Peckham Rye Station (PMR)

Address: Station Way, Peckham, London SE15 4RX
Opened: 1st December 1865
Station Code: PMR
Fare Zone: 2

London Overground Line(s) Served:

East London Line

Service Pattern(s):

4 trains per hour to Dalston Junction
4 trains per hour to Clapham Junction

Interchange(s)

National Rail: Southeastern, Southern & Thameslink

Station History

Peckham Rye Station, designed by renowned architect Charles Henry Driver, was opened by the London, Chatham and Dover Railway on 1st December 1865.

Eight months later on 13th August 1866, the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway took over the station as part of their South London Line expansion, although London, Chatham & Dover services still called here.

In 1899 the London, Chatham & Dover was amalgamated with other companies to form the South Eastern and Chatham Railway, with services being run by the new entity.

The LB&SCR had received Royal Assent for the electrification of its entire network in 1903, with the South London Line being the first recipient of overhead wires and the system was installed here in 1909, however, the SE&CR Lines remained steam operated.

In 1922 the station’s large waiting room was leased to a local billiard table manufacturer, Muncey and Ryde, who opened it as a billiard hall.

With the passing of The Railways Act 1921, LB&SCR and SE&CR were amalgamated with other railways to form the Southern Railway on 1st January 1923.

Under the new company, electrification works were carried out on the former SE&CR lines, going live in 1925. This was followed on 9th August 1926 with the announcement that the overhead electrification of the South London Line would be converted to third rail. The conversion works were carried out and the first train ran on 30th September 1929.

The Southern Railway began an ambitious project to significantly develop their property portfolio and Peckham Rye was a centre of this. Beginning in 1934 the station underwent a remodelling to improve passenger flows and also saw a number of art deco buildings constructed around its periphery to be used as retail outlets. The works were completed in 1936.

Nationalisation of the railways due to the Transport Act 1947 saw Southern Railway services become British Railways Southern Region on 1st January 1948.

Under British Railways, the station again underwent remodelling with the existing platforms and lines being removed and relaid to form the current island platform configuration. At this time, further modifications to the passenger flow routes were achieved by bricking up certain parts of the station.

As a result of sectorisation, the former Southern Region services were assumed by the London & Southeast business sector in 1982, becoming Network Southeast in 1986.

Privatisation of the Railways following the Railways Act 1993 saw the station and its lines franchised to Connex, who operated them under their South Central subsidiary.

A further management change occurred on 26th August 2001, when the new franchisee of the line Govia bought out the remaining two years of the Connex agreement to assume services early.

The final Southern-operated service on the South London Line ran on the 8th December 2012. The following day, services were commenced by London Overground between Dalston Junction and Clapham Junction via Surrey Quays.

On 25th August 2023, Network Rail was granted planning permission consent to upgrade and remodel the station again as its platforms, passageways and gatelines are too narrow for the large number of passengers who use the station.