Cheam railway station

Cheam
Main building
Cheam Location of Cheam in Greater London
Location	Cheam
Local authority	London Borough of Sutton
Managed by	Southern
Station code	CHE
DfT category	D
Number of platforms	2
Accessible	Yes
Fare zone	5
National Rail annual entry and exit
2004–05	0.661 million
2005–06	0.705 million
2006–07	1.000 million
2007–08	1.110 million
2008–09	1.080 million
2009–10	1.053 million
2010–11	1.052 million
2011–12	1.074 million
2012–13	1.071 million
2013–14	1.111 million
Key dates
10 May 1847	Opened
Other information
Lists of stations	DLR Underground National Rail Tramlink
External links	Departures Layout Facilities Buses
London Transport portal UK Railways portal

View from the A217 bridge in 1986

Cheam railway station serves Cheam in the London Borough of Sutton. It is located on the Sutton & Mole Valley Lines section from Sutton to Epsom with trains to London Victoria and London Bridge both via Mitcham Junction and West Croydon.

History

In 1844 Cheam was on the planned route for the London to Portsmouth atmospheric railway. The section of line between Croydon and Epsom was part of the London & Croydon Railway company who promoted the Clegg and Samuda atmospheric principle, utilizing a 15 in (380 mm) pipe. This project failed, and Cheam station became part of the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway on 10 May 1847.

The station is almost 16 miles (26 km) from London Bridge station. Over the years Cheam station expanded, and was rebuilt and the rail bed widened in preparation for the installation of AC overhead electric services, which would have included the building of an additional central platform island. Due to the outbreak of the First World War, the full planned expansion was cancelled and was never completed. Nevertheless, the through lines were still in place until the late 1970s when the Bognor Regis and Portsmouth express services were withdrawn from the Sutton and Dorking route to serve an expanding Gatwick Airport. The wide space between the tracks still remains and shows where the fast lines had been laid prior their removal. The brick main buildings are on the down side of the station.

Unfulfilled plans

Plans for the Wimbledon & Sutton Railway, to have been operated by the District Railway, were granted in 1910 and included a penultimate station, just north of Cheam Road, Sutton, which was intended to serve Cheam, to the west. This station was not built when the Southern Railway completed the line in the 1920s.

Services

The typical off-peak service pattern is as follows:

• 4tph (trains per hour) to London Victoria via Sutton, two of which call only at Sutton and Clapham Junction, the others also calling at Carshalton, Hackbridge, Mitcham Junction, Mitcham Eastfields and Balham.
• 1tph to London Victoria via Sutton, West Croydon and Norbury
• 3tph to Epsom
• 2tph to Dorking 1 extended to Horsham

At peak times, services also run to other destinations including London Bridge and Guildford. After 7pm, services via Norbury are diverted via Crystal Palace.

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Sutton		Southern Sutton & Mole Valley Lines		Ewell East

Connections

London Buses route 470 serve the station.

External links

• Train times and station information for Cheam railway station from National Rail
• Southern E-Group's page with pictures