North Kent Line

The North Kent Line was the means by which the South Eastern Railway (SER) were able to connect its system to London at London Bridge. In 1846 the SER purchased the Thames and Medway Canal tunnel near Higham and laid railway tracks through it; in 1847 trains were working through from Strood, on the River Medway to Gravesend. From 30 July 1849 the line was extended, via Blackheath, to a junction with the London and Greenwich Railway at North Kent East Junction, near Deptford, and through trains were now working.

Train services working the Line today take the following route; the first ten miles passes through many tunnels, included on the list:

• Lewisham
• Blackheath - here is the junction for the Bexleyheath Line
  • Blackheath Tunnel [1 mile (1.6km) in length]
  • here is a branch for Angerstein Wharf
  • junction for the line from Greenwich and the eastern connection with the London and Greenwich Railway, opened in 1878
• Charlton
  • Charlton Tunnel [154 yds (138m)]
  • Mount Street Tunnel [121 yds (108m)]
  • Dockyard Tunnel [121 yds (108m)]
• Woolwich Dockyard
  • Coleman Street Tunnel [89 yds(80m)]
  • George IV Tunnel [238 yds (214m]
  • Calderwood Street Tunnel [58 yds (52m)]
  • Cross Street Tunnel [134 yds (120m)]
• Woolwich Arsenal
• Plumstead - here the Woolwich Arsenal railway system connected with the main line
• Church Manor Way Halt - closed
• Abbey Wood
• Belvedere
• Erith
• Slade Green -includes the large carriage-servicing depot
  • here is the triangular junction with the Bexleyheath Line
  • here is the triangular junction with the Dartford Loop Line
• Dartford
• Stone Crossing
• Greenhithe - to which has been added "for Bluewater"
  • Greenhithe Tunnel [253 yds (228m)]
• Swanscombe
• Northfleet - here the connection with the Channel Tunnel Rail Link is being constructed (due to open in 2007)
• Gravesend: was originally named Gravesend Central to differentiate it from the ex-London, Chatham and Dover Railway station at Gravesend West which closed in 1968
  • here stood Denton Halt serving the west of Gravesend; and Milton Range Halt serving a military rifle range
  • the branch to Grain
• Higham
  • Higham Tunnel/Strood Tunnel (short gap between the two) [1531 yds (1378m)]
• Strood - the junction for the Medway Valley Line and the connection with the SER Chatham main line

The Line totals some 30 miles (48km) in length.