Castle Green railway station

Castle Green
Castle Green railway station site from the southwest
Castle Green Location of Castle Green in Greater London
Location	Barking
Local authority	London Borough of Barking and Dagenham
Managed by	London Overground
Number of platforms	2
Key dates
2002	Station proposed
2017	Site safeguarded
Other information
Coordinates	51.5295°N 0.118°E / 51.5295; 0.118
London transport portal

Castle Green is a proposed railway station in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. Plans for a station at the site, initially called Renwick Road, have been in development since at least 2002. The new station was first proposed to be between Barking and Dagenham Dock on the London, Tilbury and Southend line. In 2017 a station was safeguarded on the extension of the Gospel Oak to Barking line between Barking and Barking Riverside. The station would serve the communities of Castle Green, Thames View Estate and new housing developments in the area.

History

In 2002 the London Riverside Urban Strategy proposed new stations on the Barking to Rainham railway line at Renwick Road and Beam Park.^[1] The London Plan published in 2004 encouraged the development of additional stations on the rail corridor.^[2]

Following the cancellation of the Docklands Light Railway extension to Dagenham Dock project in 2008, an investigation was undertaken from 2012 to 2014 to consider cheaper alternatives. Among the options considered were bringing forward the 2002 station proposal on the Barking to Rainham railway line or extending the London Underground (District line or Hammersmith and City line) from Barking to Grays along the same alignment. Both schemes would have resulted in a station on the Renwick Road site.^[3]

In August 2017, the Government granted permission for the extension of the Gospel Oak to Barking line to Barking Riverside, safeguarding provision for a stop at Renwick Road and stating that a further extension across the River Thames should be likewise provisioned as necessary.^[4][5][6][7]

As part of the preferred route, a stop at Renwick Road was safeguarded for future construction. An alternative site near Alfred's Way was rejected, and all other options such as the nearby freight yards were considered unfeasible. The station would lie east of the point where the Barking Riverside extension splits from the Tilbury loop line but before the tracks diverge to the south. c2c services will operate on separate lines to the north and south of the London Overground running lines, without an interchange between the two services. This will mean the station's construction will not disrupt the c2c services. The new station could generate 5,000 homes.^[7]

Barking and Dagenham Council submitted a bid to the Housing Infrastructure Fund in February 2019. This included £22m for the delivery of Castle Green station.^[8]

In 2020 Castle Green station was added to the Barking and Dagenham Local Plan 2037.^[9][10]

Barking Riverside station was opened in July 2022, with space left for the Castle Green station to be built in future.^[7][11] In November 2022, Barking and Dagenham Council noted that they were working with Transport for London to develop a business case for the new station.^[12][13][14]

Location

The station would be located on Renwick Road and is linked with plans to divert the A13 road between Barking Creek and the London Sustainable Industries Park. In September 2020 the cost of the tunnel and the station was estimated at £800 million.^[15] The proposed station would have an island platform with two faces. It would serve the communities of Castle Green, Thames View Estate, the northern part of Barking Riverside and other new housing developments in the area.

To the north on Ripple Road (A13), London Buses routes 173 and 287, and school routes 673 and 687 will serve the proposed station. To the south on Choats Road, London Buses route EL2 will serve close to the proposed station. A proposed London Buses route, EL4 would pass over the site of this proposed station.^[16]

Future services
Preceding station	London Overground			Following station
Barking towards Gospel Oak		Suffragette line Gospel Oak to Barking line		Barking Riverside Terminus

References

1. "London Riverside Urban Strategy" (PDF). Barking and Dagenham London Borough Council. 5 November 2002. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
2. "The London Plan" (PDF). Greater London Authority. 2004. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
3. "Finance and Policy Committee: Barking Riverside Extension" (PDF). Transport for London. 30 July 2015. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
4. "Barking riverside extension: Transport and Works Act order". GOV.UK. 4 August 2017. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
5. Morton, Sophie (4 August 2017). "Transport secretary approves Barking Riverside Overground extension". Barking and Dagenham Post. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
6. "Have your say on the proposed London Overground extension to Barking Riverside - Transport for London - Citizen Space". Transport for London. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
7. "Barking Riverside Extension Intermediate Station Feasibility Report". Transport for London. December 2015.
8. "Transforming London Riverside' Housing Infrastructure Fund Bid and Castle Green Development Strategy" (PDF). Barking and Dagenham London Borough Council. 18 February 2019. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
9. "Agenda for Cabinet on Tuesday, 22 September 2020, 5:00 pm". Barking and Dagenham London Borough Council. 22 September 2020.
10. ianVisits (30 September 2020). "Barking wants to bury a road and build a railway station". ianVisits. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
11. "London Overground: Opening date of first new stop since 2015 confirmed". BBC News. 11 July 2022. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
12. "Transport Growth Programme- Barking and Dagenham Borough-Wide Transport Priorities: 2021-2037" (PDF). Barking and Dagenham Council. 9 November 2022. p. 12. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
13. Mansfield, Ian (14 November 2022). "TfL planning a new London Overground station in Barking". ianVisits. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
14. Gregory, Ruby (11 November 2022). "Council and TfL discuss plan for another Barking train stop". Barking and Dagenham Post. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
15. Cox, Sophie (29 September 2020). "New tunnel could replace part of A13 in Dagenham and create space for thousands of homes". Barking and Dagenham Post. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
16. "Bus Services in Barking Riverside" (PDF). Transport for London. November 2016. Retrieved 18 December 2023.