Southend Victoria railway station

Southend Victoria
National Rail
Station building and main entrance, July 2012
General information
LocationSouthend-on-Sea, City of Southend-on-Sea
England
Grid referenceTQ881860
ManagerGreater Anglia
Platforms4
Other information
Station codeSOV[1]
ClassificationDfT category C1
History
Original company
Great Eastern Railway
Pre-groupingGreat Eastern Railway
Post-groupingLondon and North Eastern Railway
Key dates
1 October 1889Opened as Southend-on-Sea[2]
1915Renamed Southend-on-Sea for Westcliff and Thorpe Bay
1 May 1949Renamed Southend-on-Sea Victoria
20 February 1969Renamed Southend Victoria
Passengers
2020/21Decrease 0.560 million
 Interchange 1,587
2021/22Increase 1.101 million
 Interchange Increase 2,285
2022/23Increase 1.262 million
 Interchange Decrease 2,049
2023/24Increase 1.263 million
 Interchange Increase 2,735
2024/25Increase 1.386 million
 Interchange Decrease 0
Location
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

Southend Victoria railway station is the eastern terminus of the Shenfield to Southend Line, a branch off the Great Eastern Main Line, in the East of England. It is one of two primary stations that serve the resort city of Southend-on-Sea, Essex; the other is Southend Central on the London, Tilbury and Southend line. It is located 41 miles 42 chains (66.83 km) down the line from London Liverpool Street; the preceding station on the line is Prittlewell.[3] Services from Southend Victoria join the Great Eastern Main Line for London at Shenfield and are operated by Greater Anglia.

History

Two steam locomotives, as well as two Class 321s, seen at the station in 2002

The line from Wickford to Southend Victoria, including this station, was opened on 1 October 1889.[4] Victoria had four platforms. Platforms 1 and 4 had run-round loops whilst an engine release road was located between platforms 2 and 3. The station building was built by GER arcitect W. N. Ashbee and were in his "New Essex" style characterised by red brick, tiled gables and elaborate timber canopies.[5]

There was a goods yard to the east of the station, which closed on 5 June 1967.[4]

Between 1915 and 1949 the station was named Southend for Westcliffe & Thorpe Bay.[6]

The station was renamed Southend-on-Sea Victoria on 1 May 1949 and the name was further changed to Southend Victoria on 20 February 1969.[4]

Electrification of the Shenfield to Southend Victoria line using 1.5 kV DC overhead line electrification (OLE) was completed on 31 December 1956. This was changed to 6.25 kV AC in November 1960 and to 25 kV AC on 25 January 1979.[4]

To work the newly electrified line British Railways built 32 Class AM7 4-car EMU units at Eastleigh Works. These were later reclassified as Class 307 units and continued in service until a final commemoration run from Southend Victoria on 30 June 1990.[7] Electrification certainly attracted the travelling public with patronage doubling from the branch in the first year of electric operations.[8]

Goods yard

In the 1950s there was about 80 wagons a day spread over 5 trains that mostly operated from Goodmayes Goods Yard.[9]

The goods yard was closed on 5 June 1967 and replaced by a coal concentration depot operated by the National Coal Board. This was originally shunted by a John Fowler locomotive and later by a former British Rail Class 03 shunter. The depot closed in 1986.[10]

Withdrawn steam engines were stored in the carriage sidings before they were moved to the scrapyard.[11]

Facilities

The station has a ticket office and ticket machines, a car park, toilets, departure boards, a coffee shop and vending machines, and cycle storage.[12]

Passenger volume

Passenger volume at Southend Victoria[13]
2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25
Entries and exits 1,369,216 1,719,370 4,139,144 3,965,669 3,949,945 3,718,148 3,746,115 3,656,326 3,640,338 3,726,874 1,358,773 1,439,480 1,877,587 2,098,651 2,129,590 1,719,086 559,604 1,101,256 1,261,540 1,263,120 1,385,546
Interchanges 276 357 433 735 366 974 1,176 2,465 2,530 2,449 5,734 3,189 3,621 3,297 3,627 5,308 1,587 2,285 2,049 2,735 0

The statistics cover twelve month periods that start in April.

Services

Historic

By 1912 eight Southend expresses were making the journey to Liverpool Street in under 61 minutes. Author (and former GER employee) C J Allen had the opinion that this timetable led to the development of some of the intermediate locations such as Wickford and Rochford.[14]

In 1938 Southend enjoyed 48 trains on weekdays and 41 on Sundays but services were reduced during World War II.[15]

Current

A Class 720 standing at the station

The station is managed by Greater Anglia, which also operates all trains serving it. The typical Monday to Saturday off-peak service is of three trains per hour to Liverpool Street. On Sundays, there are typically two trains per hour to Liverpool Street.[16]

Preceding station National Rail National Rail Following station
Prittlewell   Greater Anglia
Shenfield–Southend line		   Terminus

Community rail

The station, as with all stations on the line, is part of the Essex & South Suffolk Community Rail Partnership.[17]

References

  1. ↑ "Railway Codes". railwaycodes.org.uk. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
  2. ↑ Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 215. ISBN 1-85260-508-1. R508.
  3. ↑ Brailsford, Martyn, ed. (2025). Railway Track Diagrams; 2: Eastern (6th ed.). Frome: TRACKmaps. p. 11. ISBN 978 1999627188.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Mitchell, Vic (2010). Branch Lines to Southend and Southminster. Midhurst Sussex: Middleton Press. ISBN 978-1-906008-76-5.
  5. ↑ Kay, Peter (2006). Essex Railway Heritage. Wivenhoe, UK: Peter Kay. pp. 28–29. ISBN 978-1-899890-40-8.
  6. ↑ Quick 2023, p. 424.
  7. ↑ Brooks, Lyn D (January 1998). "Great Eastern Section Electric Multiple Units 1949-1962 - Part 2". Great Eastern. 93: 14–17.
  8. ↑ Allen, C J (1955). The Great Eastern Railway (3 ed.). Shepparton UK: Ian Allen. p. 222. ISBN 07110 0659 8. {{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
  9. ↑ Butcher, David (October 2000). "Steam Footplate Memories PArt 1". Great Eastern Journal. 104: 6.
  10. ↑ Ratcliffe, David (2024). Industrial Locomotives. Horncastle UK: Mortons Media Grop. p. 25. ISBN 978-1-911703-55-6.
  11. ↑ Hawkins, Chris; Reeve, George (1986). Great Eastern Railway Sheds Part 1. Didcot UK: Wild Swan. pp. 43–49. ISBN 0 906867 401.
  12. ↑ "Southend Victoria". Greater Anglia. Retrieved 5 July 2026.
  13. ↑ "Estimates of station usage | ORR Data Portal". dataportal.orr.gov.uk. Retrieved 11 June 2026.
  14. ↑ Allen 1955, p. 171
  15. ↑ Mitchell 2010, p. 3
  16. ↑ "Timetables". Greater Anglia. 2 June 2024. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
  17. ↑ "Essex & South Suffolk Community Rail Partnership". Essex & South Suffolk Community Rail Partnership. Retrieved 6 July 2026.

Bibliography

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