Barking station

Barking station is a railway station served by National Rail and London Underground services. It is located in Barking in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham in northeast London, England. The station is in Zone 4, has nine platforms, and is managed by c2c. It has been proposed that ownership of the station could transfer to Transport for London. In 2009 the station was identified as one of the ten worst category B interchange stations for mystery shopper assessment of fabric and environment, and is set to receive a share of £50m funding for improvements. The station will become an interchange with the East London Transit in 2010.

History
The station was opened in 1854 by the London Tilbury and Southend Railway (LTSR) on their new line to Tilbury, which split from the Eastern Counties Railway (ECR) at Forest Gate. A shorter route from London between Little Ilford and Gas Factory Junction in Bow, and avoiding the ECR, opened in April 1858. A "Pitsea direct" branch was completed in June 1888 giving more direct access to Southend-on-Sea via Upminster, and avoiding Tilbury. In 1894 the Tottenham and Hampstead Junction Railway was extended by means of the Tottenham and Forest Gate Railway to join the 1854 line from Forest Gate to Tilbury. District line services initially operated over the tracks of the LTSR from 1902. In 1905 a pair of tracks was electrified as far as East Ham and the service was cut back there. It was extended back to Barking in 1908 and eastwards to Upminster, over a new set of tracks, from 1932. Hammersmith and City line, then known as the Metropolitan line, service began in 1936.

The station booking hall was completely rebuilt 1959-61 to designs by architect John Ward of British Railways Eastern Region Architect's Department. Pevsner states it was "erected to coincide with electrification of the railway" and that "it is commensurately modern in outlook and unquestionably one of the best English stations of this date".

The station was reopened by the Queen in 1961. It is now a Grade II listed building.

Services
On the Underground, it is served by the District and Hammersmith & City Lines and forms the eastern terminus for the Hammersmith & City whilst District Line services continue eastward to Upminster. On National Rail, the station is served by c2c and London Overground services.

, the typical off-peak service is:
 * 8 tph (trains per hour) to Fenchurch Street (c2c)
 * 6 tph to Richmond via Tower Hill (District line)
 * 6 tph to Wimbledon via Tower Hill (District line)
 * 3 tph to Hammersmith via Kings Cross (Hammersmith and City line)
 * 2 tph to Gospel Oak (London Overground)


 * 12 tph (trains per hour) to Upminster (District line)
 * 4 tph to Shoeburyness via Upminster (c2c)
 * 2 tph to Southend Central via Upminster and Grays (c2c)
 * 2 tph to Grays via Rainham (c2c)

Ticket office
The Ticket Office is managed by c2c and has seven serving windows. TRIBUTE and FasTIS ticket machines are in use. Tickets are available for National Rail, as well as London Underground. Oyster Cards can also be issued at the Ticket Office. There are four Shere Fastticket and four Scheidt and Bachman FAA-2000/TS ticket machines, which can issue tickets ordered on line (Tickets on Demand or 'TOD'). As of 20 March 2009 they do not sell Oyster products, despite the fact that from the 11th November 2007 all the lines serving the station will accept Oyster Pay as you go.

7 Ticket Barriers and a gate control access to all platforms.

Access
The station has four sets of stairs from the platforms to the overbridge and the booking hall. Four corresponding ramps connect to each other via a subway connection. They access: 1 & 1a; 2, 3 & 4; 5 & 6; and 7 & 8. There is lift access from the booking hall to platforms 1 & 1a and step free access to all other platforms from there via the subway and ramps.

Transport connections
Several London Bus routes connect with the site of the station and it is (since 20 February 2010) served by routes EL1 and EL2 (phase one of the East London Transit).

London Buses routes EL1 (24 hrs), EL2, 5, 62, 169, 238, 287, 368, 387, School bus routes 687 and Night routes N15.