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Address: Butts Green Road, Hornchurch RM11 2JP
Opened: 1 October 1909
Station Code: EMP
Fare Zone: 6

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London Overground Line(s) Served:

Romford to Upminster

Service Pattern(s):

Two trains per hour to Upminster
Two trains per hour to Romford

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Station History

Although the London, Tilbury & Southend Railway had constructed their new branch line between Romford and Upminster in 1893, no intermediate stations were provided.

This situation changed in the early 1900s when, following a surge in new housebuilding in the immediate area, and the proposed opening of a station at Gidea Park by the Great Eastern Railway, the LTSR decided to build a new station and this duly opened on 1 October 1909 as Emerson Park Halt.

As opened, the new station consisted of a single bidirectional platform with a canopy throughout. Due to the rural nature of the station, no station buildings were provided and the only track alteration was to provide a passing loop to the west to allow more services to operate.

Throughout its life, the station has remained unchanged, with ownership passing to the London Midland Railway in 1912, followed by the London Midland & Scottish Railway following the Grouping of the railways in January 1923. Nationalisation of the railways in 1948 saw the LMS become part of the London Midland Region of British Railways before transferring to the Eastern Region in February 1949.

Under the new ownership, traffic patterns were examined and it was decided to remove the short workings between Emerson Park & Upminster and only run the full-length service. This change led to the station’s passing loop being closed and removed as it was now redundant.

Steam operation ceased on the line on 15 September 1956 when diesel multiple-unit operation began. It was also at this time that direct workings beyond Upminster ceased and the service became what it is today.

Fast forward to the 1980s and ownership of the station passed to the London & South Eastern sector of BR, before becoming part of Network Southeast in 1986. It was under this new ownership that diesel multiple unit operation ceased, with the last train running on 10 May of that year with electric multiple unit operation commencing on the 12th.

Following privatisation of the railways in 1997, First Great Eastern took over operations, with this lasting until National Express East Anglia took the reins in 2004. This was followed in 2012 by new operator Abellio Greater Anglia who lasted just three years before the line was taken over as part of the London Overground franchise operated on behalf of Transport for London by Arriva Rail in May 2015.

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Address: South Street, Romford RM1 1SX
Opened: 7 June 1893
Station Code: RMF
Fare Zone: 6

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London Overground Line(s) Served:

Romford to Upminster

Service Pattern(s):

Two trains per hour to Upminster

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Interchange(s)

Elizabeth Line

National Rail: Greater Anglia GEML services

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Station History

This post relates to the Romford to Upminster section of Romford Station. The main station will be covered in a future Elizabeth Line post.

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Although a proposal by the Thames Haven Railway & Dock Company for a 16-mile line between Romford and Shell Haven on the north shore of the River Thames was approved by Parliament in 1836, being renewed ten years later, no construction was ever started. Further interest in such a connection faded with the building of the London, Tilbury & Southend Railway.

It was not until the construction of Tilbury Docks began in 1883 that thoughts returned to constructing a railway line from Romford to the new port. Three proposals were submitted, and it was the London, Tilbury & Southend Railway’s plan that was successful, with construction commencing in 1885.

During the initial stages of construction, the LT&SR had attempted to negotiate the use of platforms at Romford Station, however, the Great Eastern Railway, who had also submitted a proposal for a line to Upminster, declined this. As a result, the LT&SR constructed a new station on the opposite side of South Street from the existing Great Eastern Railway building to use as a terminus.

The line was opened to traffic on 7 June 1893 and, as a measure of some cooperation between the two railways, a footbridge was opened connecting the GER and LT&SR stations together, although it was rarely open for use in the daytime.

From opening, goods traffic shared the use of the GER yard outside the station, but this changed in 1896 when the LT&SR opened their own goods yard where their branch joined the line into Romford.

Nothing of note happened to the station or the line for the rest of the Century, and it was not until 1912 that change occurred with the purchase of the London Tilbury & Southend Railway by the Midland Railway. This was followed in the grouping of 1923 by the amalgamation of the MR into the London Midland & Scottish Railway on 1 January of that year. 1934 saw the closure of the original station, with access now provided via the original GER station on the opposite side of South Street.

Nationalisation of the Railways in 1948 initially saw the line transferred to British Railways Midland Region, but due to its geography, it was transferred to the Eastern Region on 20 February 1949. It was at this time that services to Tilbury & Grays were withdrawn and all services terminated at Upminster.

Steam haulage on the line came to an end on 17 September 1957 when lightweight diesel multiple units commenced service and the frequency was doubled to two trains per hour.

The Beeching Axe nearly fell on the line and its service in 1964, but strong opposition from both local businesses and residents caused this decision to be reversed. A further attempt to close the line was made in 1970, but this again failed after protests.

Goods traffic began to decline in 1971 when the private goods siding in the yard closed, with the yard itself closing and services ceasing in 1974.

Electrification finally came to the line in the early 1980s and, from the timetable change in April 1986, modern electric multiple units based at Ilford were deployed on the line, running a shuttle service.

Privatisation of the railways saw operation of the line pass from Network Southeast to First Great Eastern in 1997. FGE was succeeded in 2004 by National Express East Anglia before passing again to Abellio Greater Anglia in 2012. The final change of ownership came in May 2015, when London Overground became the new operator of the line.