Transport Eltham

1 transport

1.1 rail
1.2 roads
1.3 buses

transport
rail

eltham, along other suburbs in south east london, not served london underground. commuters rely on 2 rail lines central london, , road network. trains through eltham terminate @ london charing cross, london cannon street or london victoria in westerly direction, , crayford, dartford, slade green, gravesend, gillingham or rochester in easterly direction. given lack of tube access, 2 suburban rail lines work at, or above, capacity during peak-hour commuting central london. fast trains take little 20 minutes london charing cross.

bexleyheath line

originally opened on 1 may 1895 private company, bexleyheath line taken on south eastern railway after suffered bankruptcy. there 2 stations in eltham: eltham hall , eltham park. eltham hall station opened in 1895. eltham park station opened (after prolonged legal wrangle) on 1 july 1908. on 11 june 1972, london-bound train came off track @ hall, killing 6 , injuring 126. both eltham stations closed in 1985 , replaced new ‘eltham’ station; coincided construction of rochester way relief road part of built on site of eltham hall station. glenlea road between hall road , archery road replaced station forecourt , bus station (this had been adjacent hall station). new rail station built above new road @ point travels through referred eltham tunnel . new station has modernist feel.

dartford loop

the dartford loop line, 1 kilometre (0.6 mi) south of eltham high street, opened south eastern railway on 1 september 1866. commonly known locals dartford line via sidcup . there 2 stations on line serve population living south of eltham: mottingham station, named eltham station until eltham hall opened, , new eltham station. neither station large eltham station, both have been heavily upgraded since opening.

roads

eltham high street lies on a210, original a20 london maidstone road. a20 has been diverted southwards, passing through mottingham, , dual carriageway connects m20 motorway in kent. similarly, north, dual carriageway a2 has replaced rochester road section, congested (the old road had dangerous readings of lead pollution, close schools, before advent of lead-free petrol).

the upgrading of these 2 arterial routes in , out of london means eltham handily positioned between a20 , a2. driving on either of these roads london results in congestion, although a2 connect through blackwall tunnel under thames, , east london, on dual carriageway. driving eastwards allows access dartford tunnel, , kent countryside, in little 20 minutes in off-peak hours.

crossing 2 north south a205 south circular road, busy arterial route.

the streets of eltham have been largely traffic-calmed local council, there chronic rat-runs many of measures ineffective or insufficient. provision cyclists modest, while there interesting footpaths along ancient rights of way, example in oxleas wood , avery hill park.

buses

scheduled coaches, marketed part of national express network, link eltham green pimlico , victoria in central london , several destinations on kent coast via bluewater (a retail-based development on grand scale in dartford borough) , canterbury. eltham green 1 of few places in south london served national express coaches.

eltham served 15 transport london bus routes. pass through eltham high street, exceptions being 122 , 178.

buses terminate in eltham:

124 – eltham southend crescent , catford st. dunstan s college
126 – eltham southend crescent , bromley south station
162 – eltham station beckenham junction station
233 – eltham station swanley
314 – eltham station new addington salcot crescent

buses pass through eltham en route destination:

122 – plumstead station , crystal palace parade
132 – north greenwich o2 arena , bexleyheath shopping centre

160 – catford/catford bridge station , sidcup station
161 – north greenwich o2 arena , chislehurst war memorial
178 – lewisham station , woolwich calderwood street
286 – greenwich cutty sark , sidcup queen mary s hospital
321 – new cross gate station , foots cray tesco. 24-hour service.
b15 – horn park , bexleyheath
b16 – kidbrooke station , bexleyheath bus garage
n21 – trafalgar square , bexleyheath shopping centre, foots cray tesco.




^ disused stations: eltham park station . 
^ http://www.yellins.co.uk/transporthistory/rail/bex.html picture
^ guardian, saturday 22 november 2008, let s move eltham