Station Stories: Woolwich

Today is the Elizabeth Line’s 3rd birthday, so how could we do anything other than pay to visit one of its stations?

Anything related to the Elizabeth Line is a tricky topic to cover, because it’s already been so widely covered in its every aspect. One of the most anticipated new railways in the world, enthusiasm has run so high that every feature has been looked at in explicit detail. This has been helped in large part by TfL and Crossrail’s transparency, even when the project was hitting delays and meeting with public backlash.¹

And so although I doubt anyone reading this is unfamiliar with the Elizabeth Line, we’ll do a quick recap before taking a look at Woolwich Station.

Elizabeth Line Overview

The Elizabeth Line isn’t dissimilar in concept to Thameslink, as we discussed in our visit to Brent Cross West. One of the main differences is the Elizabeth Line’s core section being brand new (opening 2022) versus the Thameslink core (via the City Widened Lines and the Snow Hill tunnel, dating from 1866). That’s right, London had to wait 156 years for a second mainline railway going through the heart of the city.

We also need to define what we mean in terms of the Elizabeth Line “core”. Generally, this is the span of deep bored tunnel stretching from just west of London Paddington to Whitechapel, where the line splits between the Shenfield branch and the Abbey Wood branch.

The line to Shenfield runs over the existing Great Eastern Mainline, but the Abbey Wood branch is mostly new, just like the core section. In some respects, we can consider the entirety of the new construction from Paddington to Abbey Wood as a singular new railway with two spurs to connect it to existing lines.

And it’s on the Abbey Wood branch we find Woolwich, the subject of today’s visit.

Why This Station?

I honed in on a visit to Woolwich as it’s unique in a few ways, especially when compared to the other new stations on the Elizabeth Line.

Primarily, it’s a station which almost didn’t get built! Woolwich wasn’t in the original plans, which met with dissatisfaction from the Royal Borough of Greenwich. And to be fair, it’s not unreasonable to be unhappy when you hear a brand new railway is being built beneath one of your borough’s town centres, and there’s not even going to be a station.

And so the Royal Borough stepped in and partnered with a private developer and pulled together enough funds to successfully make the case for its inclusion. This turned out to be a decision which showed good foresight, as today the station is so heavily used TfL sometimes have to restrict access during busy periods. As the truism goes: Build it, and they will come.

The next reason for visiting is that Woolwich is the only deep level station on the Elizabeth Line which doesn’t directly interchange with other transit modes.² This makes it interesting as it was designed and built as a standalone entity, whereas most of the other stations were added to existing structures.

Then there’s the fact it sits in a section of tunnel, flanked either side by surface stations. Not only that, it also sits adjacent to a fascinating piece of reused historical railway in the form of the Connaught Tunnel.

Finally, most of the deep level stations on the Elizabeth Line are in deep tunnel bore and have identical designs at platform level. Woolwich, along with Canary Wharf and Paddington, are built in station boxes. This means these stations have unique architecture which may not be familiar to passengers only using the core section.

Another oddity of Woolwich, and indeed all Elizabeth Line stations, is they’re part of the National Rail network. As a consequence, Woolwich is plugged in to all the associated infrastructure around the National Rail network such as ticketing and live train times, yet serves as part of TfL’s wide range of integrated services.

There’s a lot to look at, but not before we step off the train and into the station. And to begin, we’re going to head directly upstairs and look at the entrance and ticket hall.

Station Entrance

Remember how I mentioned earlier that Woolwich was beginning to suffer from overcrowding? Well, you can begin to understand why when you realise there’s only a single entrance leading to three escalators.

Woolwich has a wide inviting entrance, and step inside you’ll find some basic amenities including ticket machines and departure displays.

The gate line is visible even when standing outside the station, and since most passengers will be using contactless cards the traveller is invited by these visual cues to walk in and proceed to the turnstiles where they can tap in and step through.

But beyond the gate line is where the bottleneck begins. The escalators are in an alcove to the left of the gates, meaning passengers need to funnel into a much smaller area to step on to the moving stairs. Although when I visited in the middle of the day, there wasn’t a critical mass of people, it’s possible to see how a large throughput of passengers could cause blockages.

Now we’ve explored the upstairs area, let’s see what’s downstairs on the platform.

Platform Level

In common with all sub-surface stations on the Elizabeth Line (with the exception of the Heathrow stations) ultra-modern standards are adhered to at platform level. The platforms are completely straight with no curves which might cause a gap between the platform and the train. Platform screen doors separate waiting passengers from the track and when the train does arrive and the doors open, boarding is perfectly level.

What initially struck me is how long the platforms are, especially as you tower above coming down the escalator. Elizabeth Line trains are 200m (or 660 ft) long and naturally the platform is built to accommodate this length, with a little extra length on top of this for future expansion. There are plenty of outdoor stations with long platforms of course, but to see a concourse of this size under ground is slightly jarring the first time you witness it, especially if you’re used to the much shorter platforms on the London Underground.

In fact, the platforms are so long most people congregate near the end with the escalators and you start to see how it wouldn’t have been a bad idea to have built a second exit at the far end.

There are seats long the platform complete with Elizabeth Line roundels showing the station name. The platforms are wide providing lots of standing room, and the presence of a glass screen between platform and tracks means passengers can stand anywhere safely.

However since Woolwich isn’t on the core section, trains are less frequent than through central London, arriving every 5 minutes during rush hour and less frequently otherwise, so it would have been nice to see more seating at this outer station. But needless to say London isn’t a city which likes to encourage loitering.

One nice touch at platform level are the regimental colours which reference the Royal Engineers and Royal Artillery located at Woolwich Garrison.

In terms of way-finding, like all of the new stations on the Elizabeth Line modern standards are met. There are clear signs along the platform towards the exit, and above the platform screen doors are shown the next four departures.

For station announcers, there are points along the platform with their own mini displays showing the next departures, meaning staff can stand out of the way during busy periods and be able to make their announcements as trains approach. And as a passenger who might be curious about the service pattern, you can take a look for yourself to see the next 10 trains due into the station.

And whilst we’re here, let’s take a moment to appreciate the wonder of transit technology which is platform screen doors. Their first widespread appearance was on the Saint Petersburg Metro’s Line 2 in 1961, where they took the form of intimidating “horizontal lift” doors embedded deep into a long wall. In that early example (still in use today) you could only tell a train was arriving by the distant rumble behind the long wall of opaque doors.

Today, platform screen doors still safely separate the passenger from the tracks and trains, whilst keeping the station environment climate controlled and free of the dust which can circulate in the tunnels. But, with the added bonus of being made of glass so you can see the train arrive, and likewise passengers on the train can still see the station platform and have a sense as of where they are along their journey.

Overall, the platform level is a spacious and pleasant enough place to wait for your train, but there’s not an awful lot going on here. So let’s head back upstairs and see what’s around the station area.

Station Locality

I didn’t spend much time exploring the station’s vicinity, so my notes here will be brief. Like good TODs (Transit Orientated Developments) the area surrounding the station consists of new housing and retail. Right next to the station entrance is a Marks and Spencer “foodhall”, which is no doubt welcomed by city workers wanting to pick up a meal on their way home from the office. And as you’d expect from a new development, there’s a variety of bars and restaurants.

There’s a lovely little park opposite the station which corners the A206, a main road running through the heart of Woolwich. You’re also a short walk from the Thames, and there you’ll find a pier with riverboat services.

And if the Elizabeth Line isn’t enough, just a 5 minute walk from Woolwich station is yet another transit hub.

Links to Central London

There’s also the nearby and much older Woolwich Arsenal station which has DLR (Docklands Light Railway) services towards London City Airport, Bank and a myriad of other destinations on the expansive light rail network. Alongside the DLR there’s South-Eastern and Thameslink services to London Bridge, Charring Cross, Dartford, deep into Kent and North London (yes, even Brent Cross West!)

You’re spoilt for choice here when it comes to transit, which begs the question: If the Elizabeth Line is so good, why would you use these other options to get to central London? When we consider this question, it becomes apparent how remarkable the Elizabeth Line really is.

Let’s summarise some travel times from the general Woolwich area to stations in central London:

The services listed above are direct, not requiring any changes, and the stations listed are in or near the City of London.

It’s clear how the Elizabeth Line blows the other transit modes out of the water. There’s a reliability angle as well since the Elizabeth Line runs on dedicated track and doesn’t interact with any other systems, versus Thameslink and Southeastern which merge with multiple other routes on their way towards London. This is especially true on the approach to London Bridge, which can make those services more prone to delays.

The DLR is reliable, efficient and follows a similar route into London as the Elizabeth Line through the Docklands and East London. But there are many more stops, the route is less direct and the speeds slower. As for the Thames Clipper, you can imagine the indirect path of the Thames, not to mention the weather conditions that can sometimes impede or shut down the boats.

Before the line was built, Woolwich felt far from central London. Now it doesn’t, and that’s a testimony to how well implemented rapid transit can “shrink” a city by reducing travel time. Knowing London before and after the Elizabeth Line, it’s hard to overstate how impactful it’s been in bringing parts of the metropolis closer together.

Nearby Infrastructure

I’m going to preface this section by stating I didn’t have time during my visit to photograph all the infrastructure around the station, as I did during my expansive visit to East Finchley. But there is so much railway history in this area, and I couldn’t possibly cover it all here in the depth it deserves.

I’d already mentioned this deep level station sits in between two surface level stations. If you take an eastbound train towards Abbey Wood, you’ll find yourself emerging into the sunlight just next to Plumstead station, next to which is one of the Elizabeth Line’s train depots. A bit further on and you arrive at Abbey Wood with connections to Thameslink and Southeastern. You could at this point hop on a train back to Woolwich Arsenal with an extra stop at Plumstead.

More interesting is what happens if you take a westbound train towards Custom House and central London. Do so, and you’ll travel along the old alignment of the North London Line, which used to include a section from Stratford to North Woolwich before it was cut back in readiness for the Elizabeth Line. This section includes a really old piece of infrastructure, the Connaught Tunnel.

Since I didn’t have the chance to photograph any of this, I’m just going to link to this excellent video from The TfL Three where one of the crew explores this section of the North London Line including both its abandoned and repurposed sections. You can also watch this cab ride to see the alignment as it is today (skip to 18:16 to see the old North London Line section from Custom House to Woolwich). And I’d also recommend checking out Jago Hazard’s infamous YouTube channel, as there’s a tonne of historical videos in there covering the railways in this part of East London.

The Ratings

On Station Stories we like to give stations a rating across eight categories as well as a spot on our tier list. Ratings go from 1 (lowest) to 5 (highest) and remember: It’s just for fun!

• Layout: 3️⃣ Woolwich suffers from having just one entrance and a bit of a bottleneck by the escalator. Otherwise the layout is good.
• Services: 4️⃣ Frequency is at least every 8 minutes during the week, which isn’t bad at all, although it does fall short of Tube frequencies which can be every 90 seconds on some lines.
• Destinations: 5️⃣ I mean, you can get to so many places with a single change of trains, and The Elizabeth Line directly intersects with most Underground Lines, an Overground Line, two major national rail termini and also goes to Heathrow. If you’re a Woolwich resident, you are as well connected with the rest of the world as it’s possible to be.
• Architecture: 4️⃣ Looks great. Nothing too adventurous, which probably means this station is going to age well.
• Amenities: 3️⃣ Not much going on inside the station; You can buy a ticket, but that won’t be necessary for most users since it’s possible to travel with Oyster or pay-as-you-go. The local area has the kinds of facilities you’d expect in a town centre.
• Accessibility: 3️⃣ Step free, but no toilets either in the station or on the trains.
• Safety and Cleanliness: 5️⃣ Clean as a whistle, and the presence of staff throughout the station and across the line will help keep you safe for your entire journey.
• Locality: 4️⃣ Lots to see, lots to explore. My only criticism is that in keeping with a lot of new TODs, most of the restaurants and shops near the station seem to be on the more expensive side, but perhaps that’s become a general London problem these days.

Tier List

I had to hold myself back from being blinded by my general love for the Elizabeth Line. So it’s a “B” grade for Woolwich, a station which looks great and succeeds in building a transit hub in a formerly tricky part of London to get to. What it lacks in features it makes up for with the promise of whisking you somewhere else in comfort to find what you need. It narrowly misses the “A” tier due to a lack of capacity. If they add an entrance at the other end of the platform, I’m sure it will deserve to get bumped up a tier.

A Portal to the Rest of the World

The station itself is marvellous, but the lightning fast travel time to central London, Heathrow and all the opportunity that brings has helped transform Woolwich from a backwater into a hub. I’m sure house prices have gone through the roof as a result. If you’re fortunate enough to live near this station, I think the world really is your oyster.

And finally, a very happy birthday Elizabeth Line! You are a marvel of transit engineering, and the envy of cities the world over. 🎂

If you enjoyed this visit and want to read more Station Stories, then you can find them here.