Sydenham railway station serves Sydenham in the London Borough of Lewisham. The station is situated on Sydenham Road (A212). It has two platforms, each of which have shelters: four tracks run through the station. The station layout is unusual in that the two platforms do not face each other, but are staggered on either side of the foot bridge.
Sydenham station was originally a canal. Then it was bought by the London & Croydon Railway who drained it and was opened on 5 June 1839, and is the junction between the main line from London Bridge and Brighton main line and the “outer” South London Line.
There are, or have been, three other stations in the Sydenham area:
The typical off-peak service is six trains an hour northbound to London Bridge (And on Sundays with two of four extended to Charing Cross) and six trains an hour southbound, of which two run to Sutton via West Croydon, two to Caterham via East Croydon and two London Victoria, via Crystal Palace. Peak time and Sunday services include trains to Tattenham Corner, Dorking and to Guildford.
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Sydenham will form part of the new southbound route of the London Overground that is due to open in Summer 2010.
In preparation for this extension Southern Railway installed three ticket barriers in July 2008. The congestion caused has become a matter of concern among many local people and the Mayor Sir Steve Bullock has said that the changes are "causing delays and inconvenience [on]a large scale" and "putting individuals who have mobility problems of any kind in a very difficult position.".
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