Romford–Upminster line: Difference between revisions

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{{Infobox rail line

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==History==

===Origins===

 

Interest in a connection to the Thames waned with the building of the [[London, Tilbury and Southend Railway]] (LT&SR) but after that company gained independence from the Great Eastern Railway (GER) interest increased again and in 1882 the Romford and Tilbury Railway proposed a line from Romford to the LT&SR at [[Grays, Essex|Grays]]. This line was linked to another proposed line from Tilbury to Gravesend which included a tunnel beneath the Thames but the line failed to gain parliamentary support.{{sfn|Jackson|1979|p=629}}

 

{{Romford to Upminster Line|collapse=y}}

 

In the April 1920 timetable there are 27 down (towards Tilbury) and 22 up (towards Romford) trains a day. There were six through trains to Grays, four to [[Tilbury Riverside railway station|Tilbury]] and five short runs between Emerson Park and Upminster, with a similar number of return trains. On Sundays there were nine trains in each direction.<ref>Bradshaw's Railway Guide, April 1920</ref> By 1939 this had increased to 35 down trains and 27 up services on weekdays, still with nine in each direction on Sundays and a similar service pattern.<ref>London Midland & Scottish Railway Timetable, July 1939</ref> The London, Tilbury and Southend Railway was purchased by the [[Midland Railway]] in 1912 and was amalgamated into the [[London, Midland and Scottish Railway]] on 1 January 1923. The line became part of [[British Railways]] on 1 January 1948, initially as part of the London Midland Region and then the Eastern Region from 20 February 1949. The short workings between Emerson Park and Upminster were eliminated with all services on the line calling at Upminster, Emerson Park and Romford from the 1949 timetable.<ref>British Railways, Passenger Services, Eastern Region, 26 September 1949</ref> After this time services were taken over by [[GER Class L77|N7 tanks]] and from February 1951 the Sunday service was removed.{{sfn|Jackson|1979|p=633}}

===Electric era===

The line was electrified in the 1980s and [[Electric multiple unit|electric trains]] using a single [[British Rail Class 315|Class 315 unit]] based at [[Ilford EMU Depot|Ilford]] began operating on 17 April 1986.<ref>{{harvnb|Kay|1997|p=80}}</ref> Following the [[privatisation of British Rail]], passenger services were operated by [[First Great Eastern]] from 1997 to 2004, [[National Express East Anglia]] from 2004 to 2012 and [[Greater Anglia (train operating company)|Greater Anglia]] from 2012 to 2015. Under this franchise services were operated by [[British Rail Class 321|Class 321 units]].<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.branchlinebritain.co.uk/index.php?page=easternupminsterreview1 |title= Eastern - Upminster review 1 |author= MC |date= 17 May 2007 |website= Branch Line Britain |publisher= |access-date= 26 February 2023}}</ref> The line transferred to become part of the [[London Overground]] network in May 2015 and services were again provided by a single Class 315 unit.<ref name="chingford trains">{{cite web |url=http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/passenger/single-view/view/more-emus-for-london-overground.html |title=More EMUs for London Overground |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=9 April 2014 |website= Railway Gazette|access-date=9 April 2014}}</ref> Sunday service was restored from the 13 December 2015 timetable. From 5 October 2020 the line has been operated using [[British Rail Class 710]] rolling stock, taking over from [[British Rail Class 315]] and [[British Rail Class 317]] rolling stock.

 

==Infrastructure==

The branch is known colloquially as the "Romford Push and Pull" and has always been single-track throughout. The only structure of any note on the line is the bridge across the [[River Ingrebourne]] which is just over {{convert|100|ft|m}} in length. When first opened the LT&SR constructed a separate station building at Romford where a cast-iron footbridge over South Street was provided to link to the GER station, this only being opened when an LT&SR train was due. This building itself was directly opposite the GER station entrance and was of 3 storeys with the booking hall on the ground floor and including accommodation for the stationmaster.{{sfn|Jackson|1979|p=630}} In April 1934 the LT&SR building ceased use as a station and the ground floor was rented as a shop and the [[London and North Eastern Railway]], the successor of the GER, took control of the whole station. The barriers that had restricted access between the two stations at rail level were then removed. The branch has just one signal, on approach to Romford.{{citation needed|date=January 2018}}

 

 

 

In the mid-1980s the line was [[Railway electrification in Great Britain|electrified]] at [[25 kV AC]]. Electrification of the line saw an end to years of speculation about its future.

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==Geology==

* {{cite magazine| last = Jackson| first = Alan A| date = December 1979| title = Romford to Grays| magazine = Railway World| publisher = Ian Allan}}

* {{cite book |title=The London Tilbury and Southend Railway Vol 2 |first=Peter |last=Kay |isbn=1-899890-19-X |year=1997 }}

 

==Further reading==

[[Category:Railway branch lines]]

[[Category:Railway lines opened in 1893]]