Crossrail Update: Brand new Abbey Wood station building now open

Crossrail Limited has officially announced the opening of a brand new station building in Abbey Wood, South East London.

Delivered by Network Rail as part of a far wider programme of works, the opening – which extends only to the station building and concourse proper – marks a significant first-step towards reinvigorating transport in Abbey Wood. The station will continue to be served by Southeastern rail, in addition to the newly minted Elizabeth line from December 2018 onwards.

Work goes on in spite of the opening however; to fully fit-out the entire station, commission the concourse lifts and install the state-of-the-art systems required for the Elizabeth line. A temporary station at Abbey Wood, which opened in 2014 to keep rail-goers on the move over the course of the new build, must also be dismantled to reinstate the existing car park.

In the meantime, the London Borough of Bexley will continue its urban realm improvement programme to the front of the new station building. Transport for London (TfL) will take ownership of Abbey Wood station from Southeastern ahead of the launch of the Elizabeth line next year.

According to Ben Wheeldon, Crossrail Programme Director at Network Rail: “After four years of construction, we are extremely proud of this achievement and the immediate benefits the new station building will bring to the local community. The opening of the new ticket hall and concourse at Abbey Wood is a further milestone for the Crossrail project and a clear demonstration of our Railway Upgrade Plan delivering for passengers. We would like to thank passengers and local residents for their patience while we built this important new station.”

Howard Smith, TfL’s Operations Director for the Elizabeth line, echoed those sentiments, saying: “The opening of the new station building at Abbey Wood is an important milestone, bringing us one step closer to the introduction of Elizabeth line services next December. Abbey Wood will be one of ten new Elizabeth line stations, providing passengers with a direct link through central London to new destinations. We look forward to step-free access to the station being completed as soon as possible.”

From December 2019, an Elizabeth line service every five minutes, allowing passengers to catch a single train through Central London to Paddington, Heathrow or Reading in the west.

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