Woolwich Arsenal station set for rebuilding work

Woolwich Arsenal station is set to see work to extend and rebuild the booking hall.

A Southeastern press release also states “new flooring and lighting will also be fitted” among improvements at other stations.

Many of those were long known such as rebuilding Hither Green station, which was covered on this site back in March 2022.

Woolwich has side entrance on platform 1 beside car park

We know Network Rail had plans for Woolwich Arsenal given a report at a Greenwich Council Planning Board last year revealed they sought Section 106 funding for station improvement work.

Greenwich Council refused to help. It was the same meeting they ignored TfL’s request for funding support for active travel. The Transport Strategy in full flow then.

What we don’t yet know is whether the existing station will remain – though it seems likely given wording.

Existing station

The existing Woolwich Arsenal station was built in the early 1990s under British Rail’s Network South East division. It’s amazing what was achieved given funding constraints at the time.

This 1992 video from the excellent Royal Arsenal History page shows the site after the former station was demolished.

It’s always been a bit of a landmark in Woolwich with it’s distinctive design at a prominent site facing General Gordon Square. The DLR opened offering a connection to rail services in 2009.

Southeastern’s press release contains few details on plans and there’s always the risk it could be hit by government cuts to rail.

The Department for Transport seek to close all ticket offices across the country which could be a factor in expanding the booking hall if removed. The station saw a week-long closure in 2019 for upgrade work.

Cramped areas around the entrance at Woolwich Arsenal are an issue hampering the smooth flow of passengers. Whether the rebuild sees sufficient staffing remains to be seen.

Few staff is often the norm

Today we again see dozens of unstaffed stations across the Southeastern network as government cuts hit staffing levels. At the time of writing 51 stations have issues with most being short staffed.

Network Rail plan to spend  £4.4 million across a number of stations which won’t go far. Presumably Woolwich is not included in that figure or the modest sum will be stretched even further.

It’s also concerning the news doesn’t mention Plumstead station. Plans were approved there some time ago but work hasn’t begun.

Proposed lift shaft located beside Plumstead station building

It may seem curious that Woolwich Arsenal is being expanded shortly after the Elizabeth line opened.

Presumably in time passenger numbers at the station will still be healthy given it offers direct links to locations such as Greenwich, Lewisham (with a new cinema and shops now being built), London Bridge and the City. Thameslink from the station also heads directly to St Pancras and then north of London.

New cinema in Lewisham will be 15 mins train ride from Woolwich

Many new housing developments are located closer to Woolwich Arsenal than Woolwich station. Granted, it’s only about a five minutes walk.

Those developments include Woolwich’s new leisure centre.

482 homes beside Woolwich Arsenal station

There’s also Woolwich Central with 712 homes.

Facing General Gordon Square

In addition, Brookhill estate will be rebuilt. Plans to replace 80 homes with 254 were approved last month.

Site overview

Then the island site on the opposite side of General Gordon Square awaits new plans.

Revised plans for the island site awaited

And a smaller block is well underway seconds from the station.

Woolwich Arsenal station located close to site

Many other sites in Woolwich sit closer to the Elizabeth line though if future residents seek to reach London Bridge, for example, the National Rail station often remains the best option.

1,000 new homes coming to site between Woolwich stations

In the mid to long term all Woolwich stations should see strong rail usage given the sheer scale of housing locally.

------------------

Running a site alone takes time and a fair bit of money. Adverts are far from enough to cover it and my living costs as a private renter.

You can support me including via Paypal here

Another option is via Patreon by clicking here

You can also buy me a beer/coffee at Ko-fi here

There's also a Facebook page for the site here

Many thanks

J Smith

I've lived in south east London most of my life growing up in Greenwich borough and working in the area for many years. The site has contributors on occasion and we cover many different topics. Living and working in the area offers an insight into what is happening locally.

    2 thoughts on “Woolwich Arsenal station set for rebuilding work

    • The Island Site… that was the best plan in Woolwich. Dreading the time I’m going to see the revised plan (if we ever do soon). Still hoping they keep most of it!

      Reply
      • Agreed it was brilliant in terms of retaining buildings of merit

        Reply

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.