Dagenham Heathway tube station
Dagenham Heathway is a London Underground station in Dagenham in the Barking and Dagenham, East London. It is on the District line between to the west and to the east. It is along the line from the eastern terminus at and to in Central London. The station was originally opened as Heathway on 12 September 1932 by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway with an additional pair of tracks that were constructed to serve the electric District Railway local service from Barking to Upminster. The single-storey brick building is of a common design also constructed at other stations on the eastern portion of the line. It was renamed to its current name on 1 May 1949. The station was refurbished by Metronet in 2005 and 2006. It is in London fare zone 5.
History
The original route of the London, Tilbury and Southend Railway from Forest Gate junction on the Eastern Counties Railway was constructed through the Dagenham area in 1854, with the nearest stations at Barking and Rainham. A new more direct route between Barking and Pitsea was constructed between 1885 and 1888. It passed through the site of the current Dagenham Heathway station but a station was not built at that time. The Whitechapel and Bow Railway opened in 1902 and allowed through services of the District Railway to operate to Upminster. The District converted to electric trains in 1905 and services were cut back to. Delayed by World War I, electrified tracks were extended by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway to Upminster and District Railway services resumed on 12 September 1932.The new tracks built by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway allowed additional intermediate stations to be constructed on the local lines. Increased local demand was caused by the building of the Becontree estate by the London County Council during the interwar period. In 1920 the Heathway site for a station had been identified by the Midland Railway and the LCC. The infill station was opened with platforms on the local electric lines on 12 September 1932. The station was built to the designs of LMS architect William Henry Hamlyn, drawing inspiration from London Underground station architecture. The station was operated by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway but was only served by District Railway trains. Electric train service was initially a train every 10 minutes at peak times and every 20 minutes off-peak. The District Railway was incorporated into London Transport in 1933 and became known as the District line. After nationalisation of the railways in 1948 management of the station passed to British Railways. Dagenham Council pushed for a renaming to 'Dagenham Central' and the station was renamed Dagenham Heathway on 1 May 1949. On 1 January 1969 ownership of the station transferred to the London Underground.
As part of the public–private partnership arrangement for maintenance of the London Underground, the station was refurbished by Metronet during 2005 and 2006.
Design
The station consists of a central island platform—numbered 1 for westbound and 2 for eastbound—between the running tracks. There are four tracks through the site although there are no platforms for the London, Tilbury and Southend line. The platforms are in length with the section currently in operational use under a single canopy supported by columns. The full length of the platform is covered by a single canopy with a central waiting room and public toilet.The ticket office is located on the bridge above platform level, to which it is connected by a long sloping walkway. The symmetry of the ticket office was destroyed in the 1970s when of the building was removed to accommodate an adjacent building. There is step-free access from the platform to the street. The design is similar to stations at Upney and Elm Park. The layout is almost the twin of Upney, opened the same day, although the platform buildings provided at Heathway were longer. Works from the 2005/6 refurbishment included provision of tactile strips and colour contrasted handrails for the visually impaired, installation of closed-circuit television cameras, passenger help points, new electronic departure information displays on the platforms, a new public address system and improved lighting.
Location
The station is named after the town of Dagenham in which it is located and the Heathway principal shopping street on which it is situated, in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. The station is served by London Buses routes 145, 173, 174, 175 and 364, providing connections to Barking, Beckton, Goodmayes, Harold Hill, Ilford, Leytonstone and Romford.Dagenham East station is to the east of the station and Becontree is to the west. It is along the line from in central London and from the eastern terminus at Upminster. The station is down the line from Fenchurch Street.