Woolwich railway station

Woolwich is a Crossrail station under construction in Woolwich in London, England which is planned to open in 2021,[1][2] and to have up to 12 trains per hour to Canary Wharf and Central London.[1]

Woolwich
Woolwich Crossrail station box on Berkeley Homes open day
Woolwich Location of Woolwich in Greater London
Location	Woolwich
Local authority	Royal Borough of Greenwich
Managed by	Crossrail
Owner	Transport for London
Station code	WOW
Number of platforms	2
Fare zone	4
Key dates
2020	Due to open
Other information
External links	Departures Layout Facilities Buses
WGS84	51.491578°N 0.071819°E / 51.491578; 0.071819
London transport portal

History

Woolwich railway station is being built by Crossrail as part of the Crossrail (Elizabeth line) rail project. Crossrail is jointly sponsored by the Department for Transport (DfT) and Transport for London (TfL).[3] The construction of a station at Woolwich was not proposed as part of the original Crossrail route. However, after talks between Greenwich London Borough Council and developer Berkeley Homes about the £162 million required for the station, the House of Commons Select Committee recognised its inclusion in March 2007.[3]

Services

The opening of the new station will reduce the journey time from Woolwich to Canary Wharf, Bond Street and Heathrow stations to just eight minutes, 21 minutes and 47 minutes respectively.[3] When the Elizabeth line begins operations, the new station located on the south-east section of the route will see up to 12 trains an hour during peak hours, connecting south-east London and the Royal Docks with Canary Wharf, central London and beyond.[3] The closest existing station is Woolwich Arsenal. The station itself is separate and will not serve as a direct interchange with the DLR and local National Rail services which are located at nearby Woolwich Arsenal. However, all three services will be within a short walking distance of each other, in addition to the existing Thames Clipper service from Woolwich Arsenal Pier to central London.[4]

Site

The station is being built on the south-east portion of the Crossrail line that ends at Abbey Wood, and is the penultimate station on this branch. The Woolwich redevelopment site at Royal Arsenal is a modern waterside housing and retail development area adjacent to the station. It is spread across approximately 30 hectares (75 acres) of land and is being developed by Berkeley Homes.[3] The site is being developed with the construction of approximately 2,517 new homes, in addition to the 1,248 homes already built.[5] The area is also to include a new cultural quarter known as Woolwich Works[6], as well as infrastructural developments such as retail stores, restaurants and cafes, offices, hotels and a cinema.[5]

Design

The station box is 276 m (906 ft) long and 14 m (46 ft) below ground, and sits below a major housing development site. The station is built by Balfour Beatty after a design by Weston Williamson, Mott MacDonald and Arup Group (engineering). The station entrance in Dial Arch Square will feature a 30-metre wide (98 ft) bronze-clad portal.[5][7] Natural light will enter through the main entrance and ceiling into the ticket hall, whilst a connection to daylight is present below ground on the platforms.[5] Set back from the main street and surrounded by a series of heritage listed buildings and a large retail unit, the station acts as a simple portal connecting all these elements together.[5] The station entrance opens out on to Dial Arch Square, a green space, flanked by a series of Grade I and II listed buildings. In addition to enhancing the experience in and out of the station, the urban realm design also helps connect the station with the wider town centre.[5] In addition to the station improvements, Crossrail has been working with the Royal Borough of Greenwich on proposals for improvements to the area around the station.[5]

Notes

1. http://www.crossrail.co.uk/route/stations/woolwich-station
2. "Crossrail 'not fully operational until mid-2022'". BBC News: London. 10 January 2020. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
3. "Crossrail Woolwich Station". railway-technology.com. Retrieved 26 March 2017.
4. http://www.thamesclippers.com/assets/img/TC_Route_Map_Key_APRIL2017-afac129089.jpg
5. "Woolwich station". crossrail.co.uk. Retrieved 26 March 2017.
6. "Woolwich Works - Official Site". Retrieved 12 August 2020.
7. "Crossrail Media Briefing Note - May 2016" (PDF). Crossrail. May 2016. p. 13. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 June 2016. Retrieved 3 June 2016.

Preceding station		Crossrail		Following station
Custom House towards Reading or Heathrow Airport		Crossrail Elizabeth line Abbey Wood Branch		Abbey Wood Terminus
	Proposed Development
Preceding station		Crossrail		Following station
Silvertown towards Reading or Heathrow Airport		Crossrail Elizabeth line		Abbey Wood Terminus