Southend Victoria railway station
{{Short description|Railway station in Essex, England}}{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2015}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2015}}
{{Infobox station
| name = Southend Victoria
| symbol_location = gb
| symbol = rail
| image = Southend Victoria entrance, June 2024.jpg
| caption = Station entrance, as seen in June 2024
| borough = Southend-on-Sea, City of Southend-on-Sea
| country = England
| grid_name = Grid reference
| grid_position = {{gbmapscaled|TQ881860|25|TQ881860}}
| manager = Greater Anglia
| platforms = 4
| code = SOV
| classification = DfT category C1
| original = Great Eastern Railway
| pregroup = Great Eastern Railway
| postgroup = London and North Eastern Railway
| years1 = 1 October 1889
| events1 = Opened as Southend-on-Sea{{cite book |last=Butt |first=R.V.J. |title=The Directory of Railway Stations |year=1995 |publisher=Patrick Stephens Ltd |location=Yeovil |isbn=1-85260-508-1 |id=R508 |page=215 }}
| years2 = 1933
| events2 = Renamed Southend-on-Sea for Westcliff and Thorpe Bay
| years3 = 1 May 1949
| events3 = Renamed Southend-on-Sea Victoria
| years4 = 20 February 1969
| events4 = Renamed Southend Victoria
| mpassengers =
{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2019/20 |passengers={{decrease}} 1.719 million}}
{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2020/21 |passengers={{decrease}} 0.560 million |interchange={{pad|2em}}1,587}}
{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2021/22 |passengers={{increase}} 1.101 million |interchange={{pad|1em}}{{increase}} 2,285}}
{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2022/23 |passengers={{increase}} 1.262 million |interchange={{pad|1em}}{{decrease}} 2,049}}
{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2023/24 |passengers={{increase}} 1.263 million |interchange={{pad|1em}}{{increase}} 2,735}}
| footnotes = 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 {{convert|41|mi|42|chain|km|2|lk=in}} down the line from London Liverpool Street; the preceding station on the line is {{rws|Prittlewell}}. The Engineer's Line Reference for the line is SSV; the station's three-letter station code is SOV. The station has four platforms, each with an operational length for 10-car {{brc|720}} electric multiple units.
History
The line from {{rws|Wickford}} to Southend, including this station, was opened on 1 October 1889.{{Cite book|title=Branch Lines to Southend and Southminster|last=Mitchell|first=Vic|publisher=Middleton Press|year=2010|isbn=978-1-906008-76-5|location=Midhurst Sussex}} There was a goods yard to the east of the station, which closed on 5 June 1967. The station area still has extensive carriage sidings: Down Carriage Sidings (North) 10 roads (known as the Klondyke sidings);Route training manual Liverpool Street to Ipswich and branches, British Rail Eastern Region (1968). Published by the Great Eastern Railway Society (1992) {{ISBN|1 85622 239 X}} Down Carriage Sidings (South) three roads plus a disused Royal Mail Terminal; Up Carriage Sidings (North) three roads (known as The Shute); Up Carriage Sidings (South) two roads.{{Cite book|title=Railway Track Diagrams Vol 2 Eastern |editor-last=Brailsford |editor-first=Martyn |publisher=TrackMaps|date=November 2016|isbn=978-0-9549866-8-1|location=Frome|at=map 10A |last=Padgett |first=David |edition=4th |orig-year=1988 }}
Electrification of the {{rws|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.
The station was named Southend for Westcliffe & Thorpe Bay from 1933 to 1949; it was renamed Southend-on-Sea Victoria on 1 May 1949 and was finally changed to Southend Victoria on 20 February 1969.
Service
File:Southend Victoria platforms, June 2024.jpg
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.{{Cite web |website=Greater Anglia |title=Timetables |date=2 June 2024 |access-date=28 August 2024 |url= https://www.greateranglia.co.uk/timetables |quote=}} Services join the Great Eastern Main Line for London at the line's western terminus at Shenfield.
The city's other main station is {{rws|Southend Central}}, which provides services westbound to London Fenchurch Street and eastbound to {{rws|Shoeburyness}}, operated by c2c.{{Cite web |website=c2c |title=Timetable |date=2 June 2024 |access-date=28 August 2024 |url= https://www.c2c-online.co.uk/timetable/ |quote=}}
{{Rail start}}
{{rail line |previous=Prittlewell|route=Greater Anglia
Shenfield to Southend Line|col={{NXEA colour}}}}
{{end box}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{commons category}}
{{stn art lnk|SOV|SS26AZ}}
{{coord|51|32|30|N|0|42|40|E|display=title|type:railwaystation_region:GB}}
{{Railway stations served by Greater Anglia}}
Category:Railway stations in Southend-on-Sea
Category:Former Great Eastern Railway stations
Category:Railway stations served by Greater Anglia
Category:William Neville Ashbee railway stations