DfT category C1 Number of platforms 4 | Grid reference TQ543743 Station code DFD Accessible Yes | |
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Address 5 Station Approach, Dartford DA1 1BP, UK Similar Stone Crossing railway st, Barnehurst railway station, Gravesend railway station, London Waterloo East railw, Slade Green railway st | ||
Dartford railway station serves the town of Dartford in Kent, England. All train services from the station are operated by Southeastern, which also manages the station. Dartford is a major interchange station in the North Kent region of the Southeastern network. Ticket barriers control access to the platforms.
Contents
- History
- Future Development
- Trivia
- Services
- Connections
- Oyster and contactless bank cards
- Passenger representation
- References
The station is where three lines from London meet:
Westbound services normally terminate at London Charing Cross, London Cannon Street (both via London Bridge) and London Victoria. Services from London also continue through Dartford to Greenhithe (for Bluewater) to terminate at Gravesend, Strood, Rochester or Gillingham.
Many of the terminating services at Dartford form London bound services, but the remainder will be stabled and maintained at Slade Green Depot approximately two miles West on the North Kent Line There are several sidings to the East of the station where terminating trains can be stabled until such time as needed to return to Dartford to form London bound services or until drivers are available to return the train to Slade Green Depot.
History
The first station was opened here by the South Eastern Railway it extended its North Kent Line from Gravesend on 30 July 1849, taking the line from there to London. The original station building had an Italianate design; this was replaced by a glass and metal ticket office complex in 1972. A footbridge leads across the line to the two island platforms, which are capable of a very large number of train movements during a working day.
Replacement of the 1972 station building was approved in 2011, with enabling works started late that year, and major works commenced in mid-2012. The new building was opened in August 2013 with all works scheduled for completion by November of that year.
Future Development
In the future, Dartford station may form part of a Crossrail extension line, linking to Canary Wharf, London Paddington station and Heathrow airport.
Trivia
In 1960, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards met by chance at the station, going on to be the core writing team of the The Rolling Stones.
Dartford railway station gained a lot of attention due to the high numbers of people travelling using this line, mistakenly not knowing Oyster cards were not valid, and there was evidence of being approached by staff and receiving fines. In September 2015 Transport for London extended the prior 6 zone system to include Dartford and several other outlying towns and stations into a new 10 zone system thus allowing Oyster and Contactless payment methods to be used at Dartford.
Services
The typical off-peak service in trains per hour is:
Connections
Arriva Kent Thameside Routes 414, 423, 455, 477, 480, 490 serve the station.
Fastrack routes A and B serve the station.
London Buses Routes 96, 428 and 492 serve the station. London Travelcards and Bus Passes are valid on these throughout the entire route.
Oyster and contactless bank cards
Dartford entered the TfL zonal Oyster/contactless system on Sunday 6 September 2015, in Zone 8. Whilst season tickets, daily capping and contactless weekly capping are set at standard Zone 8 levels, single fares from Dartford are lower than "standard" Zone 8 fares.
This followed Southeastern agreement to seek to bring Oyster/Contactless PAYG to Dartford by 31 January 2016 as part of the 2014–2018 franchise extension.
Passenger representation
Dartford Rail Travellers' Association campaigns for improvements across the seven railway stations in the Dartford area - Dartford, Stone Crossing, Greenhithe for Bluewater, Swanscombe, Ebbsfleet International, Longfield and Farningham Road. The group operates through social media on Facebook and Twitter.