Accessible Yes 2012 8.789 million 12 January 2009 DLR opened | Station code WWA Fare zone 4 1 November 1849 Opened DfT category C2 | |
Local authority Number of platforms 4 (2 underground platforms served by DLR) Similar Woolwich Dockyard railway st, Plumstead railway station, London City Airport DLR stati, Lewisham station, Cannon Street station | ||
Woolwich Arsenal station is a National Rail and Docklands Light Railway interchange station located in Woolwich in the Royal Borough of Greenwich. It acts as a local station on the North Kent Line between London and Gillingham, served by Southeastern, and is the southern terminus of the Woolwich Arsenal branch of the Docklands Light Railway. The station faces General Gordon Square and is named after the nearby Woolwich Arsenal. It is the only DLR station to be located in Travelcard Zone 4.
Contents
History
The station opened in 1849, serving the North Kent Line from London to Gillingham. The station building was rebuilt in 1906 with a London brick-built structure, very typical of southeast London. The current station building dates from 1992-93, and has a modern design in steel and glass by the Architecture and Design Group of British Rail, under the leadership of Nick Derbyshire. It has a circular theme, quite different from what existed before.
Woolwich Arsenal was expanded in 2009, when Transport for London completed the construction of an extension of the London City Airport branch of the Docklands Light Railway from King George V to Woolwich Arsenal, which is the branch's new terminus. The official opening took place on 12 January 2009.
In 2014, a petition was started and presented to the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, to rezone Woolwich Arsenal station from Zone 4 to zone 3. However, Mr Johnson ruled this out, stating it would cause losses in over a million pounds per annum.
Accidents and incidents
.
Design
The National Rail part of the station consists of two above-ground platforms. The up platform for London has a refreshment facility. The down platform serves trains going east, towards north Kent, via Plumstead, Abbey Wood and Slade Green.
The Docklands Light Railway part of the station is underground, and consists of two platforms in an island platform configuration. As Woolwich Arsenal is a terminus, both platforms serve an up line to Bank or Stratford International via London City Airport and Canning Town. Trains depart in the eastbound direction due to the curve under the River Thames.
Connections
London Buses routes 51, 53, 54, 96, 99, 122, 161, 178, 244, 291, 380, 386, 422, 469 and 472 and night route N1 serve the station.
Crossrail station
As of 2014 it was planned that a Crossrail station, initially ruled out, was to be opened in Woolwich, after a vigorous campaign to include it in the scheme run by Greenwich Council and Berkeley Homes. It will be about 200m north of Woolwich Arsenal station on the north side of the A206 road, on the site of the Royal Arsenal, but will not serve as a direct interchange.
Future
On the 8th December 2015 it was proposed that a DLR Extension across the Gallions Reach Crossing could link with Thamesmead, Abbey Wood and Woolwich.
Services
The typical off-peak National Rail service from the station is:
Off-peak, Docklands Light Railway trains run every ten minutes to Bank, using 3-car trains on Mondays to Fridays. In the peak, this service is every eight minutes. There is also a service to Stratford International station every ten minutes off-peak and every eight minutes in the peak providing a service 12 times an hour off-peak and every four minutes in the peak to Canning Town station.