Forest Hill railway station

Forest Hill railway station is situated in Forest Hill, part of the London Borough of Lewisham. The station is located on the South Circular Road (A205).

The station is operated by London Overground, with London Overground and Southern trains serving the station. First Capital Connect and some Southern services pass through the station. It is located in Travelcard Zone 3.

There are four tracks through the station, although only the slow lines (the two outer tracks) have platforms. It lies on the Brighton Main Line between Honor Oak Park and Sydenham stations.

History
The station was opened by the original London & Croydon Railway (L&CR) on 5 June 1839, as Dartmouth Arms (after the name of the local inn).

The line was also used by the London and Brighton Railway from 1841 and the South Eastern Railway (SER) from 1842. In 1844, the station was chosen by the L&CR as the northern terminus for Phase 1 of an experimental Atmospheric railway to West Croydon operated by the railway. A pumping station was also constructed at the station. The L&CR and the L&BR merged to form the London Brighton and South Coast Railway (LB&SCR) in July 1846, the following year 'Atmospheric' working was abandoned, and the station became Forest Hill for Lordship Lane.

The LB&SCR moved the 'Down' platform during the early 1850s when the line was quadrupled, and extended the island platform around 1864.

The LB&SCR station buildings, were destroyed by bombing during World War II and have now been replaced by a more modern system-built structure. The short narrow island platform serving the fast lines was closed and demolished in the early 1960s.

The current whereabouts of the plaque commemorating the historic visit of Frank Bruno is not known. It was last seen before repainting in late 2005.

Services
Forest Hill is served by 8 trains in each direction off peak, with additional Southern services at peak hours. Southern operates 4-8 car trains throughout the day, with 10 carriage trains at peak hours.

Off Peak frequencies are:

Future services
In a rail meeting in Sydenham, Southern said Thameslink trains may stop here after the Thameslink Programme is completed in 2018.

Transport links
London Buses routes 122, 176, 185, 197, 356 and P4 all serve the station.