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Upminster Bridge tube station

Coordinates: 51°33′29″N 0°14′03″E / 51.558°N 0.2341°E / 51.558; 0.2341
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Upminster Bridge London Underground
Entrance on Upminster Road
Upminster Bridge is located in Greater London
Upminster Bridge
Upminster Bridge
Location of Upminster Bridge in Greater London
LocationUpminster Bridge
Local authorityLondon Borough of Havering
Managed byLondon Underground
Number of platforms2
Fare zone6
London Underground annual entry and exit
2019Increase 1.11 million[1]
2020Decrease 0.79 million[2]
2021Decrease 0.51 million[3]
2022Increase 0.74 million[4]
2023Increase 0.84 million[5]
Railway companies
Original companyLondon, Midland and Scottish Railway
Key dates
17 December 1934Opened
1 January 1948Ownership transferred to British Railways
1 January 1969Ownership transferred to London Transport
Other information
External links
Coordinates51°33′29″N 0°14′03″E / 51.558°N 0.2341°E / 51.558; 0.2341
London transport portal

Upminster Bridge is a London Underground station in the Upminster Bridge neighbourhood of the London Borough of Havering, east London. It is on the District line between Hornchurch to the west and Upminster to the east. It is 1.2 kilometres (0.75 mi) along the line from the eastern terminus at Upminster and 22 kilometres (14 mi) from Tower Hill in central London. The station was opened on 17 December 1934 by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway on the local electrified tracks between Upminster and Barking that were constructed in 1932. The main station building, on Upminster Road, is of a distinctive polygonal design by William Henry Hamlyn. It has relatively low usage for a suburban station and was the least busy station on the District line in 2023. It is in London fare zone 6.

History

[edit]

The London, Tilbury and Southend Railway from London Fenchurch Street and Barking was constructed through the Upminster Bridge area in 1885, with stations at Hornchurch and Upminster.[6] The Whitechapel and Bow Railway opened in 1902 and allowed through-services of the District Railway to operate to Upminster. The District Railway converted to electric trains in 1905 and services were cut back to East Ham.[a] Delayed by World War I, electrified tracks were extended by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) to Upminster and through-services resumed in 1932.[6][7][8] The District Railway was incorporated into London Transport in 1933 and became known as the District line.[9]

The new tracks built by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway allowed additional intermediate stations to be constructed on the local lines between 1932 and 1935. Increased local demand was caused by the expansion of the built-up area of suburban London during the interwar period. The infill station at Upminster Bridge was built to the designs of LMS architect William Henry Hamlyn, drawing inspiration from London Underground station architecture.[10] It opened with platforms on the local electric lines on 17 December 1934.[7] The station was operated by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway but was only served by District line trains.[b][11][12] After nationalisation of the railways in 1948 management of the station passed to British Railways.[9] In 1969 ownership transferred to the London Underground.[13]

In 2006, the station became one of the first on the network to operate without a staffed ticket office.[14]

Design

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Island platform with an eastbound Upminster train at the platform and the London, Tilbury and Southend line tracks on the left

The station consists of a central island platform—numbered 1 for westbound and 2 for eastbound—between the tracks that are elevated on a railway embankment.[15] There are four tracks through the site although there are no platforms for the London, Tilbury and Southend line. The full length of the platform is covered by a single canopy with a central waiting room and public toilet.[16][17]

The swastika in the ticket hall

The Art Deco red brick ticket office is located below platform level, to which it is connected by a subway and stairway. Although similar to the other single-storey station buildings on this part of the route, it is notable for its high atrium roof and polygonal shape.[18] The floor is tiled with a reversed swastika pattern, a popular decorative design at the time the station was constructed.[19] The station was listed locally as a building of local heritage interest by Havering London Borough Council.[20]

As part of the public–private partnership arrangement for maintenance of the London Underground, the station was refurbished by Metronet during 2005 and 2006. Works included provision of tactile strips and colour contrasted handrails for the visually impaired, installation of closed-circuit television cameras, passenger help points, new electronic departure information displays on the platforms, a new public address system and improved lighting.[21] The station does not have step-free access from the platforms to the street.[22]

Location

[edit]
Location of the station on part of the District line

The station is named after a nearby crossing of the River Ingrebourne.[23] The river was the boundary between the ancient parishes of Hornchurch and Upminster and the station is located on the western Hornchurch side.[24] The station is situated on Upminster Road in the London Borough of Havering and is flanked by a parade of shops. It is situated in a primarily residential area and is near to Havering Sixth Form College and Hornchurch Stadium.[25][26]

The London Loop key walking route passes outside the station, and it forms the end point of section 22 from Harold Wood and the starting point of section 23 to Rainham.[27][28] The station is located on the eastern extremity of the District line and is the penultimate station before the terminus at Upminster.[29] Upminster station is 1.24 kilometres (0.77 mi) to the east of the station and Hornchurch is 1.26 kilometres (0.78 mi) to the west.[30] It is 22 kilometres (14 mi) along the line from Tower Hill in central London.[31] The station is 14 miles and 38 chains down the line from Fenchurch Street.[32]

London Buses routes 193, 248 and 370 serve the station, providing connections to County Park Estate, Cranham, Lakeside, Queen's Hospital and Romford.[33]

Services

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External images
image icon Exterior of Upminster Bridge, British Railways station, 1956
image icon Exterior of Upminster Bridge, LMS station, 1935

The station is in London fare zone 6. The typical off-peak service from the station is 12 District line trains per hour to Upminster and 12 to Earl's Court, of which six continue to Ealing Broadway and six continue to Richmond.[34] At peak periods the number of trains per hour increases to 15 and some trains continue from Earl's Court to Wimbledon.[34] Services towards central London operate from approximately 05:00 to 23:45 and services to Upminster operate from approximately 06:00 to 01:30.[35] The journey time to Upminster is approximately two minutes, to Barking 15 minutes and to Tower Hill in central London 38 minutes.[34]

Total number of passenger entries and exits at the station during the year is as follows:[36]

Year Thousands of entries/exits (% change from prior year)
2003
750
2004
870(+13.79%)
2005
856(-1.64%)
2006
822(-4.14%)
2007
781(-5.25%)
2008
930(+16.02%)
2009
865(+6.06%)
2010
890(+2.81%)
2011
990(+10.10%)
2012
1,100(+10.00%)
Year Thousands of entries/exits (% change from prior year)
2013
1,100(=)
2014
1,140(+3.51%)
2015
1,146(+0.52%)
2016
1,160(+1.21%)
2017
1,150(-0.87%)
2018
1,154(0.35%)
2019
1,110(-3.96%)
2020
790(-40.51%)
2021
510(-54.90%)
2022
740(+31.08%)
Year Thousands of entries/exits (% change from prior year)
2023
840(+11.90%)

With 0.84 million entries and exits in 2023, it ranked 259th busiest London Underground station. It was the least busy station on the District line.[37]

Notes

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  1. ^ Electric service was extended to Barking on 1 April 1908.
  2. ^ The 1947 LMS timetable shows a single daily steam service to Fenchurch Street.

References

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  1. ^ "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2019. Transport for London. 23 September 2020. Archived from the original on 9 November 2020. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
  2. ^ "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2020. Transport for London. 16 April 2021. Archived from the original on 11 April 2025. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  3. ^ "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2021. Transport for London. 12 July 2022. Archived from the original on 6 April 2025. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
  4. ^ "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2022. Transport for London. 4 October 2023. Archived from the original on 19 March 2025. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
  5. ^ "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2023. Transport for London. 8 August 2024. Archived from the original on 31 May 2025. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
  6. ^ a b "London, Tilbury and Southend Railway" (PDF), Local Studies Information Sheets, Barking and Dagenham London Borough Council, 2008, archived from the original (PDF) on 23 October 2015, retrieved 21 February 2016
  7. ^ a b Rose, Douglas (1999). The London Underground: A diagrammatic history (7 ed.). Douglas Rose. ISBN 1-85414-219-4.
  8. ^ Wolmar, Christian (2005). The Subterranean Railway: How the London Underground Was Built and How It Changed the City Forever. Atlantic Books. p. 268. ISBN 1-84354-023-1.
  9. ^ a b Horne, Mike (2006). The District Line. Capital Transport. ISBN 1-85414-292-5.
  10. ^ Lawrence, David (2018). British Rail Architecture 1948–97. Crecy Publishing Ltd. p. 20. ISBN 9780860936855.
  11. ^ "Table 214 London, Tilbury, Southend-on-Sea and Shoeburyness". London Midland & Scottish Railway: Passenger Train Services. Timetable World. June 1947. Retrieved 8 June 2025.
  12. ^ "Table 217 District Line – Bromley, Plaistow, East Ham, Barking, Upney, Becontree, Heathway, Dagenham, Hornchurch and Upminster". London Midland & Scottish Railway: Passenger Train Services. Timetable World. June 1947. Retrieved 8 June 2025.
  13. ^ "The Upminster Line" (PDF). Underground. 8 (90). London Underground Railway Society.: 92–93 June 1969. Retrieved 9 June 2025.
  14. ^ "New ticket office opening hours from February 5". Transport for London. 3 February 2006. Retrieved 24 November 2012.
  15. ^ "Detailed London transport map". cartometro.com. Retrieved 8 June 2025.
  16. ^ "TfL toilet map" (PDF). Transport for London. April 2025. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
  17. ^ "Improving our toilet provision" (PDF). Transport for London. October 2024. Retrieved 8 June 2025.
  18. ^ Menear, Laurence (1985). London's Underground Stations: A Social and Architectural Study. Baton Transport. p. 89. ISBN 0-85936-124-1.
  19. ^ "Upminster Bridge Underground station, District line". Photographic collection. London Transport Museum. 1935. Retrieved 8 February 2010.
  20. ^ "Heritage Supplementary Planning Document" (PDF). Havering London Borough Council. 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 24 November 2011.
  21. ^ "Delivering a world-class, safe and reliable Tube for London" (PDF). Metronet. 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 October 2006. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
  22. ^ "Step-free Tube Guide" (PDF). Transport for London. December 2023. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  23. ^ Mills, A.D. (2001). Dictionary of London Place Names. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-280106-6.
  24. ^ Powell, W.R. (Edr.) (1978). Upminster: Introduction and manors, A History of the County of Essex: Volume 7. Victoria County History. British History Online. Retrieved 8 February 2010.
  25. ^ "How to get to Havering Sixth Form College". Havering Sixth Form College. Archived from the original on 29 September 2011. Retrieved 8 February 2010.
  26. ^ Grose, Tim (1 October 2004). "Hornchurch Stadium". UK Running Track Directory. Retrieved 8 February 2010.
  27. ^ "Section 22 Harold Wood to Upminster Bridge". London Loop. Transport for London. Retrieved 8 February 2010.
  28. ^ "Section 23 Upminster Bridge to Rainham". London Loop. Transport for London. Retrieved 8 February 2010.
  29. ^ "Tube Map" (PDF). Transport for London. December 2009. Retrieved 8 February 2010.
  30. ^ Baker, Charles (2006). "Inter Station Database". Transport for London. Archived from the original on 19 March 2024. Retrieved 8 February 2010.
  31. ^ "District line Working Timetable 155" (PDF). Transport for London. Retrieved 2 June 2025. 13 January 2025 until further notice
  32. ^ "FSS2 mileages". Railway Codes. Retrieved 7 June 2025.
  33. ^ "Buses from Upminster Bridge" (PDF). TfL. March 2015. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  34. ^ a b c "District line working timetable 155" (PDF). Transport for London. 13 January 2025. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
  35. ^ "District line" (PDF). First and Last Trains. Transport for London. 13 January 2025. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
  36. ^ "Upminster Bridge – Annual entry and exit frequencies 2011". Transport for London. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
  37. ^ "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2023. Transport for London. 8 August 2024. Archived from the original on 31 May 2025. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Upminster Bridge tube station.
Preceding station London Underground Following station
Hornchurch
towards Wimbledon, Richmond or Ealing Broadway
 District line
 Upminster
Terminus

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