Bromley North is set in the sectorisation period in the mid-1980s to early-1990s and is under the remit of Chris Green’s Network SouthEast. Amongst its shabby surroundings it boasts two platforms and two carriage sidings, all third-rail electrified, and a non-electrified freight line.
For many years, one train per hour from Bromley North has served central London using Cannon Street station, calling at Sundridge Park, Grove Park, Hither Green, Lewisham, New Cross and London Bridge. These services use 2-EPB EMUs.
With Network SouthEast’s attempt to significantly improve inner-London railway services, a new hourly service has also started from Bromley North to Willesden Junction in west London, calling at Sundridge Park, Grove Park, Hither Green, Lewisham, Nunhead, Peckham Rye, Denmark Hill, Brixton, Clapham High Street, Wandsworth Road, West Brompton and Kensington Olympia. This is an extension of the service that previously ran between Clapham Junction and Willesden Junction; it no longer calls at the former, to free-up some much needed platform space.
The new service is run with whatever rolling stock happens to be available on the day; this includes Class 101 and 108 DMUs and locos of classes 25, 31, 33, 47, 50 and 73, with Mark 1 and 2 coaching stock. Recently, solitary class 150 and 153 DMUs have arrived, on hire from Regional Railways, to test their cost efficiency and reliability on this service compared to the older stock. They are so new to the area that their destination blinds still display their old route destinations of Preston, Liverpool, Newport and Cardiff!
Also to be seen at Bromley North is a daily Motor Luggage Van delivering mail and newspapers to the area. There is a small amount of freight, serving local light industry via the Speedlink freight initiative; a resident Class 08 can be seen shunting wagons for these services.
With the Conservative government of the day looking at cost efficiencies throughout British Rail, Bromley North and its small branch line must justify its survival. Will Network SouthEast and Speedlink offer a new lease of life?
