Barking station

Barking
Station forecourt
Barking Location of Barking in Greater London
Location	Barking
Local authority	London Borough of Barking and Dagenham
Managed by	c2c
Owner	Network Rail
Station code	BKG
DfT category	B
Number of platforms	9 (facing 8 tracks)
Accessible	Yes [1][2]
Fare zone	4
London Underground annual entry and exit
2012	14.51 million[3]
2013	15.22 million[3]
2014	15.59 million[3]
2015	16.06 million[3]
National Rail annual entry and exit
2010–11	6.516 million[4]
— interchange	0.380 million[4]
2011–12	7.427 million[4]
— interchange	0.407 million[4]
2012–13	8.072 million[4]
— interchange	0.440 million[4]
2013–14	8.331 million[4]
— interchange	0.617 million[4]
2014–15	9.675 million[4]
— interchange	0.649 million[4]
Railway companies
Original company	London, Tilbury and Southend Railway
Pre-grouping	Midland Railway
Post-grouping	London, Midland and Scottish Railway
Key dates
1854	Opened by LT&SR
1902	District line started
1905	District withdrawn
1908	District line restarted
Listed status
Listed feature	Booking hall
Listing grade	II
Entry number	1242678[5]
Added to list	24 November 1995
Other information
Lists of stations	DLR Underground National Rail Tramlink
External links	Departures Layout Facilities Buses
London Transport portal UK Railways portalCoordinates: 51°32′21″N 0°04′54″E / 51.5393°N 0.0817°E

Barking is an interchange railway station located on Station Parade in the Barking neighbourhood of the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham in east London. The station is served by London Underground and National Rail services. On the London Underground it is a stop on the District line and the eastern terminus of the Hammersmith & City line; on the National Rail network it is served by c2c services; and on the London Overground it is the eastern terminus of the Gospel Oak to Barking Line. The station was opened in 1854 by the London, Tilbury and Southend Railway as one of the first stations on the route. It was rebuilt in 1908 and again in 1959. As of February 2012, significant redevelopment of the station is currently proposed by Barking and Dagenham London Borough Council and the Department for Transport.^[6]

History

The station was opened on 13 April 1854 by the London Tilbury and Southend Railway (LTSR) on their new line to Tilbury, which split from the Eastern Counties Railway (ECR) at Forest Gate. A shorter route from London between Little Ilford and Gas Factory Junction in Bow, and avoiding the ECR, opened in April 1858. A "Pitsea direct" branch was completed in June 1888 giving more direct access to Southend-on-Sea via Upminster, and avoiding Tilbury. The station was rebuilt in 1889.^[7] In 1894 the Tottenham and Hampstead Junction Railway was extended by means of the Tottenham and Forest Gate Railway to join the 1854 line from Forest Gate to Tilbury. District line services initially operated over the tracks of the LTSR from 1902. In 1905 a pair of tracks was electrified as far as East Ham and the service was cut back there. It was extended back to Barking in 1908 and eastwards to Upminster, over a new set of tracks, from 1932. Hammersmith and City line, then known as the Metropolitan line, service began in 1936.

The station booking hall was completely rebuilt 1959-61 to designs by architect John Ward of British Railways Eastern Region Architect's Department. Pevsner states it was "erected to coincide with electrification of the railway" and that "it is commensurately modern in outlook and unquestionably one of the best English stations of this date". The station was reopened by the Queen in 1961.^[8] It is now a Grade II listed building.^[9]

Accidents and incidents

• In November 1923, a locomotive crashed through buffers at Barking and overturned, overhanging the road below.^[10]

Design

The station has four sets of stairs from the platforms to the overbridge and the booking hall. Four ramps connected by a subway give step free access between all the platforms. The stairs/ramps access platforms: 1 & 1a, 2, 3 & 4, 5 & 6, and 7 & 8. There is a lift between the booking hall and platforms 1 & 1a . This station has two bay platforms (no 1 and 3). Platform 1 is the terminal platform for the Gospel Oak to Barking Line, and is only used by London Overground services, as it is not electrified. Platform 3 is used usually by Hammersmith and City line trains but during engineering work it is used by the District line. The ticket office is managed by c2c and has seven serving windows. TRIBUTE and FasTIS ticket machines are in use. Tickets are available for National Rail, as well as London Underground. Oyster Cards can also be issued at the ticket office. There are four Shere Fastticket and four Scheidt and Bachman FAA-2000/TS ticket machines, which can issue tickets ordered on line (Tickets on Demand or 'TOD'). The S&B machines (but not the Shere) sell Oyster products. Seven ticket barriers and a gate control access to all platforms. There are sidings to the east which are built to accommodate D stock, C stock and S stock. Usually quite a few C stock and S stock trains are stabled there overnight. These form some of the first Hammersmith and City line services in the morning. These trains call at platform 6 instead of platform 3. Two D stock trains are also stabled there overnight and these form the first District line services starting at Barking.

To the west of the station there is a major junction which aligns the trains so that the London overground is on the left. c2c services are on the right and access to and from the bay platform for the Hammersmith and City line to join the District line.

Redevelopment

Barking and Dagenham London Borough Council has developed a Barking Station Masterplan for the redevelopment of the station, including the removal of retail units from the station concourse, expansion of ticket barriers, additional Oyster card machines, and new building work to provide replacement retail and to increase natural light within the station.^[6] In 2009, the station was identified as one of the ten worst category B interchange stations for mystery shopper assessment of fabric and environment, and it was planned to receive a share of £50m funding for improvements.^[11] As part of the 2011 renewal of the Essex Thameside franchise it was proposed that ownership of the station could transfer to Transport for London.^[12] Following the 2010 general election the funding for planned works was withdrawn and the 2011 franchise renewal delayed until 2013. The new franchise invitation to tender proposes the transfer of building maintenance from Network Rail to the new operator, and includes an option to complete the redevelopment works. In 2012, the public space outside the station on Station Parade was re-ordered and repaved, using funding from Transport for London.^[13]

Location

Several bus routes connect with the site of the station and it is (since 20 February 2010) served by routes EL1 and EL2 (phase one of the East London Transit).^[14] Other London buses that serve the station include 5, 62, 169, 238 (terminates here), 287 (terminates here), 366, 368, 387, night bus route N15^[15][16] and school bus route 687 (terminates here). There are buses providing connections to Canning Town, Stratford, Beckton, Romford, Ilford, Redbridge, Barkingside, Chadwell Heath, Goodmayes, Rainham and Dagenham.^[17]

Services

On the Underground, it is served by the District and Hammersmith & City (and two early morning Circle line services) lines and forms the eastern terminus for the Hammersmith & City whilst District line services continue eastward to Upminster. The station is also served by National Rail (c2c) and London Overground services.

• London Underground: Hammersmith and City line services mainly run to/from "the bay road" (platform 3). Some early-morning and late-evening Hammersmith and City line trains run directly to/from the sidings to the east where some trains are stabled overnight, and therefore use the same platforms as the District line. From 9 December 2012 the S7 stock trains have seen regular service to Barking.
• London Overground: Trains to/from Gospel Oak mostly use platform 1, though some trains run to/from platform 7. This is so that drivers can maintain route knowledge.

Westbound

As of May 2012, the typical off-peak trains per hour (tph) service is:

• 8 tph to London Fenchurch Street (c2c)
• 6 tph to Richmond via Tower Hill (District line)
• 3 tph to Wimbledon via Tower Hill (District line)
• 6 tph to Ealing Broadway via Tower Hill (District line)
• 6 tph to Hammersmith (Hammersmith and City line)
• 4 tph to Gospel Oak (London Overground)

Eastbound

• 12 tph to Upminster (District line)
• 4 tph to Shoeburyness via Basildon (c2c)
• 2 tph to Grays via Rainham (c2c)
• 2 tph to Southend Central via Ockendon (c2c)

References

1. "Step free Tube Guide" (PDF). Transport for London. Archived (PDF) from the original on 3 June 2015.
2. "London and South East" (PDF). National Rail Enquiries. National Rail. September 2006. Archived from the original (pdf) on 6 March 2009.
3. "Multi-year station entry-and-exit figures" (XLS). London Underground station passenger usage data. Transport for London. April 2016. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
4. "Station usage estimates". Rail statistics. Office of Rail Regulation. Please note: Some methodology may vary year on year.
5. "The National Heritage List for England". English Heritage. Retrieved 12 November 2012.
6. Barking Station Masterplan Supplementary Planning Document
7. 'The ancient parish of Barking: Introduction', A History of the County of Essex: Volume 5 (1966), pp. 184-190. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=42722 Date accessed: 30 August 2012.
8. Laurence Menear (1983). London's Underground Stations: A Social and Architectural Study. Baton Transport.
9. "People, Time and Place London Borough of Barking and Dagenham Heritage Strategy" (PDF). Barking and Dagenham London Borough Council. Retrieved 2009-11-17.
10. Trevena, Arthur (1980). Trains in Trouble. Vol. 1. Redruth: Atlantic Books. p. 30. ISBN 0-906899-01-X.
11. "£50m revamp for 'worst stations'". BBC News. 17 November 2009. Archived from the original on 19 November 2009. Retrieved 2009-11-17.
12. Passenger Focus - Passenger Focus’ response to c2c’s proposed franchise extension
13. Barking Station forecourt improvements
14. Transport for London - East London Transit route map (PDF)
15. http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/gettingaround/maps/buses/pdf/barking-2013.pdf
16. http://countdown.tfl.gov.uk/#|stopCode=72012
17. http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/posters/BKG.pdf

External links

• Station information from c2c
• Station information from National Rail
• Station information from Transport for London