Broad Street Station, London

[anti-pacer]

What services operated out of this now, long gone station?

Also, why did it close?

Thanks

 

[Harlesden]

In its final years it connected to the North London Line with gradually decreasing services to Watford Junction. BR reduced the services and timed the remaining ones inconveniently to allow them to claim passenger numbers were falling. Well known BR strategy for lines they didn't really want to operate.

 

[traji00]

In the latter years trains ran to Watford Junction and Richmond. Not sure what else ran from there but IIRC Poplar (via an easterly curve at Dalston) was abandoned after WW2.

Most of the approach route is now of course London Overground.

Perhaps the station could have been used for Lea Valley services if it still existed? [/fantasy]

 

[W-on-Sea]

Think there were loco-hauled commuter services some way up the ECML until the mid-70s (using a now freight-only chord between Canonbury and Finsbury Park).

Why did it close? A combination of factors: a sense that rail travel was permanently on the downturn; the income to be made by redeveloping the site as the Broadgate Centre; the fact that the station itself was in a fairly shabby condition and would have required major maintenance soon; and the fact that the services using it in the last years (I think a train every 20 minutes Richmond - Willesden Junction High Level- Gospel Oak - Camden Road - Highbury & Islington - Broad Street: and occasional rush hour services Watford Junction - Willesden Junction Low Level - Primrose Hill - Camden Road - Highbury & Islington - Broad Street) were hardly essential commuter routes that had no viable alternatives. Closing the line also allowed services to the developing Docklands areas (on the North Woolwich line) - as well as to the recently reopened stations at Homerton, Hackney Central and Hackney Wick to be improved and increased in frequency.

(The Watford services for a time were diverted via the newly-constructed Graham Road curve at Hackney to Liverpool Street - but this added so much to the journey time that they did not last very much longer)

 

[NSEFAN]

Given the station's close proximity to Liverpool Street, it was probably reasoned that the existing tube and rail services were good enough to cover for most passengers heading to/from that part of London. Similar reasoning was probably used for the closure of the Croxley Green branch.

The new Overground service from Dalston to Surrey Quays in my opinion is a much better use of the former NLL and ELL routes.

 

[Bushy]

Info and photos on disused stations.

 

[Eagle]

It was closed at around the same time as the NSE "North London Link" service (Richmond to Woolwich) was created.

 

[mister-sparky]

There were also services to Welwyn, Hertford North and Gordon Hill via the Canonbury Curve, i think.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

Broad St was a shadow of its past from the 1930's - and the slow move towards the re-birth of the rest of the NLL (thanks to the GLC foresight in boosting the North Woolwich route) - resulted in basically an excellent result. It did not die in vain , and the property development around there funded other improvements.

 

[poshfan]

The LNWR once ran some of their Birmingham expresses into Broad Street instead of Euston, they were aimed at businessmen and included a typing pool coach. They were put on in 1910 shortly before the GWR opened the Bicester cut off which shortened their route to Birmingham. Not sure how long they lasted.