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Enfield Town railway station

Coordinates: 51°39′06″N 0°04′45″W / 51.6516°N 0.0792°W / 51.6516; -0.0792
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Enfield Town London Overground
Enfield Town Station
Enfield Town is located in Greater London
Enfield Town
Enfield Town
Location of Enfield Town in Greater London
LocationEnfield
Local authorityLondon Borough of Enfield
Grid referenceTQ330965
Managed byLondon Overground
Station code(s)ENF
DfT categoryC2
Number of platforms3
AccessibleYes[1]
Fare zone5
National Rail annual entry and exit
2019–20Decrease 2.250 million[2]
– interchange Increase 1,249[2]
2020–21Decrease 0.642 million[2]
– interchange Decrease 1,194[2]
2021–22Increase 1.486 million[2]
– interchange Decrease 754[2]
2022–23Increase 1.831 million[2]
– interchange Increase 868[2]
2023–24Increase 2.331 million[2]
– interchange Increase 1,243[2]
Key dates
1 March 1849Opened
Other information
External links
Coordinates51°39′06″N 0°04′45″W / 51.6516°N 0.0792°W / 51.6516; -0.0792
London transport portal

Enfield Town is one of three northern termini of the Lea Valley lines on the London Overground network in England. It is the most central of several stations in the London Borough of Enfield, north London. It is 10 miles 55 chains (17.2 km) down the line from London Liverpool Street, the southern terminus.

Its three-letter station code is ENF and it is in Travelcard zone 5. In 2015 the line and Enfield Town station were transferred from Abellio Greater Anglia operation to London Overground and added to the Tube map.

History

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The station was opened on 1 March 1849 by the Eastern Counties Railways as Enfield. It was renamed Enfield Town on 1 April 1886.[3]

A house which had stood on the site since the late 17th century is said to have been the birthplace of Isaac D'Israeli, father of Benjamin Disraeli. It later became a school, at which John Keats was educated. It then became the original station-house before being demolished in 1872. The fine 17th-century brickwork facade, once attributed to Christopher Wren, was dismantled, and reconstructed at South Kensington Museum.[4][5]

Old and new London Overground trains pictured in 2020 as the new Class 710 units were being introduced

Its place was taken by a brick station building with an attached station-master's house and a walled forecourt. This in turn was replaced in 1957 by the present building by the British Railways architect H. H. Powell.[6]

Operation of the station was transferred from National Express to Abellio Greater Anglia in 2012, and again in 2015 from Abellio Greater Anglia to London Overground.[7][8]

Stations in Enfield

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Enfield Town is also served by the Hertford Loop Line with a station at Enfield Chase on the opposite side of the town centre. The nearest station on the West Anglia Main Line is at Ponders End. Enfield Lock is another main line station in the north of the town, on the Tottenham Hale branch of the Lea Valley Lines.

Services

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The typical off-peak service from the station is two trains per hour to/from London Liverpool Street.[9] At peak times four trains per hour serve the station, and on Tottenham Hotspur Football Club match days there are additional trains, which do not call at all stations along the line.

Preceding station London Overground Following station
Bush Hill Park Weaver line
Lea Valley lines Enfield branch
Terminus

Connections

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London Buses can be found at Cecil Road or church street. Buses towards Enfield Island,Turnpike Lane, and further in the north.

Accidents

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There have been at least four incidents of trains colliding with the buffer stops, including:

  • 8 September 1850 – an Eastern Counties Railway passenger train collided with the buffers. The cause was determined to be a combination of brake failure and excessive speed.[10][11]
  • 17 October 1893 – a Great Eastern Railway locomotive collided with the buffers.[12]
  • 2002 - a train collided with the buffers due to low adhesion. There were no injuries.[13]
  • 12 October 2021 – an 8-car Class 710 train (headed by 710124) forming a London Overground service from Liverpool Street failed to stop at the buffers at the end of Platform 2, crashing through them and lifting the front car off the tracks. Seventy-five passengers were evacuated from the train, while the driver and one passenger were injured.[14][15][16][17] Following a post-crash drugs test that allegedly revealed traces of cocaine, the driver was arrested on suspicion of being unfit to work on a transport system through drink or drugs.[18][19] The official report by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch found that driver fatigue was also a cause of the accident.[13]

References

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  1. ^ "London and South East" (PDF). National Rail. September 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 March 2009.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Estimates of station usage". Rail statistics. Office of Rail Regulation. Please note: Some methodology may vary year on year.
  3. ^ Chronology of London Railways by H.V.Borley
  4. ^ Ford, Edward; Hodson, George H. (1873). A History of Enfield in the County of Middlesex. Enfield: [Enfield, Mddx.] Enfield Press. p. 206.
  5. ^ "Architectural-facade". Victoria and Albert Museum. 1700.
  6. ^ Connor, Jim (2004). Branch Lines to Enfield Town and Palace Gates. Middleton Press. p. 96. ISBN 9781904474326.
  7. ^ TFL appoints London Overground operator to run additional services Transport for London 28 May 2014
  8. ^ TfL count on LOROL for support Rail Professional 28 May 2014
  9. ^ Table 21 National Rail timetable, May 2017
  10. ^ "Accident at Enfield on 8th September 1850". The Railways Archive. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  11. ^ Laffan, Catain R. M. (8 October 1850). Extract for the Accident at Enfield on 8th September 1850 (PDF) (Report). Vol. Appendix to Report of the Commissioners of Railways – Appendix no. 54 – Accidents – Eastern Counties Railway. Board of Trade. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  12. ^ "Accident at Enfield Town on 17th October 1893". The Railways Archive. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  13. ^ a b "Report 13/2022: Buffer stop collision at Enfield Town station". GOV.UK. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
  14. ^ "Enfield train crash: Two people treated at scene for injuries". BBC News. 12 October 2021. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
  15. ^ Brown, Faye (12 October 2021). "Two injured as train crashes through barriers at north London station". Metro.
  16. ^ "Two checked by paramedics after London Overground train hits buffer stops at Enfield Town". RailAdvent. 12 October 2021.
  17. ^ "Buffer-stop collision at Enfield Town". Rail Accident Investigation Branch. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
  18. ^ "Enfield train crash: Driver arrested after drugs test". BBC News. 28 October 2021. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
  19. ^ Petherick, Sam (28 October 2021). "Train driver who crashed into London station barriers 'was on cocaine'". Metro. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
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