Southend Central railway station

Southend Central railway station is on the London, Tilbury and Southend Railway line and is one of two primary stations serving the town of Southend-on-Sea, Essex. The town's other main station is called Southend Victoria which is the terminus of a branch line off the Great Eastern Main Line. Southend Central is 35 miles 55 chains (57.43 km) down the line from London Fenchurch Street via Basildon and it is situated between Westcliff and Southend East stations. Its three-letter station code is SOC.

Southend Central
Location
Place	Southend-on-Sea
Local authority	Southend-on-Sea
Grid reference	TQ881855
Operations
Station code	SOC
Managed by	c2c
Number of platforms	4
DfT category	C1
Live arrivals/departures, station information and onward connections from National Rail Enquiries
Annual rail passenger usage*
2014/15	2.919 million
2015/16	3.092 million
2016/17	3.038 million
2017/18	3.396 million
2018/19	3.446 million
History
Key dates	Opened 1856 (1856)
National Rail – UK railway stations
* Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Southend Central from Office of Rail and Road statistics. Methodology may vary year on year.

It was opened in 1856 as the original eastern terminus of the line, which was later extended to Shoeburyness. The station and all trains serving it are currently operated by c2c.

Description

Southend Central has four platforms:

• Platform 1 is a bay platform; trains may terminate at this formerly disused platform if platform 4 is not available for use or when engineering works are taking place between Southend Central and Shoeburyness; it has an operational length for 12-coach trains.[1]
• Platform 2 is typically for eastbound services to Shoeburyness; it has an operational length for 12-coach trains.[1]
• Platform 3 is typically for westbound services to London Fenchurch Street via Basildon; it has an operational length for 14-coach trains.[1]
• Platform 4 is a bay platform typically for westbound services to London Fenchurch Street via either Ockendon or Rainham; it has an operational length for 12-coach trains.[1]

In 1922 there were two other bay platforms and carriage sidings to the south of platform 4 and a goods shed and goods sidings to the north of platform 1.[2] The bay platforms (5 and 6) were extant in 1981 although the track had been lifted.[3] The area was subsequently redeveloped as a car park.

Facilities at the station include a partially sheltered bicycle storage rack and a car park.[4] The ticket office has two serving positions, one of which is fully accessible, and uses the Tribute ticket issuing system.

Following the successful refurbishment of Benfleet railway station, c2c implemented a similar project at Southend Central. The work cost £460,000 and was jointly funded by c2c and Southend Borough Council. It involved the complete refurbishment of the ticket office and toilets and the construction of a new forecourt on the north side of the station (leading to platform 2) opposite the University of Essex Southend campus, with new steps and handrails on both sides of the canopy, and a new glass roof and lighting over the bicycle parking area. It was completed in 2007[5] after around four weeks of work.

When the London Underground's District line operated a seasonal non-stop excursion train service between 1910 and 1939 through to the Southend area, Southend Central was the second station to be called at after departing Upminster.[6]

There was formerly a through siding, provided with overhead line electrification, to the north of the down (Shoeburyness-bound) line between Southend Central and Southend East. This was still in use in 1969.[7]

Services

The typical off-peak service frequency is:

• 6 tph (trains per hour) westbound to London Fenchurch Street, of which:
  • 2 tph call at all stations via Basildon;
  • 2 tph call at all stations, except Pitsea and West Horndon, via Basildon;
  • 2 tph call at all stations via Ockendon;
• 4 tph eastbound to Shoeburyness calling at all stations.

References

1. Brailsford, Martyn (2016). Railway Track Diagrams Book 2: Eastern. Frome: Trackmaps. p. 3. ISBN 978-0-9549866-8-1.
2. 25" to the mile Ordnance Survey map of Southend, 1922.
3. "Image Southend Central 1981".
4. c2c. "c2c Online - Southend Central station". Retrieved 19 July 2008.
5. c2c (20 June 2007). "c2c Online - A smarter station for the people of Southend". Archived from the original on 7 June 2011. Retrieved 19 July 2008.
6. CULG - District Line
7. Route training manual: London, Tilbury & Southend Lines, British Rail Eastern Region (November 1969). Published by Great Eastern Railways Society (2003)

External links

• Train times and station information for Southend Central railway station from National Rail

	National Rail
Westcliff		c2c London, Tilbury and Southend Line		Southend East
	Historical services
Preceding station		London Underground		Following station
Leigh-on-Sea towards Wimbledon, Richmond or Ealing Broadway		District line		Shoeburyness Terminus