Brixton railway station

Brixton railway station is a commuter railway station in Brixton, South London, UK. It is on the Chatham Main Line, down the line from . Trains are operated by Southeastern. The typical service is one train every 15 minutes in both directions, from Victoria to Orpington via Bromley South.

It is about north of Brixton Underground station, high above ground level on a railway bridge that can be seen from the tube station. Access is from Atlantic Road via staircases. It is also a busy junction, with the Catford Loop via and leaving the Chatham Main Line immediately west of the station, though there are currently only platforms on the Chatham Main Line. The South London line crosses above the east end of the platforms, without stopping nearby.

History

thumb|left|Brixton main line station in 1960

Brixton was opened as Brixton and South Stockwell on 25 August 1862 by the London, Chatham and Dover Railway (LCDR) to serve the affluent Victorian suburbs of South London. The initial service ran between Victoria and Herne Hill. Service was extended to a temporary terminus at Elephant and Castle on 6 October 1862 via a reversing move at Herne Hill. From 1 May 1863 services ran directly from Brixton to Camberwell via a curve at Loughborough Junction. Services were extended from Elephant and Castle to Blackfriars on 1 June 1894.

Services ran from Moorgate to London Victoria via Snow Hill (Holborn Viaduct), Camberwell New Road and Brixton and South Stockwell to Grosvenor Road, following the opening of the link northeastwards to via in 1864. The station was also connected to the LC&DR's branch to via soon afterwards, with this section (via ) becoming part of the modern-day Catford Loop Line.

The station is currently served only by trains on the main line towards Herne Hill. The Denmark Hill line platforms were closed in April 1916 as a wartime economy measure and have been demolished except for a short section of the up platform. However, the line itself remains in regular and frequent use by both freight and passenger services.

Services

All services at Brixton are operated by Southeastern using and EMUs.

The typical off-peak service in trains per hour is:

4 tph to
4 tph to via

On weekends, the service is reduced to two trains per hour in each direction.

The line also passes through Loughborough Junction. The proposals drew criticism for not including new interchange stations at these locations. Until 1976 trains stopped at nearby . It has been proposed that this disused station could be reopened instead as the site is close to both Brixton and Loughborough Junction.

Artworks

A number of colourful murals have been painted on the outside of the station. Inside the station, three bronze sculptures stand on the platforms. This work, Platforms Piece by Kevin Atherton, was erected in 1986 and the statues are life casts of three people - two black, one white - who regularly travelled from Brixton. The statues, believed to be the first sculptures of black British people in a public place in the UK, were given Grade II listed status in November 2016.

Gallery

Image:Brixton rail station signage.JPG|Southeastern branded signs

Image:Brixton rail station statue southbound.JPG|Woman waiting at Brixton

Image:Bronze statue on Brixton station.jpg|Her male counterpart

Image:BrixtonStationMural1.jpg|The Mural

Image:Brixton rail station north entrance.JPG|North entrance, cáfe closed

Image:465004 at Brixton 03.jpg|Networkers work the local trains.

Image:Brixton rail station disused platform.JPG|Disused platform linking to the Catford Loop Line, with third statue

Image:Streatham & Tulse Hill Hastings & St Leonards RJD 100.jpg|A 1908 Railway Clearing House map of lines through Brixton

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Connections

London Buses routes 2, 3, 35, 37 (at Lambeth Town Hall); 45, 59, 109, 118, 133, 159, 196, 250, 322, 333, 345 (at Brixton Police Station), 355, 415, 432, 689, 690, P4, P5 and night routes N2, N3, N35, N109 and N133 serve the station.

References

External links