Beckenham Junction station

Beckenham Junction is the main railway and tram station in Beckenham in the London Borough of Bromley, south London. The railway stop is on the Chatham Main Line, 8 miles 53 chains (13.9 km) down the line from London Victoria and situated between Kent House and Shortlands. The tram stop is one of the eastern termini of Tramlink.

Beckenham Junction
Beckenham Junction Location of Beckenham Junction in Greater London
Location	Beckenham
Local authority	London Borough of Bromley
Managed by	Southeastern
Station code(s)	BKJ
DfT category	C2
Number of platforms	4 plus 2 Tramlink
Accessible	Yes[1]
Fare zone	4
Tramlink annual boardings and alightings
2009–10	0.735 million[2]
2010–11	0.784 million[3]
National Rail annual entry and exit
2019–20	2.551 million[4]
– interchange	84,245[4]
2020–21	0.558 million[4]
– interchange	22,770[4]
2021–22	1.274 million[4]
– interchange	42,794[4]
2022–23	1.451 million[4]
– interchange	35,852[4]
2023–24	1.633 million[4]
– interchange	33,077[4]
Key dates
1 January 1857	Opened as a terminus
3 May 1858	Became a through-station
23 May 2000	Tramlink opened
Other information
External links	Departures Facilities
Coordinates	51.4109°N 0.0257°W / 51.4109; -0.0257
London transport portal

For train journeys, Beckenham Junction is in Travelcard Zone 4. Most trains that call are operated by Southeastern, but some Southern services also call.

Architecture and layout

Beckenham Junction retains much of its original Victorian architecture, with the main station building dating back to its opening in 1857. The building is constructed from London stock brick and features classic arched windows and decorative stonework. Despite minor renovations and a partial rebuilding in 1890, the station has preserved several original design elements, including its canopies and cast-iron fixtures.^[5]

Facilities

The station has a car park with 88 spaces, and is usually staffed during operating hours.^[6] The station also has a small convenience store, coffee kiosk and toilets, which are only available during staffing hours.^[7]

Connections and local area

In addition to bus route 162, Beckenham Junction is served by several other London Bus routes within a short walking distance, including routes 227, 352, and 367, connecting the station to Penge, Bromley, and Croydon.^[8] The station lies close to Beckenham town centre, with nearby amenities such as Beckenham Place Park, a popular green space and historic estate.^[9]

Platforms

Beckenham Junction has a total of 4 platforms (+ 2 for tramlink)

Platform 1

• Platform 1 is a terminating bay platform and is used for Southern services from London Bridge via Tulse Hill and Crystal Palace.^[10]

Platforms 2 & 3

• Platform 2 is used for Southeastern services to London Victoria via Herne Hill & Brixton. Platform 3 is for Southeastern services to Orpington via Bromley South.^[11] Fast trains to and from London Victoria (Chatham side) also pass these platforms.

Platform 4

• This platform is another terminating bay linked with the spur to the Mid-Kent Line, and is occasionally used during engineering or other disruption.^[12]

Tramlink Platforms

• There are 2 Croydon Tramlink platforms outside the station. They are both used for trams to and from Wimbledon via East Croydon, which terminate here.^[13]

Passenger usage

Annual passenger usage of Beckenham Junction has seen fluctuations, notably affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The station saw a sharp decline in 2020–2021, with only 558,000 entries and exits, down from over 2.5 million in 2019–2020. Usage has gradually increased since then, with over 1.6 million recorded in 2023–24.^[14]

Services

Class 465 Networker at Beckenham Junction in 2006

National Rail

National Rail services at Beckenham Junction are operated by Southeastern and Southern using Class 377, 465 and 466 EMUs.

The typical off-peak service in trains per hour is:^[15]

• 4 tph to London Victoria via Herne Hill
• 2 tph to London Bridge via Crystal Palace
• 4 tph to Orpington via Bromley South

Additional services, including trains to and from London Blackfriars call at the station during the peak hours.

On weekends, the services between London Victoria and Orpington are reduced to two trains per hour and on Sundays, the services to and from London Bridge do not run.^[15]

London Trams

Tram services at Beckenham Junction are operated by Tramlink. The tram stop is served by trams every 12 minutes to Wimbledon via Croydon. This is reduced to a tram every 10 minutes on Saturday evenings and Sundays.^[16][17]

Services are operated using Bombardier CR4000 and Stadler Variobahn Trams.^{[citation needed]}

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Kent House		Southeastern Bromley South Line		Shortlands
Birkbeck		Southern Crystal Palace Line Monday-Saturday only		Terminus
Preceding station		Tramlink		Following station
Beckenham Road towards Wimbledon		Tramlink Wimbledon to Beckenham Junction		Terminus

Connections

London Buses route 162 serves the station.

Future developments

Transport for London and the Department for Transport have periodically reviewed capacity and accessibility enhancements at Beckenham Junction. While no major projects are currently underway, local advocacy groups have pushed for increased service frequency on both the rail and tram networks. Proposals have also included step-free access improvements and refurbishment of waiting areas.^[18]

History

National Rail

Beckenham Junction Station in 1961

The station was opened by the Mid-Kent Railway (MKR) on 1 January 1857^[19] as the terminus of the line from Lewisham; it became a junction on 3 May 1858^[20] when the West End of London and Crystal Palace Railway Farnborough Extension line from Crystal Palace to Shortlands was opened. On 1 July 1863 the London Chatham & Dover Railway Metropolitan Extension from Beckenham to Victoria/Blackfriars completed the lines serving the station. In 1863 the MKR was taken over by the South Eastern Railway (SER) and thereafter the station was operated jointly by the LCDR and SER. Despite a partial rebuilding in 1890 the original MKR building is still in use as the main station offices and booking hall.^[21]

From December 2007, a significant upgrade to train services at Beckenham Junction took place, with an increase in frequency of the London Victoria to Orpington services (off peak) to every 15 mins. Until Section 2 of High Speed 1 opened in 2007 Eurostar services passed the station, but did not stop. In December 2010 Southern increased the number of evening services on Monday-Saturdays so that trains would run to London Bridge Station later into the evening.^[22]

Tramlink

Tram 2549 at the Beckenham Junction terminus of Tramlink.

The two platform Tramlink stop opened in 2000, with the rest of the route to the Croydon loop. The stop is outside the station, across the car park, beside the A2015 road, which avoids Beckenham town centre.^[23]

Accidents and incidents

• On 22 January 1990, 4EPB electric multiple unit 5408 collided with the buffer stop on arrival from London Bridge and was derailed.^[24]