Hither Green station rebuild plan revealed
Plans have been submitted by Network Rail to rebuild Hither Green station
Work on the station was announced in 2019 under the Access for All project to increase accessibility. A new footbridge will span all platforms, lifts will be installed and new station buildings constructed at either end.
Plans also show a potential future development between platforms in the centre of the site and by the existing ramps.
Access is currently via an underpass which will remain. The proposal sees existing bridges removed. Cycle racks are included but in an exposed location without cover.
Plans also state:
Four new 16-person lift shafts to provide step free access to every platform. The lifts would provide access as follows:
- Beside Springbank Road, providing access to platform one
- On platform two and three
- Between platform 4 and 5 with ramped access between the platforms at ground level
- On the far side of platform six, providing access from a new entrance at Fernbrook Road.
Hither Green station is where two lines merge – both the Sidcup and Grove Park lines converge at the station offering transfer opportunities. It’s a major south east London station with 3.3m-3.5m annual passenger counts between 2016-2020 before it dropped to 833k when covid struck. Like many Southeastern Metro stations it sees limited staffing and no ticket gates.
There appear no plans to alter that in the rebuild, following other stations such as Kidbrooke which was rebuilt as 6,500 new homes are built in the area. Original plans for ticket gates were ditched late on under a revised plan, with minimal staffing levels seen at many Southeastern Metro station ensuring barriers wouldn’t be manned, and the new building is now often closed with only a side gate open.
Another new station entrance recently built for Lewisham station as part of a new tower has also not opened alongside.
Plans can be viewed on Lewisham Council’s website by clicking here.
Really glad to see this making progress.
The current Hither Green station is a nightmare of steep stairs and horrible platforms access. A rebuild will be a vast improvement.
As a Hither Green resident this is very welcome news. Do we know what the timeframe for getting this completed is?
Design and approvals likely 1 year due to sheer size and complexity, construction probably 1-1.5years after that again due to size and the fact having to work around an operational railway
in the meantime, expect rickety steps and a scaffolding gang plank linking the platforms whilst being open to the elements. Hither Green is only a pass through station for me, but the new station is welcomed.
Thanks for drawing attention to this long overdue improvement. Even for the able bodied, the stairs at Hither Green can be tricky to use. Regarding timescales a much smaller scale step free access installation of one footbridge and lifts at the two platform New Eltham station took a whole year to install.