Thameside Railways

A train at Barking station in the 1960s (Photo: Stephen Rees)

The Thameside or Thames Gateway area is the land around the River Thames between London and the estuary of the River Thames near Southend. The main railway line on the Essex (North) side of the Thames runs between London Fenchurch Street and Shoeburyness via Basildon, with a loop going via Tilbury and Grays. The majority of trains are Class 357 passenger units, however a significant amount of freight traffic also serves the ports around Tilbury.

The first section of route was opened in 1854 as far as Grays. The line was extended to as far as Southend in the following two years. Subsequent extensions and development happened over the years.

The most significant changes in recent years were the opening of Basildon station (1974) and Chafford Hundred (1995), both of which are now major population and shopping centres. West Ham also opened in 1999 to connect with the new Jubilee Line extension.

More information about the history of the line can be found at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London,_Tilbury_and_Southend_Railway.

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