhurst Depot

Selhurst Depot entrance at Selhurst end

There is a large depot for Southern and First Capital Connect trains which is located south of the station. Units serviced there include British Rail Class 171s, 319s, 377s, and 455s plus numerous departmental units and Class 9 shunters. Selhurst Depot is the first train depot, going south, on the London Bridge branch of the Brighton Main Line. There is another depot, Streatham Hill Depot, on the Victoria branch.

Transport Connections

Norwood Junction is well served by bus routes, with three bus stops including two bus stands available close by. On the Portland Road side are two bus stops for routes 197 (Croydon-Peckham) and 312 (South Croydon–Norwood Junction). The High Street 'Clocktower' bus stop serves routes 75 (Croydon–Lewisham), 157 (Morden–Crystal Palace) and 410 (Wallington–Crystal Palace). The Grosvenor Road bus stop serves two routes, 130 (New Addington–Norwood Junction) and 196 (Norwood Junction–Elephant and Castle).

Route 75 was formerly a 24 hour route but the service was withdrawn in favour of a higher frequency of buses on a Sunday^{citation needed} by Selkent when they took the service over from Stagecoach London. However a bus stop on Night Bus route N68⁹ is located half a mile away on White Horse Lane. Other service operators are Arriva London, Travel London, London General and Metrobus.

Gallery

Network Rail Depot in front of the station	The main doors into the station building	Picture of people getting on a train on Platform 1	The building from the outside, including the now disused toilets
Car Park at Norwood Junction	Stairs up to Platform 2 and 3	Cafe Basmaccino coffee house on platform 1	The Portland Road entrance to Norwood Junction
Underground Subway which connects all the platforms	Station road leading up to the town centre from the station	Island platforms 4/5 with a Southeastern train leaving 4	Platform 7 at Norwood Junction
A 1914 Railway Clearing House map of lines around the Brighton Main Line between South Croydon and Selhurst / Forrest Hill, as well as surrounding lines

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Norwood Junction Station

External links

• Train times and station information for Norwood Junction railway station from National Rail