Eltham Station – 6th July 2023
I’d never used Eltham station until yesterday. But as I’d documented half of bus route 132 for Exploring London Bus Route 132, it seemed a good place to start following the second part.
I took these pictures as I passed through.
The station is an unusual design, which is summed up, in this paragraph from the stations, Wikipedia entry.
Both stations were closed and replaced by the current station which was opened by British Rail on 17 March 1985 when a new section of the A2, the Rochester Way Relief Road, was opened. A bus station that was built on a raft above the A2 was opened at the same time.
This Google Map shows the layout of the station.
Note.
- The station is step-free using ramps.
- There are no lifts, but I suspect they could be easily added.
- On my visit yesterday, I hadn’t realised that there was a dual-carriageway road underneath the station.
- It is a comprehensive interchange between trains and buses.
For the 1980s, it is an excellent example of a station built to modern principles.
The underlying principle of this station could be used to create transport interchanges where railways, major rods and busy bus corridors intersect.
The Anonymous Widower 
Despite its superficial modernity, there are no electronic screens showing real-time bus departure information. The passing buses (routes 132, 161, and 286) generally operate to a higher frequency than those terminating here. Only taller passengers can easily look across the boundary wall from the shelter on Well Hall Road to notice when a terminating bus is about to leave the bus station and – if they are also pretty agile – get to the necessary bus stop to hail it. Oddly, all the terminating buses turn left after departing and two of the local “Hoppa” routes (B15 & B16) avoid the bus station entirely by using Eltham Hill. Despite the generous capacity of the paved area, no scheduled medium-distance coaches call here. No new bus route has been introduced to facilitate journeys to the Elizabeth line, so a change from the 161 to a 122 service is recommended before the South Circular Road crosses the A207.
Comment by John Davison | July 7, 2023 |
As a mathematical modeller since the mid-1960s, I would give the Mayor and TfL perhaps 2 or 3 out of ten for their planning. I suffer badly here in Dalston, as they halved our buses to the Lizzie Line, when it opened and Bank was upgraded.
That is the mathematics of the madhouse!
The best I can suggest for you, is more trains between Eltham and New Cross, which would give you a quicker way to Whitechapel.
TfL’s journey planner suggests a 132 bus to North Greenwich, Jubilee Line to Bond Street and then Lizzie to go between Eltham and Paddington.
Another route from the madhouse.
Comment by AnonW | July 7, 2023 |