Southfleet railway station

Although ultimately never successful, the Gravesend branch began to suffer in the face of competition from local bus services following the Second World War, and freight dropped off. As an economy measure, Southfleet lost its status as a station and became an unstaffed halt in Spring 1953. Worse was to follow a few months later when the decision was made to close all stations on the line to passenger traffic as from 3 August 1953. In 1959, the branch was singled and the platform buildings at Southfleet were demolished along with those at neighbouring Longfield Halt.^[5] Following the withdrawal of freight services at Gravesend West station in March 1968, the line was cut back to a point approximately 1100 yards to the north of Southfleet (as far as a bridge over the A2), the track beyond that point being lifted.

A coal railhead was subsequently established at Southfleet by APCM, a long-term user of the line, to which coal would be delivered by rail from the Midlands and then transported by road to Gravesend. The depot closed in 1970 following the opening of a centralised APCM plant at Northfleet.^[6] A brief revival took place in 1974 when the APCM took a lease of the former goods yard at Southfleet, constructed a small prefabricated engine shed and laid out sidings. The 1100 yards of track remaining beyond Southfleet was used to store wagons; the depot saw relatively frequent services - 4 up and down per day during the winter of 1974–5.^[7] APCM's use of the depot ceased in 1976, yet the track remained extant even as late as 1985.^[8]

Part of the trackbed to the south of Southfleet has been incorporated into the Channel Tunnel Rail Link (CTRL) which runs from London through Kent to the British side of the Channel Tunnel. From Fawkham Junction, the CTRL reuses the Gravesend West trackbed as far as the Dale Road overbridge near the site of Southfleet station, where it heads east on a new course.^[9] Works on the CTRL commenced in 1998 with the lifting of the remaining track on the Gravesend Branch and the excavation of a new trackbed.^[10]

The remainder of the cutting between Dale Road and the B262 Station Road was infilled as part of the works on the CTRL, with the overbridge surviving with rebuilt parapets. A tennis court now occupies the site of the station and new housing has been constructed in the former station yard. The stationmaster's house survives intact nearby as a private residence.^[11]

51°25′26″N 0°19′13″E / 51.4239°N 0.3204°E / 51.4239; 0.3204